Category Archives: Military UAS

Japan Having Second Thoughts on Global Hawk

Two years ago Japan paid American Northrop Grumman nearly $500 million for a trio of Global Hawk spy drones, with deliveries wrapping up in 2022. Now Tokyo reportedly is reconsidering the purchase. The review comes a year after Iranian forces shot down a U.S. Navy Global Hawk that was flying in international air space near Iran. Continue reading

Elbit’s THOR Completes Environmental Qualification Tests

Tests demonstrated the capability of THOR to withstand hard-gusting rain

Elbit Systems’ THOR, a multi-rotor Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) mini Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), successfully completed a series of environmental qualification tests ahead of the delivery of more than a thousand of units to an army in Southeast Asia. Continue reading

CIA Reveals Details of Bird-Like 1970s Stealth Drone

Bird-like Aquiline drone prototype by McDonnell Douglas

The CIA’s Project Aquiline was a drone with a ten-foot wingspan which would carry out spy missions deep into the Soviet Union. The CIA has declassified a new stash of documents about the project from the early 1970s, revealing among other things, plans to fit nuclear propulsion and have it operating out of the celebrated Area 51. Continue reading

Northrop Grumman Gets Triton Net Enabled Weapons Support Award from US Navy

MQ-4C Tritons at a Northrop Grumman test facility in Palmdale, California

The US Department of the Navy plans to award Northrop Grumman’s aerospace systems business a delivery order to provide analysis support for demonstration activities involving the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial system. Continue reading