Israel’s defence ministry has ordered all Israeli companies that manufacture unmanned air systems not to begin or continue negotiations for new contracts in Russia. Israeli sources on 4 August said the decision is a result of Russian intervention in Ukraine, and that Washington had played a major role in the ruling. Continue reading
Category Archives: Military UAS
Italy Considers Hammerhead as Predator Replacement
Italy is evaluating the Piaggio Aero P1HH Hammerhead unmanned air vehicle (UAV) as a likely replacement for its air force’s fleet of GeneralAtomics Aeronautical Systems Predator as from later this decade. The medium-altitude, long-endurance type is being developed by Piaggio as an unmanned variant of its twin-pusher P180 Avanti II business aircraft, but is yet to attract a launch customer. Continue reading
Selex-ES Asio and Spyball UAS Ready for Delivery to Italian Army
Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B UAVs have passed their factory acceptance tests, leaving them ready for delivery to the Italian Army for its Forza NEC modernisation programme.
Unmanned K-Max to Undergo Further Testing
Lockheed Martin is preparing a series of demonstration flights to prove the capability of its K-Max unmanned air vehicle to transport and deploy an autonomous ground vehicle. In an effort to prove the potential of “robots moving robots”, the VTOL UAV – derived from the manned Kaman helicopter – will next month take part in the US Army-led trials which will see it carry a Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) at Fort Benning, Georgia. Continue reading
Hamas Shows Off Downed UAS
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ militant wing, released a new video on Monday in which a masked militant holds what appears to be a damaged Israeli reconnaissance drone they claim was shot down in Gaza. Continue reading
Bulgaria Wants All-Weather Reconnaissance UAS
The U.S. Army has issued a market survey for a 10-pound UAS with hover and stare capability that would be suitable for the Bulgarian armed forces. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., issued a sources-sought notice to locate potential sources to deliver and train vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV systems for foreign military sales to Bulgaria. Continue reading
Predator B ER Conducts First Long-Range Endurance Flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has announced the successful second endurance flight of its Predator B Extended Range (ER) RPA, an advanced derivative of the mission-proven Predator B RPA that has accumulated over 800,000 flight hours since 2001. The flight launched on June 17 and landed on June 18. Continue reading
US Army Tests NERO Electronic Warfare Jammer on UAS
Last month within the mountainous terrain of The Great Salt Lake Desert at Dugway Proving Ground Utah, the U.S. Army conducted flight testing of an unmanned airborne electronic attack capability known as NERO, or the Networked Electronic Warfare Remotely Operated. Continue reading