Spending on unmanned aerial vehicles is expected to “nearly double over the next decade,” according to the executive summary of a new study by the Teal Group. The study, which asserts that “enemy air defense is basically non-existent except in the crudest sense, small arms fire,” projects “it is quite possible that [UAVs] will become ubiquitous over the next decade as a standard means of reconnaissance for infantry squads.”
Hollywood Society of Aerial Cinematographers for UAS
Hollywood’s aerial filmmaking community is organizing under the newly named Society of Aerial Cinematographers, which kicked off with an education and training event last Saturday, held by camera gear provider and training facility AbelCine in Burbank.
Selex-ES Asio and Spyball UAS Ready for Delivery to Italian Army
Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B UAVs have passed their factory acceptance tests, leaving them ready for delivery to the Italian Army for its Forza NEC modernisation programme.
Unmanned K-Max to Undergo Further Testing
Lockheed Martin is preparing a series of demonstration flights to prove the capability of its K-Max unmanned air vehicle to transport and deploy an autonomous ground vehicle. In an effort to prove the potential of “robots moving robots”, the VTOL UAV – derived from the manned Kaman helicopter – will next month take part in the US Army-led trials which will see it carry a Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) at Fort Benning, Georgia. Continue reading
DJI DropSafe Emergency Parachute System
DJI DropSafe is an parachute system for DJI multirotors s that launches a parachute in the event of a power failure. DJI calls it a “drop speed reduction system,” and does not guarantee that it will protect equipment or prevent injury. Continue reading
Hamas Shows Off Downed UAS
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ militant wing, released a new video on Monday in which a masked militant holds what appears to be a damaged Israeli reconnaissance drone they claim was shot down in Gaza. Continue reading
Don’t Fly Drones Here Interactive Map
Just got your hands on a drone and can’t wait to use it to shoot aerial photographs? First, make sure you only use it where it can legally fly. If you’re not sure where to look for this info, there’s a new website designed just for you. It’s called Don’t Fly Drones Here (DFDH), and is an interactive map that shows off limit areas of the US by shading them in with red.
SkyWard Secures $1.5 Million to Deliver the First Commercial Drone Management Platform
SkyWard, a pioneer in Drones as a Service (DaaS) software solutions, raised $1.5 Million in Seed round financing to build the first operations management platform for commercial robotic aircraft. Voyager Capital led the round with participation from Draper Associates and Toivo Annus, founder and former head of engineering at Skype.