Led by inventor and entrepreneur David Hall, Velodyne LiDAR has announced a significant cost reduction for its VLP-16 Puck, which will spur hope and excitement for the development of safe autonomous vehicles that are accessible to all. Velodyne’s most popular LiDAR sensor, the VLP-16, is now offered to customers around the world for up to a 50 percent cost reduction. Continue reading
China’s Wing Loong Scores Five Hits in Succession
The record of “five hits in succession” performed by China’s home-developed Wing Loong II UAS, a high-end reconnaissance-strike unmanned aerial system (UAS), showed that the system equipped drone is combat-capable and will be widely used in future military actions, said an expert. Continue reading
At an Air Show in China, Drones, Not Jets, Are the Stars
At the World Fly-In Expo, an air show held in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month, jets, hot air balloons, autogiros and ultralight planes were upstaged by Chinese-made drones. Continue reading
Kratos Subsidiary Gets $93M US Army Aerial Targets Contract
A Composite Engineering BQM-167A aerial target
Kratos Subsidiary Composite Engineering Inc., Roseville, California, was awarded a $93,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure Advanced Subscale Aerial Platform systems, an unmanned target aircraft with launchers and associated ground equipment and spares. Continue reading
UK Apache Helicopters to Get Real-Time UAS Link
Fire Control Radar Mast Mounted Assembly working illustration (Image: Lockheed Martin)
Longbow was awarded a $103 million contract for Fire Control Radar Mast Mounted Assembly (MMA) Refurbishment program for the United Kingdom in support of the International Apache Attack Helicopter Project Office at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Continue reading
Northrop Grumman Gets $255M Contract for Lot 3 MQ-4C Triton Production
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is being awarded $255,309,325 for fixed-price-incentive modification P00003 to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0018) for the Lot 3 low-rate initial production of three MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, trade studies and tooling in support of the Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office. Continue reading
Palo Alto Approached for FAA UAS Integration Pilot Program
The City of Palo Alto, California, is exploring two proposed drone concepts for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program. Continue reading
New Home for Avidrone
Geoff Gurr, left, and Scott Gray of Avidrone Aerospace show off some of their drones at the company’s new home in the Chartright Air Group hanger in Breslau. – Brent Davis,Record staff
In recent years, Avidrone Aerospace had been flying under the radar. The Breslau-based industrial drone manufacturer was focused on research and development, keeping much of its work under wraps as the company created its own autopilot electronics and flight control software. Continue reading