Coast Guard and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration researchers report the successful landing of an unmanned aircraft system on the flight deck of Coast Guard Cutter ‘Healy’, marking the first time a UAS has completed a take-off and landing aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker.
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Scion UAS Demonstrates Autonomous Takeoff and Landing from a Moving Platform
Scion UAS recently demonstrated autonomous takeoff and landing from a moving platform. The SA-400 Jackal landed smoothly on a 16ft x 20ft trailer being towed along a runway at speeds up to 10 knots. More than 10 landings and takeoffs were performed including straight-line approaches and 45-degree approaches to simulate ship-based operations. Continue reading
Virginia Tech ‘Gobble Hawk’ Wins NASA Design Contest For Unmanned Aircraft
A Virginia Tech Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering student team won First place in a NASA-sponsored competition with its design of a twin-fuselage unmanned aircraft fueled by liquid hydrogen. The annual University Aeronautics Engineering Design Challenge was sponsored by NASA and not meant to create aircraft that will be built and flown, but to spur design skills among college engineering students.
CAMCOPTER Helps Save Mediterranean Refugees
As part of the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) operation the Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS (Unmanned Air System) is helping to save the lives of refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. Desperate people fleeing conflict, economic desperation and violence in their homeland look towards Europe as a safe haven. They travel by all means possible for days or weeks on end to get to countries of transit from which they will sail out in makeshift sea craft. The lucky ones reach Europe where they can claim asylum, the unlucky ones perish.
First Ever RQ-4 Global Hawk Hits 100th Flight on NASA Mission
The first completed Global Hawk has made history again with its 100th flight in support of NASA environmental research. The milestone occurred on a flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California more than 16 years after its first flight in 1998. The aircraft is now at Wallops Island for a two month deployment to conduct hurricane research missions.
Business Booming for Fort Lauderdale Supplier
Drones have become a big business, especially in South Florida. A company in Fort Lauderdale says sales are soaring sky high and they only seem to have scratched the surface on what to use the drones for. Entrepreneur Don Scott is CEO of DSLRPros, a development, manufacturing and customizing drone company working out of an inconspicuous building off west Dixie Highway. Continue reading
UAS Footage Improves Football Training
Grady Jarrett, Clemson’s built-like-a-boulder nose tackle, thought he was hearing a swarm of bees last spring when he discovered the camera-equipped UAS hovering above the practice field. With the coaches’ children always buzzing around a Clemson practice, defensive end Vic Beasley said he first thought it was somebody’s toy. Instead, Clemson had joined the growing number of college football programs using UAS to record practices, and the results were met with wide acclaim.
UAS Star in November Man Movie
Starring former 007 Pierce Brosnan, The November Man has modern hovering drones woven into the story. As the deadly ex-CIA agent stalks his mark, a drone is stalking him, allowing his team of handlers to coordinate his every move. Continue reading