The skies above southern California lit up with strange and scary sightings – it was in fact simply the launch of SpaceX Falcon 9. Continue reading
AUVSI Trusted Operator Program Takes Off
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has announced the appointment of leading industry stakeholders to serve on a steering committee and as brand ambassadors who will develop the Trusted Operator Program (TOP) for remote pilots and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) training organizations. Continue reading
Boeing Unveils Unmanned Cargo Air Vehicle Prototype
Boeing has unveiled a new unmanned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) cargo air vehicle (CAV) prototype that will be used to test and evolve Boeing’s autonomy technology for future aerospace vehicles. It is designed to transport a payload up to 500 pounds for possible future cargo and logistics applications. Continue reading
Dan Elwell to Serve as Acting FAA Administrator
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced that FAA Deputy Administrator Daniel K. Elwell will serve as Acting FAA Administrator upon the conclusion of Administrator Michael Huerta’s term. Elwell was appointed FAA Deputy Administrator in June 2017 and will become Acting Administrator at 12:01 a.m. on January 7, 2018.
Kratos Receives $23 Million Drone System Contract
BQM-177A – U.S. Navy photo by Kimberly Brown
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. announced that its Unmanned Systems Division (USD) recently received an approximate $23 million production award for a new high performance, jet powered unmanned aerial drone system which has been under development. Continue reading
Drones to Monitor Railway Projects in India
Drones will now monitor railway projects, aid in crowd management and oversee maintenance work across its zones, railway officials said in New Delhi. Continue reading
Insitu Demonstrates Broad-area Airspace Situational Awareness System for UAS
Insitu announced the successful completion of a flight demonstration for its ground-based Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) airspace situational awareness system. Insitu is tackling one of the toughest challenges for UAS — the ability to detect nearby aircraft flying both within and beyond UAS operators’ line of sight. Continue reading
DARPA’s CODE Program Moves to Phase3
DARPA’s Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program aims to extend the capability of the U.S. military’s existing unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to conduct dynamic, long-distance engagements of highly mobile ground and maritime targets in contested or denied battlespaces. Continue reading