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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently granted San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) a Special Airworthiness Certificate for a small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), allowing the utility to research, test and train flight crews on the UAS in a sparsely populated airspace in Eastern San Diego County. SDG&E is the first utility in the nation to be granted FAA approval for this technology. Continue reading
UK based European UAV Systems Centre Limited (EuroUSC) has announced the formation of EuroUSC-Italia a Joint Venture company with Deep Blue S.r.l. based in Rome. The new organisation is now fully operational and is offering the full Light Unmanned Aircraft Scheme (LUASS) to Italian Flight Schools, Manufacturers and Operators. Continue reading
Integrating remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) into civilian airspace in Europe is not going to be easy. Official programmes are many, work is extensive, detailed and ongoing, but anyone expecting an early resolution is going to be disappointed. This was the picture gleaned from a series of presentations at last month’s RPASToday: Opportunities and Challenges conference, run by the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. announced the successful first flight of Predator XP, an updated version of the company’s flagship Predator RPA that has been licensed by the U.S. Government for sale to a broader customer base, including countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South America, and Asia. The flight occurred June 27 at Castle Dome Airfield, located at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground Range Complex in Arizona.
When Jim Williams, manager of the FAA’s Office of Unmanned Aerial Systems Integration, spoke at the Delta AgTech Symposium at the Memphis, Tenn., Agricenter on Tuesday (July 8), UAS enthusiasts had their questions ready. Continue reading
Diplomatic tensions between Germany and the U.S. stoked by allegations of spying are spilling over into German government plans to upgrade the military’s UAS, said lawmakers who sit on parliament’s Defence Committee.
Britain and France plan to sign a memorandum of understanding for the study of a combat UAS bringing their Air Forces closer to an advanced fighter programme worth billions, defence ministry spokespersons of the two countries said. Continue reading
The United States moved to blacklist a group of companies it said covertly helped Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia acquire components for surveillance UAS.