UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
Photo: Ben Trapnell
U.S. Air Force testers say the Global Hawk Block 20/30 is unable to completely and reliably perform the high-altitude imagery and signals intelligence collection missions for which it is designed.
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that it has been awarded a contract to supply a Latin American country (Chile…?) with Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The project is not in an amount that is material to Elbit Systems.
ING Engineering, which maintains UAS for Canadian Forces, trains soldiers on how to use them and launches and recovers them for the Forces in Afghanistan, showcased its remote-controlled planes at the two-day military industry trade show CANSEC.
The German Army recently announced that a team of instructors has been deployed to Afghanistan to instruct German soldiers in the operation of a new, small tactical reconnaissance UAS. The Mikado AR 100 B, built by German manufacturer AirRobot GmbH & Co. KG, is intended to provide additional situational awareness to troops in northern Afghanistan.
One of the flagship programmes underpinning the ambitious Franco-British effort to establish a 50-year strategic partnership in national security is several steps closer to being clarified.
The Manned/Unmanned Systems Integration Capability (MUSIC) is an initiative designed to bring together both types of systems to interoperate and share a common operating picture among pilots, UAS operators and troops on the ground.
In an effort to cut costs and avoid civilian casualties, manufacturers are developing small ‘smart bombs,’ drones that resemble model planes and microscopic crystals to tag enemy targets. Under mounting pressure to keep its massive budget in check, the Pentagon is looking to cheaper, smaller weapons to wage war in the 21st century.
