Just days after the U.S. government said it would allow the sale of its drones to military allies, Australia’s conservative government on Monday said the country’s air force had already commenced training aircrew and support staff in the U.S. on the MQ-9 ’Reaper’. Continue reading
Category Archives: Military UAS
Predator XP Sale to UAE Close to Congress Approval
The State Department notified the House and Senate foreign relations committees on Feb. 6 that it is prepared to license the export of eight Predators and associated equipment, such as electro-optical and infrared sensors, valued at $220 million, according to two U.S. officials with knowledge of the letter sent to lawmakers.
Global Hawk Flies in to Australian Air Show
An U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system flew in for display at the Australian International Air Show at Avalon Airport, Australia, on Feb. 21. Continue reading
Kalashnikov Drones Announced at IDEX
The Russian Kalashnikov Concern decided to create a joint venture producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the company’s CEO Alexey Krivoruchko said Sunday at International Defence Exhibition IDEX 2015 in Abu Dhabi.
India to Develop Local Version of AeroVironment UAVs
India is to begin manufacturing an indigenous derivative of AeroVironment’s family of small unmanned air systems, that will be dubbed the “Cheel”. Continue reading
Czech Military Technical Institute Unveils New UAV
The Czech Military Technical Institute (VTU) has developed a new unmanned aerial vehicle, Brus, which is designed for rescue and humanitarian purposes, has a day- and a night-vision camera and may also carry other devices, VTU representatives told a press conference on Monday.
U.S. Export Policy for Military Unmanned Aerial Systems
The U.S.State Department has approved its first policy for selling armed drones to allies. It has just published new guidelines that set out procedures for both commercial and military drone exports, which the department said it will assess on a “case-by-case basis,” including “armed systems.” It also seeks to impose restrictions on purchasers concerning how the unmanned systems can be used, as well as provisions for the U.S. to monitor compliance. Continue reading
Iranian-Built UAV Downed Over Iraq
Twitter accounts associated with the militant group Islamic State are tweeting out pics of another wrecked Iranian-made drone in Iraq. The tweets, which first appeared early Saturday morning, claim that Islamic State fighters shot down a drone near the city of Samarra, 70 miles north of Baghdad. The pictures show an Iranian Ababil-3 unmanned aerial vehicle in pieces, with what appear to be stickers of an Iraqi flag on its tail. Continue reading