General Atomics – Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded two contracts for MQ-9 work. Continue reading
DARPA Seeks Swarm Capabilities for Small Urban Ground Units
Urban canyons—with their high vertical structures, tight spaces, and limited lines of sight—constrain military communications, mobility, and tactics in the best of times. These challenges become even more daunting when U.S. forces are in areas they do not control—where they can’t rely on supply chains, infrastructure, and previous knowledge of local conditions and potential threats. Continue reading
Neva Releases OEM Electric Turbo-Fans Optimised for VTOL and STOL Commercial UAS
The pan-European Neva Aerospace consortium, which is developing heavy-duty drones, industrial and commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and vehicles (UAV) based on its patented distributed thrust concept, has released the first OEM electric turbofan (ETF) to the aerospace market. These ETFs are claimed to be between two and four times as efficient as existing, standard electric ducted fans (EDFs). Continue reading
Directed Energy Could Protect American Troops
The US Army is justifiably proud of the capability of its unmanned aircraft systems. They give war fighters an invaluable pair of far-seeing eyes. The problem is, the bad guys have their own unmanned systems, their own drones. Troops need protection from those eyes. “You could lock on the target. It’s a dime sized (beam) at a mile, and you can shoot down this quad-copter in 11-seconds,” said Boeing’s John Matlock. Continue reading
US Air Force Increases Laser Weapon Simulation
The US Air Force is increasing computer simulations and virtual testing for its laser-weapons program to accelerate development and prepare plans to arm fighter jets and other platforms by the early 2020s.
Bundeswehr Heron 1 in Mali
Surveillance above West Africa’s desert. The Heron 1 is now flying in Mali and is delivering important surveillance information to the German Army and its allies. Every beginning is difficult. After a huge effort, the German Air Force is now ready for action. Continue reading
SESAR European Drones Outlook Study Published
By 2050, it is estimated that there will be some 7 million consumer leisure drones in operation across Europe, including a fleet of 400 000 drones offering important services across the agricultural, energy, e-commerce, transport as well as public sectors.
NASA Study on Air Traffic Controller Acceptability of UAS Detect-and-Avoid Thresholds
NASA conducted a human-in-the-loop experiment with 15 retired air traffic controllers to investigate two research questions: (a) what procedures are appropriate for the use of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) detect-and-avoid systems, and (b) how long in advance of a predicted close encounter should pilots request or execute a separation maneuver. Continue reading