FAA Should Improve Drone-Related Cost Information

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has undertaken actions to integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or “drones”) into the national airspace and has developed plans to allow for increasingly complex operations, including operations over people and beyond visual-line-of-sight and—eventually—passenger operations (see figure). Continue reading

Pierce Aerospace and DRONEDEK Team for Global Drone Deliveries

Indiana drone startups Pierce Aerospace a Remote ID UAS Service Supplier (RID-USS), and DRONEDEK LLC, a smart mailbox company, have teamed to advance commercial drone delivery. The collaboration unites Pierce Aerospace’s Remote Identification expertise and technologies and DRONEDEK’s patent portfolio in last-mile logistics, including a drone mailbox system. Continue reading

Japan Aerospace Exploratory Agency and Yamato Team on Cargo Pod for eVTOL Aerial System

Concept art of the PUPA 8801 in use

Japan Aerospace Exploratory Agency (JAXA), and Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. announced their collaboration on cargo pod for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aerial system. The two organizations have worked together in designing and evaluating the aerodynamic shape of the PUPA 8801 heavy-size eVTOL cargo pod concept.

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US Navy Buys Three MQ-4 Tritons

MQ-4C Tritons at a Northrop Grumman test facility in Palmdale, California

The US Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $251.6 million contract modification to build three low-rate initial production MQ-4 Triton reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft is massive for unmanned aerial vehicles – wingspan of 130.9 feet and length of 47.6 feet, according to a Naval Air Systems Command fact sheet. Continue reading