UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced the receipt of a contract award from the United States Navy on September 29, 2017 for continuation and expansion of its Blackwing small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) program. The contract includes orders for multiple Blackwing vehicles, sensor payloads and refurbishment kits for a total value of $2,578,822. The initial set of vehicles are anticipated for delivery by May 2018, and final delivery anticipated by November 2018. Continue reading
Iris Automation, a San Francisco-based, venture-backed company, has made history by demonstrating the first long range, airborne sense and avoid system for industrial UAS as part of the FAA Pathfinder initiative. Although a dozen sense and avoid companies were invited, Iris Automation was the only airborne solution that participated. Continue reading
At IROS last week, researchers from Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Laboratory, led by Mirko Kovac, presented SpiderMAV, a drone equipped with Spider-Man-style web shooters to help it create stable perches wherever it needs to. Continue reading
Commercial drones are lining up on the runway with high hopes for air traffic control systems tailored for unmanned vehicles. But a lack of appropriate regulations may keep them from getting off the ground for a while. That was the view from the Drone World Expo here. The event gathered proponents that ranged from Airbus, GE and Lockheed Martin to Facebook, Google and a White House science and technology advisor. Continue reading
Officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a sources-sought notice Wednesday for the unmanned aerial system (UAS) integration in the national airspace (NAS) systems integration demonstration industry workshop — better-known as UAS-NAS — which will be 30 Nov. 2017 at the Kimpton Solamar Hotel, 435 6th Avenue at J Street, in San Diego. Continue reading
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced that its Puma AE and Raven small unmanned aircraft systems, the most widely deployed UAVs in the United States Department of Defense fleet, are being enhanced with new upgrades. The new aircraft, Puma 3 and Raven 3, will be unveiled at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in March 2018. Continue reading
Traditional methods involving helicopters for exploration are invasive and costly. Paired with the treacherous arctic conditions, including freezing temperatures and heavy winds, exploration from a boat in these remote areas is challenging even for the most experienced researchers. Continue reading
Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $9.4 million contract for the Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD) that aims to fire a laser beam from a UAV. Under this contract, Lockheed will perform the next step for the LPLD Phase 1 effort that addresses laser power and aperture size by integrating and testing a low power laser on an unmanned aerial vehicle. Continue reading