The American military does a lot of work in the field of bio-mimicry, stealing designs from nature for use in new technology. After all, if you’re going to design a robot, where better to draw inspiration than from billions of years of evolution? The latest result of these efforts is the GhostSwimmer: The Navy’s underwater drone designed to look and swim like a real fish, and a liability to spook the bejeezus out of any beach goer who’s familiar with Jaws.
Author Archives: The Editor
EMSA Picks Life Ray for European Maritime Surveillance System
The new unmanned aerial system AR5 Life Ray, developed by technological Group TEKEVER, was selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to create the first European maritime surveillance system composed of UAS. Continue reading
Israel to Issue RFI for Personal UAS
Israel’s military is preparing to issue a request for information (RFI) for a so-called “personal UAS” for use by infantry soldiers.
L-3 SCM to Provide Communications Link for Desert Hawk III
L-3 Southern California Microwave (L-3 SCM) has announced that it has been selected by Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training (LM MST) business to provide its MICRO Secure Digital Data Link (MICRO SDDL) as the secure command & control and ISR communications backbone for the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) digital Desert Hawk III DDL small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) platform.
NASA Begins Flight Testing of Shape-Shifting Wings
NASA’s green aviation project, together with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and FlexSys, Inc, is one step closer to demonstrating technology that could make future airliners quieter and more fuel-efficient with the successful flight test of a wing surface that can change shape in flight. Continue reading
Chinese Air Force Shoots Down Unauthorised Flights
A drone without an operating license that was shot down by the PLA Air Force in Beijing has brought light to the need for tightened regulations on privately-owned drones and other devices.
AOPA tells Congress UAS Rules Needed Now
The FAA should expedite its rule governing the operation of small commercial unmanned aerial systems, AOPA told the House Aviation Subcommittee in comments submitted for the record as part of a Dec. 10 hearing on UAS technology. In its statement, AOPA also recommended that the FAA take steps to address dangerous operations by recreational UAS users, including stipulating penalties. Continue reading
USAF Seeks More Extended Range Reaper Conversions
The US Air Force (USAF) intends to award General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) a contract to upgrade an additional number of its MQ-9 Reaper Block 1 unmanned aircraft systems to the extended range (ER) configuration, it disclosed on 4 December. Continue reading