In nine cities in China, including Beijing, 90% of air pollution has been attributed to vehicles, industrial production, coal burning and dust, according to a Ministry of Environmental Protection report. The ministry will adapt its strategies for curbing pollution according to the different regions of the country, reports our Chinese-language sister newspaper Want Daily. Continue reading
Hybrid Power Extends Flight Time
Top Flight, a startup out of Malden, Mass., says it has the answer to the range problem that restricts small UAS flight time in the form of hybrid propulsion. The company’s drones in development carry gasoline-powered generators that charge their onboard batteries in flight. Continue reading
First Solar-Electric UAV Enters Production
A new solar-electric aircraft has entered commercial production and is getting ready for its first delivery. Named the Silent Falcon, the UAS is produced by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (SFUAS), a former subsidiary of Bye Aerospace, which specializes in alternative energies for aviation application that is also involved with Aero Electric Aircraft Corp., the developer of the Sun Flyer. For the Silent Falcon, SFUAS is also working in close collaboration with Ascent Solar Technologies, a company that produces very thin, lightweight solar cells. Continue reading
CybAero Announces New APID ONE Product Line
CybAero has announced its new product line, the APID ONE. The product line is based on over 20 years of experience and extensive development and refinement of the company’s earlier product, the APID 60. The product line was unveiled to stakeholders, investors and the media at the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska museet) in Stockholm.
UK FPV Grand Prix Drone Race Scheduled
A high-octane aerial race between motorised drones is set to take place in Grimsby this summer. The FPV Grand Prix will head to the Grimsby Town Cricket Club on July 19. Continue reading
Augmented Reality Images from UAS
Sysveo, a French company that builds drones, has received European Space Agency (ESA) support to develop a patent it purchased a few years back, which looks at interactive broadcasting of images.The company is working on software that would allow drones to include augmented reality 3D images in the videos they shoot while flying over a given location.
DARPA’s System of Systems Integrates UAS
DARPA’s System of Systems (SoS) Integration Technology and Experimentation (SoSITE) program aims to develop and demonstrate concepts for maintaining air superiority through novel SoS architectures—combinations of aircraft, weapons, sensors and mission systems—that distribute air warfare capabilities across a large number of interoperable manned and unmanned platforms. The vision is to integrate new technologies and airborne systems with existing systems faster and at lower cost than near-peer adversaries can counter them. Continue reading
Aeryon Labs Gets Three Statewide FAA Approvals
Aeryon Labs Inc. is the first Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) sUAS provider to be named in statewide approvals by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research and public safety applications. Kansas State University Salina (KSU) and the Michigan State Police (MSP) have been granted authority to use Aeryon sUAS throughout their respective states. Continue reading