Amazon has hired a former Boeing executive to run its Prime Air drone delivery business, signaling the retail giant’s plans to expand the unit so that it can eventually start flying regular 30-minute shipments to customers’ homes. Continue reading
Category Archives: News
Learning Visuomotor Policies for Aerial Navigation
Sensing technologies have improved steadily, but the ability of robots to make decisions in real time based on what they perceive still has a long way to go to equal or surpass human capabilities. Researchers from Microsoft Corp., Carnegie Mellon University, and Oregon State University have been collaborating to improve perception-action loops. Continue reading
New NOAA Program to Support and Expand Use of UAS
NOAA is establishing a new Unmanned Systems Operations Program to support the rapidly expanding use of these systems across the agency. The new program will promote the safe, efficient and economical operation of unmanned systems (UxS) NOAA uses to collect high-quality environmental data for the agency’s science, products and services. Continue reading
GA-ASI Completes First Production-Representative MQ-9B SkyGuardian
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has completed the first production-representative MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). First flight of this aircraft took place on March 30, 2020 at GA-ASI’s Flight Operations Facility in El Mirage, California. Continue reading
Northrop Grumman M-ACE C-UAS in Final Testing Phase
Northrop Grumman’s Mobile Acquisition and Cueing Effector (M-ACE) hunter/killer CUAS prototype demonstrator, with the extended SDS-12 stabilised aluminium tower, based on a dedicated Ford F250 platform
Northrop Grumman Defense Systems has completed US government testing of its programmable Light Weight 30 mm Proximity Sensing Ammunition (LW30 PROX) round, and is moving towards qualification and fielding of the round to US Army and US Marine Corps air defence echelons within the year. Continue reading
Leonardo Extends Training Services to UAS
Leonardo is extending its training services capabilities to include rotorcraft unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to provide 360° training solutions to its growing customer base for maximised mission effectiveness and safety. Continue reading
Final 3 Teams in First FirePoint C3 Challenge
The FirePoint Innovations Center at Wichita State University has announced the final three teams have been selected in the first-ever FirePoint C3 Challenge. With a combined $35,000 in funding to bring their concepts to life, the three teams will now begin putting their heads—and designs—together, collaborating to build the U.S. Army’s next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle concept (UAV). Continue reading
Japan to Require Drone Licenses for BVLoS Flights
A postman checks a drone for mail delivery during a recent experiment in a Tokyo suburb
The Japanese government plans to establish a licensing system for operating drones when the flights are beyond the operator’s line of sight. Continue reading