Author Archives: The Editor

US Air Force Report Details Future UAS Plans

MQ-9Reaper-USAF

The US Air Force next month will finally reach the target number of 65 combat air patrols for its Predator and Reaper fleet, while the administration seeks to cut back on its drone operations in theatre. The Air Force’s long-term outlook for its remotely piloted aircraft fleet was released last Friday, and includes insights into how future generations of unmanned systems will take on some missions exclusively flown by manned aircraft today, along with the current state of drone operations. Continue reading →

RQ-4 Global Hawk Expands Satellite Communications Capability

RQ-4_Global_Hawk_Block_40The U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has completed a series of ground and air demonstrations at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., expanding the adaptability of the Global Hawk system to use an additional Satellite Communications (SATCOM) link to improve the transfer of mission data. Continue reading →

Melbourne University UAS Detects Wind Patterns in Real Time

bird-inspires-drone-designMelbourne researchers are developing UAS that will detect and glide on natural air currents to conserve energy – something birds have been doing for millennia. In the right conditions, the aircraft could glide between buildings and skyscrapers for hours on end, barely expending any battery power, project leader Dr Reece Clothier of RMIT University says. Continue reading →

DJI Introduces Phantom 2 Vision+

DJI Phantom 2 Vision+

DJI has announced the release of the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+, the world’s first flying camera that captures stabilized HD video out of the box. The DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ features a built-in camera that shoots 1080p video at 30 frame-per-second (fps) and takes 14-megapixel pictures. The camera is mounted to a gimbal, an electronic stabilizer, ensuring the steadiness of the camera on 3 axes – pitch, roll and yaw – regardless of wind conditions or flight speed. Continue reading →

Injured Triathlete in Australia – UAV Operator “Not Certified”

OzA competitor in the Endure Batavia Triathlon in Geraldton was taken to hospital after an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) , fell from the sky hitting her on the head. The competitor, Raija Ogden was heading into her second lap of the run leg of the race on the Foreshore when the incident occurred. The remote-controlled copter struck her head and she fell to the ground.

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UK Team To Train on Triton

MQ-4C- Triton_BAMSBritain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is dispatching a team to train on Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton UAS in the run-up to a possible decision next year on whether to re-establish a maritime patrol capability. Responding to a parliamentary question April 3, the government said that four personnel are “scheduled to train on the MQ-4C Triton during June and August, 2014.”

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