The AN/TPQ-53 (Q-53) radar system is reaching full rate production under a new $1.6 million Army contract with Lockheed Martin. Meanwhile, Lockheed already has plans for a new generation of Q-53 radars with short range air defense (SHORAD) capabilities. Continue reading
Author Archives: The Editor
Drones Listen in on Bats to Reveal their In-Flight Secrets
Bat-detecting drones could help us find out what the animals get up to when flying. Ultrasonic detectors on drones in the air and on the water are listening in on bat calls, in the hope of discovering more about the mammals’ lives beyond the reach of ground-based monitoring devices. Continue reading
DARPA Service Academies Swarm Challenge Live-Fly Competition Begins
Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other robots have become increasingly affordable, capable, and available to both the U.S. military and adversaries alike. Enabling UAVs and similar assets to perform useful tasks under human supervision—that is, carrying out swarm tactics in concert with human teammates—holds tremendous promise to extend the advantages U.S. warfighters have in field operations. Continue reading
Air-to-Ground UAV Teaming – Singapore Style
Operating as a team, an autonomous vehicle with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying overhead as surveillance could go deep into complex and unfamiliar terrains such as dense forests to deliver supplies to the battlefield. Continue reading
Virginia Tech Aviation Partnership Test BVLOS Flights
Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, Ligado Networks, AeroVironment, Inc., and Dominion Virginia Power evaluated communications strategies and other parameters to help build a safety case for unmanned aircraft flights beyond the visual line of sight of a pilot or observer. Continue reading
Russia to Develop a Shrapnel Anti-Drone Weapon
Russia is developing a shrapnel anti-drone weapon, one of its arms contractors has announced, as the country’s military continues efforts to build a defense against unmanned aircraft. Continue reading
Private Drone Shot Out of the Sky in Georgia
On most evenings in Morgan County, Brad Jones would be outside of his home flying his drone and taking breathtaking shots of the sunsets; however, his hobby came to an abrupt end when the drone was shot out of the sky. Continue reading
IAI Updates Panther Design After Landing Mishap
After investigating the cause of a landing mishap involving its hybrid Panther unmanned air vehicle late last year, Israel Aerospace Industries is to update the vertical take-off and landing design’s fuselage and wing to boost performance. Continue reading