“We do underneath rope access inspections,” said Barritt Lovelace, a regional manager for Collins Engineers Inc., an agency headquartered in Chicago with offices throughout the country. “Basically, we rock-climb bridges. It’s a lot of fun.” In Duluth recently, Lovelace stood with a host of others below the Blatnik Bridge to participate in a demonstration of the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s ongoing study of using drones for bridge inspection purposes.
Elbit Systems Gets $200M Hermes 900 HFE Contract for Switzerland
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that it was awarded an approximately $200 million contract from the Swiss Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (“DDPS”), for the supply of Hermes 900 HFE (Heavy Fuel Engine) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and an advanced ground segment for command, control and communications. Continue reading
FAA Issues Notice on Unmanned Aircraft Operations in the National Airspace System (NAS)
The FAA has just issued an update to its notice on ‘Unmanned Aircraft Operations in the National Airspace System (NAS)‘ which provides information and guidance on air traffic policies and prescribes procedures for the planning, coordination, and services involving the operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the NAS. Continue reading
Songbird Hybrid UAS
Aerolution, a Berlin-based company specialising in developing and marketing UAS for professional purposes, has recently launched the Songbird 1400. This UAS combines the pros of both the fixed wing and the chopper in one and the same aircraft. Continue reading
Thunderbirds Air Demonstration – 2014 Nellis
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Team assigned to the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., perform during the 2014 Nellis Air Force Base Open House Nov 8, 2014. Continue reading
US Air Force Global Hawk Hits 500-Mission Milestone
As the morning sun beat down on its nearly 131-foot wingspan, the EQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft descended from its 60,000-foot perch for the 500th time, coming to rest at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia Nov. 11. Continue reading
Insitu $71M Contract for 65 ScanEagles for Afghanistan
Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington, is being awarded a $70,941,310 firm-fixed-price delivery order (0011) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-11-G-0009) for the procurement of eight ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems for the government of Afghanistan under the Foreign Military Sales program.
Motor and Propeller Test Tool for sUAS Designers
The RCbenchmark dynamometer is the first commercial tool that allows sUAS designers to fully characterize brushless motors, propellers, batteries, and speed controllers, with the goal of maximizing the flight time and performance of their designs. Continue reading