The U.S. Coast Guard, in conjunction with Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy, flew the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter off the national security cutter (NSC), USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750), Dec. 5 off the coast of Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu. Continue reading
Time Lapse Inflation of a JLENS Aerostat
Time lapse inflation of a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) aerostat at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Dec. 14, 2014. JLENS provides national command authorities with increased situational awareness and early warning detection against possible threats. Continue reading
South Korea Buys 3 Herons
The Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) of the Republic of Korea has selected the Heron Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for its corps-level UAS upgrade project.
Smaller Lidars Allow UAVs to Conduct Underwater Scans
A team at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has designed a new approach that could lead to bathymetric lidars that are much smaller and more efficient than the current full-size systems. The new technology, developed under the Active Electro-Optical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (AEO-ISR) project, would let modest-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carry bathymetric lidars, lowering costs substantially.
de Havilland DH-112 Venom Short Display
New Zealand’s only operating de Havilland Venom is shown here at Tauranga Airport, Tauranga, New Zealand. Continue reading
New York City Council Considers Drone Ban
The New York city council is eyeing a potential ban of private drones and the addition of fines, in two separate bills. The first bill is “more of an outright ban” of drones, proposed by Council member Dan Garodnick, and the other will create fines and areas where drones are prohibited, proposed by Council member Paul Vallone. The two bills may be combined, but that decision will be determined by further council committee review.
Drone-Hunting Blimp Over Washington
On Friday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, will launch a giant drone-hunting blimp over Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds just east of Washington D.C. The system includes a 242-foot balloon (technically called an aerostat because it’s connected to the ground) that can stay up for a month at a time and a radar to detect — among other potential threats— drones.
Northrop Grumman Gets $657M Global Hawk Contract for South Korea
Northrop Grumman Corp has won a $657.4 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide South Korea with four RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft, the company and the Defense Department announced on Tuesday.