Japanese government ministers gathered on Friday to discuss regulations to prevent the harmful use of drones after the incident sparked concerns that they could be used for terrorist attacks.
Regulators Ponder EASA RPAS Rule Changes
EASA’s recent proposed ruling that it takes regulatory responsibility for smaller unmanned air vehicles has left national aviation agencies questioning what category of small UAVs they will be left to regulate.
From Predators to Reapers
The sun has set on the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing’s MQ-1 Predator mission. The final mission of the California Air National Guard unit’s Predator aircraft ended at 1528 Zulu time on April 1 after eight years, 230 days, nine hours and 30 minutes of consecutive flights without a break supporting warfighters overseas.
X-47B First Autonomous Aerial Refuelling – Video
The X-47B successfully conducted the first ever Autonomous Aerial Refuelling (AAR) of an unmanned aircraft April 22, completing the final test objective under the Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System demonstration programme. Continue reading
Korea Unveils TR-60 UAV – World’s Fastest Tiltrotor
This unmanned tiltrotor drone is able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter, while flying like an airplane.
Able to stay in the air for up to six hours, the TR-60 can reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers an hour, making it the fastest of its kind in the world. Continue reading
UPS Studies Drone Use in Humanitarian Response
UPS has announced its participation in a multi-state study on the use of drones for humanitarian disaster relief operations. The study was coordinated by Measure, a 32 Advisors Company specializing in drone applications, on behalf of the American Red Cross and participating companies, including UPS. The study was initiated to help inform decision-making on key issues related to drone use and policy.
US Marines Testing Piggyback Hunter Drones
The US Marine Future Warfighting Laboratory recently tested a new robot team that works together to look for objects, provide situational awareness, and hunt for “bad actors” on the battlefield. Continue reading
Green Brain Project – Bee Brain Pilots UAV
The ‘Green Brain Project’ combines computational neuroscience modelling, learning and decision theory, modern parallel computing methods, and robotics with data from state-of-the-art neurobiological experiments on cognition in the honeybee Apis mellifera.