an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
A futuristic mailbox designed in Townsville has made the semi-finals of the inaugural million-dollar Drones for Good prize, an international contest intended to steer drone development towards improving people’s lives. Royal Australian Air Force corporal Clinton Burchat’s ominously named Skynet builds on plans by Amazon and Google to deliver small packages by drone. Continue reading
The first dog-fight is believed to have taken place on 28th August 1914, when Lieutenant Norman Spratt, flying a Sopwith Tabloid, forced down a German two-seater. This was an amazing achievement as his Sopwith was not armed. Continue reading
GoPro Inc. is developing its own line of consumer drones to expand from its core business of making wearable video cameras popular with surfers and other sports enthusiasts, according to people familiar with its plans. Continue reading
Lockheed Martin has crafted a reduced-cost plan to “optionally man” its U-2, throwing a new possibility into the mix as Congress weighs whether to shift to an all-Northrop Grumman Global Hawk unmanned aircraft fleet for high-altitude reconnaissance. With an optionally manned U-2, advocates for the so-called Dragon Lady say the venerable aircraft finally can match the endurance offered by the RQ-4B Global Hawk. Convincing lawmakers and the Pentagon likely will be an uphill battle, though. Continue reading
AVIC, China’s top aerospace manufacturer, is finding unexpected but sci-fi inspired ways to push the drone technological envelope. The Holographic Ground Control System (GCS) displays a holographic image of the drone, making it easier for the controller to intuitively understand UAV operations, by fusing together flight parameters, payload monitoring, weapons release and sensor data. The pilot is seated at the cockpit, while other personnel can observe the UAV and its environment on the hologram. Continue reading
Predicting where the June 27 lava flow in Hawaii will go next is a fluid undertaking. In addition to the original topography of the landscape impacted by lava flows, workers with Hawaii County Civil Defense must take into account the changes made to the topography by the hardened lava left on the surface and how that will affect future flows. Continue reading
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in New Zealand is asking the public as well as industry professionals to have their say on the proposed new rules for ‘unmanned aircraft operations’. Most drones currently fall under regulations designed for model aircraft, but are capable of flying much faster, further and higher than traditional model planes. Continue reading
Peter van Blyenburgh, President, Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS) International, Valentijn de Leeuw, Vice President, ARC Advisory Group, and Shabtay Negry, COO, Mantis Vision will deliver keynote addresses at the upcoming SPAR Europe 3D Measurement & Imaging Conference and European LiDAR Mapping Forum, taking place 8-10 December, 2014 at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Continue reading