Palo Alto-based Sharper Shape, a provider of automated drone-based asset inspections, and Sterlite Power, India’s leading power transmission company, announced a strategic partnership to provide drone inspection services for utility assets in India. Continue reading
US Navy Deploys RQ-20B AeroVironment Puma AE
AeroVironment, Inc. announced the United States Navy has tested and deployed the RQ-20B Puma small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) aboard a Flight I Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG Class). Some of these exercises included the use of AeroVironment’s fully autonomous system to recover the aircraft aboard a ship. The US Navy issued a report on August 3 from the Arabian Gulf describing how Puma AE is also being utilized (see “US Ships Utilize Small Eye in the Sky”) on Navy Patrol Craft.
62 Passengers in Near Miss at UK Airport
A passenger plane landed at Newquay Airport with 62 people on board has narrowly missed colliding with a drone in the latest incident to spark concern about the gadgets.
Spain to Join European MALE 2020 UAV Project
Spain has taken is first concrete step towards joining the pan-European military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme with the cabinet approving an initial instalment to cover set-up costs.
Medical Deliveries by Drone in Maryland USA
The White House approved a pilot program last week that will allow Maryland’s Smith Island and two other remote communities in the U.S. to start receiving medical supplies via drone.
Soviet WW2 era Yakovlev Yak-3
The Yakovlev Yak-3 (Russian: Я́ковлев Як-3) was a World War II Soviet fighter aircraft. Robust and easy to maintain, it was much liked by pilots and ground crew alike. It was one of the smallest and lightest major combat fighters fielded by any combatant during the war, and its high power-to-weight ratio gave it excellent performance. Continue reading
Two Way Communications with Emergency Services
AerWaze, an East Palo Alto technology company has developed Clear the Air, which provides a two way communications channel to UAV operators for safety related messages “While there are few good answers to those operating drones maliciously, AerWaze’s Clear the Air technology will help with operators acting in good faith,” claims co-founder Charles Marshall.
The Four Most Important Questions Raised by the White House Drone Event
On Tuesday, August 2, 2016 the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) held its first-ever “Workshop on Drones and the Future of Aviation.” The event, co-hosted with the AUVSI Foundation, brought together 150 leaders in the UAS community, ranging from commercial operators to academics and hobbyists to policymakers. The purpose of the event was to stimulate discussion of the future of this burgeoning industry—where is it going? And what does government need to do to help it get there? Continue reading