In the late 1960s and early ’70s, the CIA embarked on a programme to build an unmanned version of America’s most iconic spy plane—one that could reach deep into the heart of Chinese territory to pry out the nuclear secrets at supersonic speeds and at little risk to human pilots.
Could a Jet Engine Survive Sucking Up a Drone?
George Morse’s company, Failure Analysis Service Technology, based in Prescott, Ariz., specializes in the analysis of aviation mishaps, foreign-object damage in particular. Morse himself has done more than 4000 engine investigations, most the result of ingestion of nuts or bolts or other runway detritus rather than birds.
AirHeads Drone-Building TV Series in Production
A new drone-building series called Airheads is due to air on Sunday nights on BBC2 in the key Top Gear slot at 8pm. The corporation may be hoping to recapture some of the success of the popular technology show Robot Wars with the launch of the new drone-based series.
India Developing Guidelines for Civil Use of Drones
The Indian government said on Monday that the aviation regulator is in the process of developing an interim operations guideline for civil use of drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Continue reading
Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund Invests €1.6 million in Clear Flight Solutions
The Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund, the American-based seed and early-stage fund who opened its first European fund in Enschede, is investing 1.6 million Euros in Clear Flight Solutions, a robotics drone spin-off company from the University of Twente. With this investment Clear Flight Solutions will focus on becoming worldwide market leader in bird control solutions with their lifelike robotic birds. Continue reading
Lifeguard Drones Tested in Chile
A company in Chile is hoping to use drones to save lives. Drones fitted with a float, camera, microphone and speaker are being tested on the beaches of Algarrobo to help lifeguards rescue distressed swimmers. Continue reading
Predator B Reaches One Million Flight Hours
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI),has announced that its Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA fleet has achieved a historic milestone of one million cumulative flight hours, with almost 90-percent of all missions flown in combat.
VC Funding to Drones Tops $100M in 2014
According to CB Insights data, investment in 2014 to the nascent drone industry topped $108M across 29 deals. Year-over-year funding increased 104% as venture firms including Lightspeed Venture Partners, GGV Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers among others jumped into the drone space with sizable bets. Continue reading