In 1936, before the first flight of the prototype, the Air Ministry placed an order for 310 Spitfires. However, in spite of the promises made by the Chairman of Vickers-Armstrongs (the parent company of Supermarine) that the company would be able to deliver Spitfire at a rate of five a week, it soon became clear that this would not happen. Continue reading
Norway Wants UAS to aid Search and Rescue
As Norway’s polar waters open to development, that country’s lawmakers are becoming increasingly convinced that drones could serve as a potentially life-saving tool in the event of a maritime accident. Members of the Storting, Norway’s national assembly, gathered representatives from the industry last week to discuss how drones take over operations currently performed by manned aircraft.
800 Entries for UAE Drones for Good Award
The UAE Drones for Good Award, launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the second Government Summit last February, has received more than 800 local, Arab and international entries. Continue reading
Mexico Deploys UAS to Protect Endangered Porpoise
Mexico has begun testing unmanned aircraft that could help it save the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world’s smallest porpoise, which is threatened by illegal fishing in the upper Sea of Cortez.
Google says UAVs, Balloons could use New Spectrum for Internet Access
As federal regulators consider opening new radio frequencies to wireless services, Google is already eyeing the frequencies to deliver Internet access from the sky via drones and balloons. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission Friday, Google said new bands could “be useful for offering broadband access via airborne platforms such as high-altitude balloons or unmanned aerial vehicles.” Continue reading
DJI Fixes Bug that Caused Inspire 1 Crashes
DJI has issued a firmware update to owners of the brand new Inspire 1, a drone that caught the industry’s attention last year for its filming abilities and futuristic form.
New RPAS Positioning Technology Unveiled
Novadem, France has unveiled a new positioning technology for RPAS allowing automatic inspection of structures without GPS coverage. The LPS (Local Positioning System) technology, using its own terrestrial beacons and totally independent of satellite coverage, permits, for the first time, to perform fully automatic inspection with centimeter accuracy of structures. Continue reading
Poland Launches Tactical UAV Tender
Poland’s Ministry of Defence has launched a tender to acquire 12 sets of middle-range tactical unmanned aerial vehicles and 15 sets of mini-UAVs for the armed forces. The Ministry says it is aiming to significantly boost the military’s surveillance capacity.
All initial bids are to be submitted by Feb. 16, with the price criterion representing some 60 percent of the points tbe assigned to offers submitted in the tender procedure.