A prototype of Q01 MALE (medium-altitude, long endurance) optionally-piloted aircraft was introduced at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2016 held in June 2016. It is a joint development programme between Germany and Qatar.
Woman Conspired to Send Reaper to China
A South Florida jury convicted a California woman of conspiring to send a $50 million missile-firing drone and jet fighter engines to China via Broward County.
According to prosecutors, Man, who runs a small electronics store, worked with a Chinese military agent to export the drone and several fighter jet engines, which are subject to strict export controls. Man faces up to 20 years in prison for violating the Arms Export Control Act.
Wenxia Man, aka Wency, 45, of San Diego, was found guilty of conspiring to export military weapons, equipment and technical data to the People’s Republic of China.
Man, who had been free on $250,000 bond since last year, was taken into custody for alleged misconduct during her trial in federal court in Miami. Continue reading
Osprey Radar Selected for MQ-8C Fire Scout
Leonardo’s recently revealed Osprey 30 lightweight active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar has been selected by the US Navy for integration on the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Fire Scout unmanned air vehicle.
South Korea Tests Heron for Sea Patrols
The South Korean military is testing Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the Yellow Sea, a high-ranking military official said last week. They will be deployed in early August.
Predator C Avenger Flies with MS-177 Long-Range Sensor
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has announced the successful flight tests of Predator C Avenger, equipped with a MS-177 Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor manufactured by UTC Aerospace Systems.
Autonomous Taranis to Work Alongside Fighter Pilots
UK defence and security company BAE Systems has unveiled plans to build the world’s first autonomous military drone, proposing a scenario where unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) would work alongside conventional manned aircraft. Continue reading
Federal Agencies Working Together to Combat Unauthorized Drone Use during Wildfire Operations
As the 2016 wildfire season begins, federal agencies are again alerting industry and the public that the use of private drones (Unmanned Aircraft Systems or UAS) over or near active wildfire operations puts firefighters at risk and hampers their ability to protect lives, property and natural resources. Continue reading
Johns Hopkins Crash Drones to Expose Design Flaws
New research by a Johns Hopkins computer security team has raised concerns about how easily hackers could cause these robotic devices to ignore their human controllers and land or, more drastically, crash. Continue reading