Three World War One fighter aircraft, a Sopwith Triplane, Nieuport N.11 and a Pfalz DIII, are seen dogfighting in this video. Continue reading
UAS Feature at Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show
An Unmanned Systems Marketplace debuts this year at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), being held this week in Las Vegas. The marketplace highlights the burgeoning technology in drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other unmanned systems controlled by onboard computers or remotely from the ground.
A Million Commercial Drones to Fly in 2015
Big Four firm Deloitte has predicted that more than a million commercial drones will take to the skies in 2015 as technological advances allow for further developments. Deloitte explained that with 700,000 commercial drones currently in use and more than 300,000 ordered globally for 2015, this year will see more than a million commercial drones.
Worldwide, total industry revenues are expected to reach between £125m and £250m, based on predictions of drones costing £125 or more.
Paul Lee, Deloitte’s head of technology, media, and telecommunications research, said that with average flight costs totalling £6 a trip, it was unlikely that the devices – also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – would be used for home deliveries. Continue reading
General Atomics Gets $43M USAF Reaper Retrofit Contract
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has been awarded a $43,291,564 firm-fixed-price contract for MQ-9 Reaper field retrofit. Contractor will provide retrofit kits for the MQ-9 Reaper Block 1 configuration aircraft with field retrofit capabilities.
EHANG Gets $10 Million Investment for Ghost UAS
EHANG, makers of the Ghost Drone, announced the company has closed $10 million in Series A funding led by GGV Capital. Angel investors in the round are Xiaoping Xu and Nick Yang, two of China’s most successful entrepreneurs. PreAngel, a fund focused on early stage startups, is also contributing to the round. EHANG will use this new round of funding to meet demand amassed from its Indiegogo campaign by expanding its team and ramping up manufacturing efforts. Continue reading
FAA Grants First UAS Exemption for Real Estate Photography
Doug Trudeau, a real estate agent in Tucson, Arizona, just received the FAA’s first unmanned aircraft exemption for real estate so he can take aerial photos and video of homes that are for sale. Trudeau, 61, said he just learned that he won approval to use his $1,500 “Phantom 2 Vision+” quad-copter, which its maker DJI calls a “flying camera.”
FAA Grants First UAS Exemption for Precision Agriculture
Advanced Aviation Solutions (ADAVSO), LLC has announced its selection as the first company in the United States approved by the FAA to legally operate commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems for precision agriculture. Continue reading
ICAO to Publish ‘Manual on RPAS’ in March 2015
The International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) new Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Panel aims to deliver standards for unmanned aircraft to the organisation’s governing council in 2018. Once approved, the standards will guide ICAO’s 191 member states in setting their own national regulations. The overall process of producing RPAS standards is expected to take a decade or longer. Continue reading