France has received an additional two General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and deployed them to Africa, a French military source told IHS Jane’s.
Ten New Drone Inventions
US Army Flies Hoverbike Prototype
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory and industry partners demonstrated the flying capabilities of a unique rectangular-shaped quadcopter during a visit from DOD officials at APG Jan. 10. Continue reading
The Space Between: Who Controls the Airspace Where Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Fly?
By Joshua S. Turner, partner and co-chair of the UAS Practice, and John T. Lin, associate in the Telecom, Media & Technology Practice, at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, DC
No one disputes that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over “navigable air space,” which has historically begun “above the minimum safe altitudes of flight,” including the airspace needed to ensure safety in the takeoff and landing of aircraft. The FAA generally sets the minimum safe altitude as “500 feet above the surface [of non-congested areas], except over open water or sparsely populated areas.” Continue reading
TCI Blackbird Integrated Drone Detection System
TCI has introduced Drone Detection technology which provides field-proven, fully automated detection and geolocation of drones and their radio controllers. It can be deployed interactively by an operator, or automatically for unattended operation (providing low cost of ownership). Continue reading
Indian Teenager Designs Drone to Detect Land Mines
A 14-year-old in Gujarat received a Rs 5 crore (50 Million Rupees = $730,00 )Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the production of drones designed by him, reported the Times of India.
ARRL Complaint Asserts that Illegal Drone Transmitters Could Interfere with Air Traffic Control
In what it calls an “extremely urgent complaint” to the FCC, ARRL has targeted the interference potential of a series of audio/video transmitters used on unmanned aircraft and marketed as Amateur Radio equipment. Continue reading
FAA Settles with Skypan on Airspace Violations
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration has announced a comprehensive settlement agreement with SkyPan International, Inc., of Chicago. The agreement resolves enforcement cases that alleged the company operated unmanned aircraft (UAS) in congested airspace over New York City and Chicago, and violated airspace regulations and aircraft operating rules. Continue reading