Category Archives: Business News

US Navy Deploys RQ-20B AeroVironment Puma AE

RQ-20B Puma AE hand launchAeroVironment, Inc. announced the United States Navy has tested and deployed the RQ-20B Puma small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) aboard a Flight I Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG Class).  Some of these exercises included the use of AeroVironment’s fully autonomous system to recover the aircraft aboard a ship.  The US Navy issued a report on August 3 from the Arabian Gulf describing how Puma AE is also being utilized (see “US Ships Utilize Small Eye in the Sky”) on Navy Patrol Craft.

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Insitu Gets $8M US Navy ScanEagle Support Contract

ScanEagle Mk 4 launcherInsitu Inc. is being awarded $8,291,844 for firm-fixed-price delivery order 0062 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-12-G-0008) to procure spares, support equipment, and support services for the ScanEagle Unmanned Aircraft System operations for the government of Iraq intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services program.

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Aurora to Expand Unmanned Flight Tests in Virginia

Centaur OPAAurora Flight Sciences is looking to expand its operational testing of the Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) system to Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise County, Virginia. Through this endeavor, Aurora aims to continue advancing the Virginia Unmanned Systems Commission’s progress toward making the state a leader in the unmanned systems industry, while also establishing Wise County as a research, development and operational hub for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

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Queensland Announces $1m Fund for RPAS Technology

One hundred new drone industry jobs will be created in Queensland, according to an announcement detailing new funding by the Queensland Government. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the $1m Advance Queensland funding aims to develop and test cutting-edge Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) technologies for adoption by critical industries including agriculture, mining, energy, telecommunications, search and rescue and environmental management. Continue reading