Aurora Flight Sciences tested new capabilities of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System in Bealeton, Virginia, May 25, 2016. The AACUS is an autonomy applique kit that enables operations of full-scale rotary-wing aircraft in and out of austere landing zones, tactically, with little human assistance.
Category Archives: Applications & Testing & Experience
Joint Air-to-Ground Missile Fired from a Gray Eagle
The missile intended to ultimately replace the Hellfire was fired from a Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system and hit a moving truck target at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, according to the US Army’s Joint Attack Munition Systems project manager.
Prototype Hammerhead Crashes off Sicily
A prototype of Piaggio Aero’s P.1HH Hammerhead unmanned air vehicle crashed into the sea near Sicily during a test flight on 31 May.
Airborne Detect and Avoid System Tests on Guardian
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has announced the successful operational testing of a Detect and Avoid (DAA) system including GA-ASI’s Due Regard Radar (DRR) aboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Guardian Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), a maritime variant of GA-ASI’s Predator B RPA. The DAA system also includes Honeywell’s Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) and Sensor Tracker, specifically designed for DAA.
Airbus Unveils Thor – Fully 3D Printed Test UAV
When it comes to nurturing and promoting advancements in 3D printing technology, very few companies have taken the initiative that the European airline manufacturer Airbus has. The aerospace manufacturer started fully immersing itself into the world of additive manufacturing back around 2014, when they equipped their A350 airliner with a titanium 3D printed cabin bracket, and also utilized the first 3D printed spare part on an aircraft being used by Air Transnat. Continue reading Sikorsky Completes DARPA ALIAS Phase 1 Autonomous Flight
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, has successfully demonstrated a 30-mile autonomous flight using a Sikorsky S-76 commercial helicopter to complete Phase 1 of an $8 million award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) Continue reading
US Office of Naval Research Tests Drone Swarms
The Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research this week released this video showing a 30 aircraft flight of UAVs directed in tandem by the Navy and researchers from the Georgia Tech Research Institute of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Continue reading
Flight Tests of Scale Model of Russian Tilt-Rotor UAS
A scale model of the Frigate, Russia’s up and coming multi-purpose tilt-rotor drone, is undergoing preliminary testing. Frigate is designed as a multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle capable of performing both surveillance and search-and-rescue missions, as well as cargo transportation duties. Continue reading