A successful final helicopter flight demonstration was achieved at the US Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Va Dec. 12 with autonomous capability as part of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System program. AACUS is a partnership between ONR and technology company Aurora Flight Sciences.
Safety Board Report on Drone/Black Hawk Collision
A privately owned/operated unmanned aircraft system (UAS) collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60M Sept. 21 on Hoffman Island, New York, outside New York City. The NTSB’s final report, released Thursday, said probable cause was that the operator flew the drone beyond line of sight, unable to see the helicopter. Continue reading
NY Guardsmen on Firewatch In California Skies
Nine members of the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing have deployed to assist the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Attack Wing in flying the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft that have been helping local authorities fight the massive Thomas Fire in Southern California. Continue reading
Passenger Spots DJI Phantom on Approach to LAX
Melbourne-based photographer Simon Pollock was landing at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday when he looked out his window and spotted a DJI camera drone flying just a small distance away. Continue reading
BAE Systems Successful Trials of Flapless Flight Tech
Together with The University of Manchester, BAE Systems has successfully completed the first phase of flight trials with MAGMA – a small scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which will use a unique blown-air system to manoeuvre the aircraft – paving the way for future stealthier aircraft designs.
Drone Delivery Canada Sparrow Gets Compliant Status
Drone Delivery Canada has announced that Transport Canada has accepted the Company’s Declaration of Compliance for the X1000 Sparrow cargo delivery drone. This unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is now compliant with the Transport Canada UAS standard. Continue reading
New C2 System Enhances Heron 1 Capabilities
Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) has developed a command and control (C2) system which integrates video feeds from the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) into an augmented reality display. Continue reading
Black Swift and Leptron Join Forces for Fixed-Wing UAS
Black Swift Technologies (BST), a specialized engineering firm based in Boulder, CO, and Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), a subsidiary of Geotech Environmental Equipment, Inc. of Denver, CO, announced a strategic alliance showcasing the individual strengths of each respective company—Leptron UAS for its manufacturing capabilities, and Black Swift Technologies for their advanced avionics and flight management systems. Continue reading