In 2015, Canada released a Notice of Proposed Amendment (“NPA”), proposing a new risk-based regulatory framework for small unmanned aircraft systems (“sUAS”) that weigh less than 55 pounds (25 kg) and are operated within visual line-of-sight (“VLOS”). Although Canada and the U.S. have engaged to coordinate UAS activities and committed to establishing a mechanism to share experiences to align regulatory approaches (to the extent practical), the NPA sets forth a more complex framework for sUAS operations at various risk levels and may offer more flexibility to commercial users. The final rules are expected to be released this year.
Drone World Expo Partners with Leading Industry Groups
Drone World Expo has announced partnerships with several leading groups whose members are commercial users, or are enabling commercial use of drones including the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and MAPPS. Drone World Expo will be working closely with these partners on various co-marketing and conference program initiatives leading up to the 2nd annual Drone World Expo event to be held November 15-16, 2016, at the San Jose Convention Center. Continue reading
FAA 2016 UAS Symposium Report & Huerta Speech
On April 19, 2016, FAA hosted the first day of its 2016 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium. The purpose of the Symposium is to provide a forum for UAS industry and stakeholders to provide input to FAA decision-makers on topics related to UAS integration. Continue reading
SkySafe Takes Control of Rogue Drones
Grant Jordan and his co-founders are announcing the public launch of SkySafe, a drone protection startup that wants to help facilities secure critical airspace. After graduating from MIT with a degree in computer science, Jordan spent four years at the United States Air Force acquiring a particular set of skills, skills that make him very dangerous to drones like this. “I worked on counter drone systems, and got a taste for everything out there. Giant laser systems, for example.” Continue reading
PrecisionHawk Secures $18M Series C Funding
PrecisionHawk Inc. — a provider of aerial data and safety platforms for drones — announced that it has closed an $18 million round of funding with Verizon Ventures, a subsidiary of USAA, NTT Docomo Ventures, and Yamaha Motor with full participation from existing investors Intel Capital, Millennium Technology Value Partners and Indiana University’s Innovate Indiana Fund in an oversubscribed round.
General Atomics ‘Avenger’ Trials UTAS MS-177 Sensor
The US Air Force’s next-generation multispectral camera, the UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) MS-177, has been successfully flown on the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems “Predator C” Avenger aircraft.
Chinese Communications Regiment UAV Flight Training
Aurora Successfully Flies Subscale X-Plane Aircraft
Aurora Flight Sciences announced that a subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) of its LightningStrike, Vertical Take-off and Landing Experimental Plane (VTOL x-plane) for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was successfully flown at a U.S. military facility.