Air Combat Command chief General Hawk Carlisle said that the F-35 is “combat ready,” and he would have no reservations about sending it into battle. Speaking with reporters at the Pentagon on August 2nd, Carlisle declared Initial Operational Capability for the F-35A, saying the 388th Fighter Wing and the associated 419th Reserve Wing have the requisite number of planes (15 versus the six necessary), maintainers, and trained pilots—and have demonstrated their capabilities in realistic exercises—such that he is “comfortable” sending the fighters anywhere that a regional combatant commander asks for them. Continue reading
Google’s Project Wing Approved for Testing
Google’s Project Wing drone delivery trial has been financially backed by the United States government, which believes the unmanned aircraft systems industry could create as many as 100,000 jobs.
FAA: Half Million Drones Registered by Hobbyists
The FAA has registered more than a half million drones flown by hobbyists in the past eight months, its top administrator said at a White House gathering, but commercial drones haven’t been tackled yet.
AI Technology used for Counter-UAV System
Black Sage Technologies is employing artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system.
NATO AGS Global Hawk Flight
The first of NATO’s five unmanned air vehicles rolled off the factory line in San Diego on Thursday, 4 June 2015. The Global Hawk Block 40 is part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance Program (AGS). Continue reading
3D Maps in Real Time from Drone Footage
Hydra Fusion Tools is Lockheed Martin’s answer to big data. Operation of an unmanned system is no longer a stand-alone activity. There are an assortment of maps, images,
video and intelligence which are being broadcast to the operators and this needs to be fused into a common operational picture.
Aurora to Expand Unmanned Flight Tests in Virginia
Aurora Flight Sciences is looking to expand its operational testing of the Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) system to Lonesome Pine Airport in Wise County, Virginia. Through this endeavor, Aurora aims to continue advancing the Virginia Unmanned Systems Commission’s progress toward making the state a leader in the unmanned systems industry, while also establishing Wise County as a research, development and operational hub for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
F-35A Completes First Air-to-Air UAV Weapons Test
The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft completed its first air-to-air weapons test against an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target, the air force announced on 1 August.