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
Category Archives: News
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.
Elbit to Supply Hermes 900 to Brazil for 2014 FIFA World Cup
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that it was awarded a contract by the Brazilian Air Force (“FAB”) for the supply of a Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft System (“UAS”). The Hermes 900, which will be equipped with a new and advanced intelligence gathering system considered as a breakthrough operational solution, will be operated by FAB in combined missions with the Hermes 450 fleet, already in operational use. Both UAS will carry safety and security missions in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Games.
Fiji Civil Aviation Authority Grants Second UAS Permit
Nadi-based company Skywards Industries Ltd is the second to be granted permission to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in Fiji but the first given the green light to operate in the heavy-duty category. Continue reading
Chinese Farmer Builds Own UAS
Zhang Aiguo, 62, a farmer from central China’s Hunan province, has made 5 farming drones with his partners since 2013, which cost just less than 20,000 dollars for each one. The aircraft enthusiast made his specifically designed drones by inviting professionals to do the designs, buying imported engines online and ordering body frames from aircraft factories.