A Taranaki drone company has made history by flying an unmanned aircraft “beyond line of sight” to inspect power transmission lines in the Rimutaka Ranges. Continue reading
Eurocontrol’s RPAS Workshop Adresses Current ATM Operational Integration Issues
On Thursday 6 and Friday 7 April 2017, EUROCONTROL is hosting a RPAS workshop aiming to create a common picture of the current European integration status of RPAS operations below 500 ft. Present operations are mostly VLOS and several States have started BVLOS operations under certain conditions. Continue reading
John Deere and Kespry Forge Global Alliance
John Deere and Kespry have announced an exclusive global strategic alliance through which John Deere Construction & Forestry dealers will provide the Kespry Aerial Intelligence System to their customers on job sites around the world. Starting in North America, the alliance enables John Deere customers to use Kespry’s fully integrated industrial drone platform to capture topographic data in minutes with survey-grade accuracy. Continue reading
USAF to Convert Block 5 Reapers to ER Configuration
The US Air Force (USAF) intends to award General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) a contract to upgrade a number of its MQ-9 Reaper Block 5 unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to the extended range (ER) configuration. Continue reading
US Army Demos Laser Weapon on Combat Vehicle
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command team members are laser focused on the future of high energy lasers. Continue reading
PhotoFlight Acquires Notadrone & 500 Feet Drones
PhotoFlight Aerial Media announced that it has acquired 500 Feet Drones, LLC and Stribog Media LLC, operating as Notadrone. Continue reading
$3 M Patriot Missile Shot Down a $200 Drone
A Patriot missile – usually priced at about $3m (£2.5m) – was used to shoot down a small quadcopter drone, according to a US general. The strike was made by a US ally, General David Perkins told a military symposium.
DARPA Awards Phase 2 Gremlins Program Contracts
DARPA recently completed Phase 1 of its Gremlins program, which envisions volleys of low-cost, reusable unmanned aerial systems (UASs)—or “gremlins”—that could be launched and later retrieved in mid-air. Taking the program to its next stage, the Agency has now awarded Phase 2 contracts to two teams, one led by Dynetics, Inc. (Huntsville, Ala.) and the other by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (San Diego, Calif.). Continue reading