General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced the commencement of flight testing for its MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) series with the successful first flight of the company’s production representative MQ-1C Gray Eagle ER aircraft from its El Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Adelanto, California, on October 29th.
US Navy Triton to get Collision Avoidance Technology
The US Navy announced that next generation aircraft avoidance systems will be installed on its new high-tech maritime surveillance drone.
AeroVironment and California State University to Research to Identify Water Stress in Almond Production
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced that it has begun a year-long study with California State University, Fresno to research how unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and analytics could potentially detect varying levels of water stress in almond trees and give producers smarter insights to make more effective in-season decisions regarding water management. Continue reading
Arcturus, HEC-TINA Partner on Hydrogen Engine
The Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC-TINA) and Arcturus UAV have announced a joint partnership to develop a hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine capable of supporting the T-20 family of unmanned aircraft. Continue reading
F 35 In Action – Live Firing and VTOL
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least ten other countries. Continue reading
China Daily Partners with EHang on Drone Journalism
China Daily website (chinadaily.com.cn) has joined forces with a drone maker to improve digital news coverage. The website and domestic drone company EHang Inc signed a collaboration agreement on Wednesday, which will see reporters given training on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) photography. Continue reading
NASA Awards $1M Contract to Human Automation Teaming Solutions
NASA has awarded Human Automation Teaming Solutions Inc. (HATS) a $1 million contract for a yearlong effort to develop R-HATS technology that will reduce the number of human operators needed to manage complex systems. By allowing the seamless sharing of tasks and responsibilities between automation and human, a single ground operator using R-HATS will simultaneously assist and monitor multiple manned or unmanned aircraft. Continue reading
MIT Research Creates Design Your Own Drone
A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has created a software tool that allows even relative novices to drag and drop standard components—including propellers, support rods, and a range of core body frames—and craft their own drone designs. Continue reading