In the late 1960s and early ’70s, the CIA embarked on a programme to build an unmanned version of America’s most iconic spy plane—one that could reach deep into the heart of Chinese territory to pry out the nuclear secrets at supersonic speeds and at little risk to human pilots.
Category Archives: News
AirHeads Drone-Building TV Series in Production
A new drone-building series called Airheads is due to air on Sunday nights on BBC2 in the key Top Gear slot at 8pm. The corporation may be hoping to recapture some of the success of the popular technology show Robot Wars with the launch of the new drone-based series.
Predator B Reaches One Million Flight Hours
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI),has announced that its Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA fleet has achieved a historic milestone of one million cumulative flight hours, with almost 90-percent of all missions flown in combat.
First of 10 Apache Units Adds 12 Shadow UAS
The first of 10 AH-64 Apache battalions to receive Shadow unmanned aerial systems will be reflagged today at Fort Bliss, Texas. The 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment will become 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, making it the first Apache battalion to be converted to a heavy attack reconnaissance squadron.
German Air Force Still Wants HALE UAV
The German Air Force has touted the benefits that a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air vehicle would have over a converted business jet to fill the signal intelligence capability gap that it was left with in 2010.
Pakistan Test Flies Domestic Burraq
Pakistan has successfully test-flown its indigenously developed armed drone ‘Burraq’ and laser-guided missile ‘Barq’. Continue reading
SXSW Is a No-Drone Zone
The main issue with holding an interactive conference in the 21st century is easy access to the latest technology. That in mind, the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas has had to take the precautionary step of banning drones.
Abu Dhabi Bans Sale of Recreational Drones
Recreational drones have been banned from sale in Abu Dhabi because they pose a risk to aviation. The ban was announced on Wednesday by the Abu Dhabi Business Centre, an affiliate of the Department of Economic Development, to reduce the number of drones in the air and ensure they were not being misused.