France has ordered a third batch of Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, with delivery in 2019 of three UAVs and two ground stations in the advanced block 5 version, a spokesman for the procurement office said Friday.
US Air Force Proposes $3-billion RPAS Expansion Plan
Connecticut DoT Tests Drones for Bridge Inspections
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) is testing an unmanned aerial vehicle to inspect the underside of the northbound Gold Star Memorial Bridge in New London on December 15th..
Smart Watch Drone with Auto Follow and Obstacle Avoidance
Shenzen-based FLYPRO Aerospace Tech Co., Ltd has released the XEagle equipped with auto follow and obstacle avoidance functions. Continue reading
Strat Aero Acquires Aero Kinetics for $24M
Aero Kinetics, the first company to file for FAA Type Certification for multi-rotor unmanned aircraft, announced a deal with Strat Aero US Holdings, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Strat Aero PLC . The acquisition of Aero Kinetics is valued at $24 US million with incentives. Continue reading
NORAD and US Air Force Ready to Track Santa
NORAD and the US Air Force are once again ready to track Santa as he makes his way around the world. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs USAF General Paul Selva told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Dec. 9. “I don’t have a complete intelligence report, senator, but I understand that the reindeer have in fact been fed their quantity of oats and are prepared for the delivery of all those gifts to those who have been nice and not naughty,” Selva said, in response to a question from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). Continue reading
Indian Police Drones Locate 200 Stranded by Floods
In Chennai, a city of 4.6 million people on India’s southeast coast, City Police used drones to locate people stranded in certain pockets of the city, which were seriously affected by the flooding.
UAV in Texas Piloted 13,000 Miles Away in Sydney
Students from the University of Sydney and Texas A&M University have become the first people to remotely fly and safely land a quadcopter in another country, as well as setting a new world record for the longest distance successfully reached for a non-military remote controlled drone flight.