Drones are already making headlines about how they can dramatically cut costs for one-off inspections. Replacing $2000/hr helicopter surveys, accessing hard to reach areas, inspecting hazardous locations or rapidly surveying large areas have all provided huge time and cost savings through the use of drones. However, the cost of deploying 100 drones each with a trained & certified operator is around a $10M/year excluding logistics costs.
Portugal to Buy Mini-UAS
The Portuguese Ministry of National Defence (MND) has authorised the country’s army to launch a procurement programme for tactical mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Continue reading
PG&E Testing UAS to Inspect Electric and Gas Infrastructure
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, to enhance the safety and reliability of its electric and gas service. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized PG&E to use drones to assist with inspections of electric and gas infrastructure. Continue reading
Cessnas Pretending to be Predators
With so many Predators deployed to hotspots overseas, the U.S. Air Force is having trouble keeping up with the increasingly high demand for drone support staff because they have few aircraft available for training. In 2009, officials brought a proposal to the Civil Air Patrol, the all-volunteer branch of the Air Force that provides support through education, training, and emergency services. Could the Patrol offer up some of its Cessna fleet as surrogate Predators in live training exercises—at least until the real thing returned from war?
Russian Pilots are Crazy
Scientists Test Shark-Detecting UAS
Scientists from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have undertaken a research program exploring the potential for drones to detect bonnethead sharks lurking in the shallows. The project is designed to test out exactly how reliable this approach could be when dealing with different water conditions and habitats. Continue reading
Schiebel Celebrates Camcopter S-100 10th Anniversary
Ten years after the first delivery of CAMCOPTER S-100 to the launch customer, the Vienna-based Schiebel company proudly celebrates the anniversary of its world class product. Continue reading
US Office of Naval Research Tests Drone Swarms
The Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research this week released this video showing a 30 aircraft flight of UAVs directed in tandem by the Navy and researchers from the Georgia Tech Research Institute of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Continue reading