Aurora’s XV-24A LightningStrike Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) XPlane subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) aircraft completed its planned flight test program in early March at Webster Outlying Field in Southern Maryland. Continue reading
Category Archives: Applications & Testing & Experience
Textron to Demonstrate Vertical Capability for Aerosonde on US Navy Vessel
Textron has developed a modification to its Aerosonde unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to give it a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability and will demonstrate it at sea this summer. The modification allows for more flexibility in operations and a reduction in footprint for launch and recovery equipment. Continue reading
Quadcopter Inspects B-52 on USAF Taxiway
An unusual aircraft went through its motions on the Edwards Air Force Base flightline March 16 when a small quadcopter equipped with a camera took to the sky to perform a visual inspection of a B-52 Stratofortress. Continue reading
Northrop Firebird Tests UAV Collision Avoidance System
Northrop Grumman’s Firebird optionally manned demonstrator has completed an early shakedown of the anti-collision system intended to make the skies safe for unmanned and manned aircraft.
US Army Tests Dual-Rotor UAS for Casualty Evacuation
Dragonfly Pictures Inc.’s DP14 Hawk, a dual-rotor unmanned aerial system, could play a role in a U.S. Army effort to one day use drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Continue reading
Schiebel CAMCOPTER Approaches Manned-Unmanned Teaming Operations
Schiebel and Patria have been working together to integrate Patria’s sophisticated Compact Airborne Networking Data Link (CANDL) communication network onto the CAMCOPTER S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS). Continue reading
Air/Ground Cargo Robot Combines Helicopter and SUV
Advanced Tactics Inc. (AT), a research and rapid development company in Southern California, announced that AT has successfully completed their first aerial package delivery test with a flying drone that can land with a 5-pound package and safely drive up to the door with no propellers turning to deliver a package to the doorstep of a customer. Continue reading
Kruger Park Abandons Drone Anti-Poaching Programme
The Kruger National Park (KNP) is no longer using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to combat poaching, after a year-long evaluation period exposed a number of shortcomings, but is using other aviation assets successfully. Continue reading


