USAF’s Predator Ends Era at Creech AFB

An MQ-1 Predator sits on the flight line Dec. 8, 2016, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Creech, Air Force photo by SrA Christian Clausen

The iconic MQ-1B Predator, which ushered in the age of drone warfare in the mid-1990s, flew into the sunset on Friday. The US Air Force held an official retirement ceremony at Creech AFB, Nevada, the headquarters of Air Force remotely piloted aircraft operations, on Friday, marking the end of the Predator’s reign in the air and the shift to an MQ-9-dominated RPA fleet.  Continue reading →

Airbus, Audi & Italdesign Reveal Flying Taxi at Geneva Auto Show

Exactly one year after its Geneva world premiere in 2017, Italdesign unveiled Pop.Up Next,the fruit of a collaboration with Airbus and Audi at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show. Pop.Up Next consists of a modular, multi-modal system that enables transportation to enter into the third dimension by exploiting both urban ground and airspace. Continue reading →

SESAR Publishes Roadmap for Safe Drone Integration

Yesterday, the SESAR Joint Undertaking published the “European ATM Master Plan: Roadmap for the Safe Integration of Drones into all Classes of Airspace”. This document forms the basis for further integration into the official European ATM Master Plan, which will be formally updated this year under the overall theme of “the digitalisation of aviation infrastructure”, in preparation for the upcoming ICAO Air Navigation Conference. Continue reading →

NASA Tests New Antenna Aboard the Ikhana

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center recently partnered with NASA Glenn Research Center to test an antenna measuring system in preparation for building a new conformal antenna aboard NASA’s Ikhana aircraft. Continue reading →

FAA UAS Symposium Speakers Say Remote ID is a Must

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh

The recently created pilot program for communities wanting to expand unmanned aircraft operations will help push the technology and integration forward, said speakers at the kickoff of the third annual FAA UAS Symposium, cosponsored by the FAA and AUVSI. One such city might be Baltimore, where the symposium is being held. Catherine Pugh, the mayor of Charm City, noted that her campaign used drone footage for an ad promoting her candidacy. Continue reading →