The Yamaha Motor Co. is waiting to hear whether the Federal Aviation Administration will grant its RMAX drone a regulatory exemption that will let it operate commercially in certain areas of the U.S. The helicopter has been used in Japan for about two decades to spray crops.
Second Triton UAS Completes First Flight
The U.S. Navy’s second MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has successfully completed its first flight. Operating out of a manufacturing facility in Palmdale, a Navy and Northrop Grumman flight test team conducted the 6.7-hour flight Oct. 15. The flight is a critical first step in preparing the aircraft to fly to a Navy facility in Maryland later this month.
High Efficiency GaAs Solar Cells Can Quadruple UAS Flight Endurance
Alta Devices has announced cooperation with Airware to enable manufacturers of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to integrate solar power into their aircraft. Alta Devices, which makes what are claimed to be the world’s thinnest and highest efficiency solar cells using GaAs, holds the world record for solar cell efficiency at 28.8 percent. Continue reading
Unmanned Helicopters Spray Pesticides in Napa Valley
As he went around Napa Valley in the past two years, Ken Giles had the unenviable task of notifying nearby residents that UC Davis would be conducting a demonstration project using UAS to spray pesticides at its vineyard in Oakville. Continue reading
Unmanned Dominator Pitched for Maritime Surveillance
Aeronautics Defense Systems is offering its Dominator XP unmanned platform for maritime surveillance applications. Deputy chief executive Dany Eshchar points to a growing demand for such a long-endurance asset to help protect nations’ exclusive economic zones and monitor offshore infrastructure such as natural gas pumping installations.
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c Flying Display
The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane which was in service with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from 1912 until the end of World War I. About 3,500 were built. Initially used as front-line reconnaissance aircraft and light bombers; variants of the type were also used as night fighters. Continue reading
US Army Testing IAI Hand-Launched UAS
The US Army is field testing more than a dozen hand-launched ArrowLite unmanned air vehicles manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, which has long sought a foothold in the US military unmanned air systems (UAS) market.
Formic Acid Reformer-Based Fuel Cells for UAS
Neah Power Systems, Inc. will be partnering with Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (‘Silent Falcon’) to integrate the formic acid reformer (Formira™) based fuel cell technology into the Silent Falcon UAV. The fuel cell could significantly increase the mission endurance by between two times to three times the current duration, as well as enable heavier payloads. Formic acid is a safe, energy dense fuel, allowing easy handling, distribution, and refueling in remote locations worldwide, unlike compressed hydrogen.