The Ohio Department of Transportation spent $180,000 on a “blimp in a box” that officials say could be used by a number of state agencies and its first mission could be to keep watch over two Warren County prisons. The device is a tethered, unmanned helium balloon that monitors an area via cameras for as long as three days at a time.
Insitu Demonstrates 24 Hour Flight by Integrator
Insitu has announced the successful 24-hour flight of its Integrator unmanned aircraft. The flight demonstrated Integrator’s expanded endurance at an increased gross take-off weight with payload on board. The event is the first of several planned milestones for the platform aimed toward continuously increasing payload capacity and endurance for future missions.
Russian UAS Searching for ‘Sunken Ship’ During Far East Military Drills
The Russian Army is using UAS in its military exercises in the eastern regions of the country, a spokesman for the Eastern Military District said on Tuesday. “A special-purpose training, involving an Eastern Military District unmanned air vehicle team, has started on Sakhalin Island under the supervision of specialists from the unmanned aircraft division of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation,” Colonel Alexander Gordeev said.
UAS Finds Trapped People Using Phone Signal
A Swiss masters student has created a system to help UAS home in on the location of people trapped underneath rubble, land or snow – by detecting signals given off by their mobile phones and so giving rescuers a clue as to where to focus their search efforts.
Bulgaria Wants All-Weather Reconnaissance UAS
The U.S. Army has issued a market survey for a 10-pound UAS with hover and stare capability that would be suitable for the Bulgarian armed forces. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., issued a sources-sought notice to locate potential sources to deliver and train vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV systems for foreign military sales to Bulgaria. Continue reading
US Air Force Sent Worldwide Safety Bulletin After MQ-9 Reaper Crash in Lake Ontario
The U.S. Air Force sent out a worldwide alert bulletin to operators of its MQ-9 Reaper after a software error in navigation equipment caused one to crash in Lake Ontario northwest of Syracuse, the chief accident investigator said in an interview.
DJI Phantom Caught Smuggling Phones into Bangkok Jail
A DJI Phantom equipped with a video camera and two mobile phones were intercepted by guards at Khao Bin prison, widely known to have the best security protection system of all prisons in Thailand.
UAS Help Private Investigators
Private Investigators are taking UAS to new heights — using the remote-controlled aircraft to catch New Yorkers cheating on spouses, lying about disabilities and endangering their kids. Continue reading