The UK Royal Air Force remains confident that it will introduce British-made weapons onto its future Protector unmanned air vehicle, although a final decision on this element of the programme has yet to be made. Continue reading
Drone Aviation Granted Patent for Electric Tethered Drone Products
Drone Aviation, a manufacturer of tethered drones and lighter-than-air aerostats, has been awarded a patent (US Patent 9,446,858) by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its Electric Tethered Aerial Platform (ETAP) technologies as currently utilized in its WATT and BOLT tethered drone products. Continue reading
General Atomics Awarded Navy MQ-25 Contract
General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business has received a potential one-year, $44 million contract to perform risk reduction efforts for theU.S. Navy’s MQ-25 unmanned carrier aerial system program. Continue reading
45 Nations Sign Declaration on Armed Drone Exports
More than 40 nations have joined the U.S. in a joint declaration aimed at controlling exports of armed or weapons-capable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Major UAV-producing nations such as Israel, Russia, China and India are not among signatories to the declaration of broad principles, which is a precursor to setting more detailed standards. Continue reading
Bell Seeks Customer to Fund Vigilant Development
After unveiling its new unmanned tiltrotor aircraft earlier this month, the V-247 Vigilant, Bell Helicopter isn’t sinking additional internal funds into the platform until a later design effort. Continue reading
Japan Wants Combat Drones That Can Fly in Formation With Its Fighters
The Japanese Ministry of Defense has released new details about its plans for future unmanned aircraft that would fly in supporting roles, aiding piloted fighters in the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, or JASDF. Continue reading
US Army wants Runway-Independent Shadow
The US Army is eyeing a new, runway-independent tactical UAS with additional sensors to augment the Textron Systems RQ-7B Shadow mission, according to the service’s project manager for UAS. Continue reading
Verizon’s Strategy for Airborne LTE Operations
The internet of things (IoT) is taking flight at Verizon. The company today announced its strategy to drive innovation and wide-spread adoption for in-flight wireless connectivity through its Airborne LTE Operations (ALO) initiative. Continue reading