Dubai Customs is using UAS for surveillance of suspicious activity and to support inspection of trade vessels in Dubai Creek. A senior official told Gulf News the unmanned quad-copters were launched last month and may be deployed in similar operations in Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, the world’s biggest manmade harbour. Continue reading
Category Archives: News
Melbourne University UAS Detects Wind Patterns in Real Time
Melbourne researchers are developing UAS that will detect and glide on natural air currents to conserve energy – something birds have been doing for millennia. In the right conditions, the aircraft could glide between buildings and skyscrapers for hours on end, barely expending any battery power, project leader Dr Reece Clothier of RMIT University says. Continue reading
Injured Triathlete in Australia – UAV Operator “Not Certified”
A competitor in the Endure Batavia Triathlon in Geraldton was taken to hospital after an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) , fell from the sky hitting her on the head. The competitor, Raija Ogden was heading into her second lap of the run leg of the race on the Foreshore when the incident occurred. The remote-controlled copter struck her head and she fell to the ground.
US Navy Unveils New Programme to Create Autonomous UAS
The U.S. Navy has unveiled a five-year, $100 million programme to create unmanned helicopters capable of resupplying troops and rescuing injured soldiers from the battlefield. Continue reading
French Unit May Test Watchkeepeer in Afghanistan
Great Britain plans to send the Watchkeeper to Afghanistan this year, possibly to serve with a French Army unit working with the British Army team flying the tactical UAS, a British officer said on April 3 at a high-level defence conference in Paris by the Franco-British Council. Continue reading
Top Gun 2 Will Pit Tom Cruise Against UAS
“Top Gun 2” is still happening according to Jerry Bruckheimer, and its plot is as modern as ever. The super producer stopped by HuffPost Live to discuss his new book, “Jerry Bruckheimer: When Lightning Strikes, Four Decades of Filmmaking,” and also explained how the sequel could exist in today’s world of warfare. Continue reading
Facebook Launches Solar-Powered UAS Internet Project Team
According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Larry Page, the future of the Internet lies in the upper stratosphere. Facebook announced that it has set up a team to work on solar powered aircraft that would circle at a height of 20 kilometers to provide Internet access to suburban areas of the world where connectivity is scarce. Continue reading
Purpose-built UAS Test Centre Opens In Spain
Europe’s first purpose-built center for UAS research activities has opened in Spain. Known as Atlas (air traffic laboratory for advanced unmanned systems), the facility was officially opened on March 21 by the president of Andalucía, Susana Díaz, whose regional government has funded much of the €4.5 million ($6 million) implementation of the project from European Union allocations. Additional funding has come from national government, and the site has been developed in close cooperation with potential customers, such as Boeing.