Russian PISHAL Anti-Drone Gun for Military and Civilian Markets

During the ARMY 2018 International Military-Technical Forum, a Russian company called “Avtomatika Concern” (a subsidiary of Rostec state corporation) has introduced an anti-UAV gun called “Pishal” (Пищаль – a Russian word meaning the very early hand cannons). Interestingly, this weapon system will be sold both in the military/LE and civilian markets. Continue reading →

Novel Flying Robot Mimics Rapid Insect Flight

A novel insect-inspired flying robot, developed by TU Delft researchers from the Micro Air Vehicle Laboratory (MAVLab), has been presented in Science (14 September 2018). Experiments with this first autonomous, free-flying and agile flapping-wing robot – carried out in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research – improved our understanding of how fruit flies control aggressive escape manoeuvres. Continue reading →

Airware Burns Through $118M and Crashes

Drone operating system startup Airware  suddenly informed employees it will cease operations immediately despite having raised $118 million from top investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Google’s GV, and Kleiner Perkins. The startup ran out of money after trying to manufacture its own hardware that couldn’t compete with drone giants like China’s DJI. The company at one point had as many as 140 employees, all of which are now out of a job. Continue reading →

USAF Completes First Auto-Land Using MQ-9 BLOCK 5

On August 7, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) completed the first-ever automated landing of an MQ-9 Block 5 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), followed by the first auto-takeoff on August 9. The new Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to enhance mission capability. Continue reading →

AeroVironment Gets $6M Raven Contract from NATO for Portuguese Army

AeroVironment, Inc. has announced the receipt of a fixed-price contract award valued at $5,962,494 from NSPA on August 20, 2018.The contract award encompasses the procurement of Raven® unmanned aircraft systems equipped with Mantis i23 sensors and pocket Remote Video Terminals (p/RVT) for the Portuguese Army, with delivery scheduled over a three-year period. Continue reading →