A US strike has targeted and set fire to an Iranian drone carrier, according to the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Category Archives: Take-Off & Landing
DARPA SideArm Catches UAS Flying at Full Speed
Few scenes capture the U.S. Navy’s prowess as effectively as the rapid-fire takeoff and recovery of combat jets from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The ability to carry air power anywhere in the world, and both launch those aircraft to flight speed and bring them to a stop over extremely short distances, has been essential to carriers’ decades-long dominance of naval warfare. Continue reading
US DHS Fields New Automatic Takeoff & Landing Capability for Predator B Fleet
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), has announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released its newest flight software which fields GA-ASI’s proprietary Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) system. The ATLC system is designed to increase safety and efficiency of air crews. Continue reading
Autonomous Parachute System for Drones
Start-up company SkyFallX unveiled a fully autonomous parachute system for drones last year. The purpose of the system is to reduce danger to people and property on the ground. The company is now seeking strategic partners to help enter mass-production. Continue reading
GA-ASI Extends Partnership with Fokker to Develop Predator B Landing Gear Systems
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) and GKN Aerospace’s Fokker business unit, a Dutch aircraft systems and components manufacturer, have announced that they will collaborate to produce and support landing gear systems for Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA systems. Fokker is GA-ASI’s Dutch in-country partner. Continue reading
One-Eyed Bug Vision Helps Drones Land
In an effort to build—and control—ever smaller drones, researchers have been looking at how insects navigate. Insects use a technique called optical flow, based on the apparent speed of objects passing by in their field of vision. In fact, humans use optical flow to give us a sense of how fast we’re going when we’re driving. Continue reading
New Technology Identifies Safe Landing Sites
Senseable, a small danish drone technology developing company announced it has successfully finished the first round of tests of a new drone safety system, designed to guide drones or small aircraft to a safe landing site if technical problems arise during flight. Continue reading
Robotic Landing Gear for Helicopters
Helicopters are incredibly manoeuvrable in the air, but during landing and takeoff their traditional skid- and wheel-based landing gear requires stable, flat surfaces—surfaces that are often unavailable in helicopter-needy environs such as forward operating areas, ships at sea and natural-disaster zones. Having the ability to land on and take off from angled, irregular and moving surfaces would greatly expand the effectiveness of helicopters across many military and national security missions. Continue reading