The US 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed in late February with the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft, marking the first time any MEU has taken the combat-proven UAS out to sea for an operational assignment.
Category Archives: Military UAS
South Korea Budgets $40M for Global Hawks in 2011
South Korea’s military will bring forward its planned deployment of high-altitude UAS and stealth fighter jets to increase its surveillance capability and bolster its deterrence toward North Korea.
China Hacked South Korea UAS Plans
Chinese hackers allegedly broke into a computer network run by South Korea’s defence ministry last year and stole secret documents on a plan to buy spy drones from the United States, an opposition lawmaker in Seoul said on Monday.
Azerbaijan Starts UAS Production
AZAD System Co., which was opened last week by the President of Azerbaijan, in association with the Ministry of Defence’s Industrial division, has created a new industry in the country – production of unmanned aircraft.
Last Predator for US Air Force
P-268, the Last USAF MQ-1 Predator, at General Atomics' Gray Butte Flight Operation Facility in Palmdale, California
The U.S. Air Force accepted MQ-1 Predator tail number 268, the last manufactured for the service, in a ceremony March 3 at General Atomics’ Gray Butte Aeronautical Systems’ Flight Ops Facility. Col. James Beissner, Air Combat Command’s Chief Irregular Warfare Division, accepted the aircraft on behalf of the Air Force in front of a crowd of more than 800.
US Army Recruits UAS Pilots via YouTube
Part of a series demonstrating what skills can be acquired during an Army career, the first episode compares the skills of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Operator and those of a civilian Skycam Operator during an NCAA football game. This clip was posted on YouTube and the full series can be seen here.
US Army Awards $335M Contract to General Atomics
The US Army has awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., a $335,504,000 fixed-price-incentive-fee contract on February 28th. The award provides for the purchase of system hardware applicable to the Extended Range Multi-Purpose Unmanned Aircraft System.
Finland UAS Bid Shortlist Update
A new contender has emerged for Finland’s Ministry of Defence requirement for up to 45 UAS that we reported in January. Avartek, a Finnish aerial target manufacturer, has teamed up with Innocon (Israel) to offer the Micro Falcon under the name AT-11.