The US Air Force is continuing to invest in upgrades to the Global Hawk unmanned aerial system, most recently giving Northrop Grumman a $30.3 million contract modification for retrofits that will help several of the aircraft take over some of the duties carried out by the U-2 spy plane.
Drone Flew Close to Charlotte Police Helicopter – Pilot Arrested
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested a Concord man they accused of purposely flying a drone near a CMPD helicopter as it tracked a suspect last week. Continue reading
FAA Releases 2016 to 2036 Aerospace Forecast
The FAA has released its annual Aerospace Forecast Report Fiscal Years 2016 to 2036 that finds a sustained increase in overall air travel and the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Continue reading
US Marines Fly RQ-21A in ‘Class D’ airspace
Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 launched into a new era with its RQ-21A Blackjack flight into Class D airspace, over Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., March 21. Continue reading
First Fully Autonomous Urban Drone Delivery in the US
A drone has successfully delivered a package to a residential location in a small Nevada town in what its maker and the governor of the state said Friday was the first fully autonomous urban drone delivery in the U.S.
FAA Releases Updated UAS Sighting Reports
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today released an updated list of pilot, air traffic controller and citizen reports of possible encounters with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The latest report covers August 22, 2015 through January 31, 2016. Continue reading
Indian Startup gets Funding for Agriculture Drones
Aaruha Technologies, the early-stage technology fund started last year by ex-Infosys CFOs Mohandas Pai and V Balakrishnan, as well as BV Naidu, the chairman of Sagitaur Ventures, officially announced its second investment today. Continue reading
The Drone that Stalked Bin Laden
In 2009, after two weeks of being embedded as an independent journalist with a small team of U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, I ended up at Combat Outpost Monti, a 14-acre camp of tents, plywood huts, a few concrete bunkers and makeshift guard towers, and a helicopter landing area, all ringed by collapsible barriers. Continue reading