Coast Guard and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration researchers report the successful landing of an unmanned aircraft system on the flight deck of Coast Guard Cutter ‘Healy’, marking the first time a UAS has completed a take-off and landing aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker.
Category Archives: Applications & Testing & Experience
US Air Force Test Wing Gets Global Hawk for Software Testing
The 412th Test Wing’s Global Vigilance Combined Test Force received a Global Hawk Block 40 Aug. 6, on loan from Air Combat Command. The aircraft, from Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, is joining the Block 20 and 40 aircraft at Edwards AFB to offer an additional platform for configuration-constrained testing, allowing the test force to balance their schedule. Continue reading
Scion UAS Demonstrates Autonomous Takeoff and Landing from a Moving Platform
Scion UAS recently demonstrated autonomous takeoff and landing from a moving platform. The SA-400 Jackal landed smoothly on a 16ft x 20ft trailer being towed along a runway at speeds up to 10 knots. More than 10 landings and takeoffs were performed including straight-line approaches and 45-degree approaches to simulate ship-based operations. Continue reading
Afghan Man Develops UAS
An Afghan engineer has developed different types of unmanned aerial vehicle – drone and another aircraft which can be flown by a pilot.The aircraft developed by Engineer Zmarai Helali are operated with fuel and electricity energy, and have been made by ordinary elements such as wood, clothes and electrical devices.
Wind Tunnel Tests for UAVs in San Diego
The San Diego Wind Tunnel has been used to develop technologies in aerospace and Olympic sports for more than six decades. Two local companies, Aerial Mob and 3D Robotics recently used it to test their unmanned aerial vehicles. Continue reading
Amazon May Test UAS Deliveries in India
India, not US, will be the launch-pad for Amazon’s plan to deliver packages using drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, according to two people aware of the development. The US-based e-tailer will debut its drone delivery service with trials in Mumbai and Bangalore, cities where it has warehouses, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
First BLOS Flight at Spanish Test Centre
Spain’s Air Traffic Laboratory for Advanced Systems (Atlas) experimental test centre on August 20 hosted the first flight of a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) beyond visual line of sight since new rules governing RPAS entered force in that country. Pilots with the Centre for Advanced Aerospace Technologies flew the Viewer aircraft, a 33-pound mtow electric airplane, more than 8 km (4.9 miles) from the center’s facilities in Villacarrillo and up to 3,300 feet above sea level.
Malloy Aeronautics Hoverbike on Kickstarter
An interesting Kickstarter project aims to jump-start sales of a drone version of a fully-functional hover bike. The quadcopter drone acts as a proof of concept for the full-sized manned vehicle, with proceeds from the crowdfunding effort intended to fuel the continued development of the final vehicle. With more than a week remaining before the Kickstarter campaign concludes, its funding goal has been exceeded and development is moving forward at pace. Though the manned Hoverbike is what tends to garner the most attention, the one third scale drones are actually the focus of the Kickstarter effort.