The U.S. Air Force sent out a worldwide alert bulletin to operators of its MQ-9 Reaper after a software error in navigation equipment caused one to crash in Lake Ontario northwest of Syracuse, the chief accident investigator said in an interview.
Author Archives: The Editor
DJI Phantom Caught Smuggling Phones into Bangkok Jail
A DJI Phantom equipped with a video camera and two mobile phones were intercepted by guards at Khao Bin prison, widely known to have the best security protection system of all prisons in Thailand.
UAS Help Private Investigators
Private Investigators are taking UAS to new heights — using the remote-controlled aircraft to catch New Yorkers cheating on spouses, lying about disabilities and endangering their kids. Continue reading
Urgent UAS Capability Required for MH17 Crash Site Assessment
In the wake of the fatal downing of an airliner over occupied Ukraine on 17 July, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has issued an urgent solicitation to acquire an unmanned air vehicle capability to monitor the area.
Thales to Lease Out Watchkeeper
As part of a plan to lease and rent sensor capabilities to military and civilian customers, Thales has said it would consider leasing out the Watchkeeper UAS.
CAA Issues Notice of Future Requirement for a Safety Case Assessment for sUAS
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has issued an Information Notice to inform operators of civil Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) and Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft (SUSA) within the weight category 7 – 20 kg that there will be a future need for their aircraft to be assessed for airworthiness in relation to operating within 150 m of a congested area.
FAA Investigates UAS Near Miss with Helicopter in Cleveland
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident in which a quadcopter flew within a short distance of a helicopter in the skies near Cleveland. Continue reading
Predator B ER Conducts First Long-Range Endurance Flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has announced the successful second endurance flight of its Predator B Extended Range (ER) RPA, an advanced derivative of the mission-proven Predator B RPA that has accumulated over 800,000 flight hours since 2001. The flight launched on June 17 and landed on June 18. Continue reading