On December 21, at a racetrack complex near Miami, eight robots took their first steps into the future, one that scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency envisioned for them as the world watched the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster unfold in 2011. Continue reading
Predators Allow US Border Agencies to Reallocate Resources
Monitoring and policing 7,000 miles of border shared by the United States and its northern and southern neighbours has always been a tall order for Customs and Border Protection and the Border Patrol.
Civil Aviation Authority of Israel Issues Two Civilian UAS Licences
The Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAA) has granted an operating license to two companies, Steadicopter and Bladeworks, that operate UAS. The licenses are the first ones given to this innovative aviation field, and enable use of UA systems for civilian purposes, such as aerial photography, agricultural research, security of civilian infrastructures, mapping and more. Continue reading
Russian Helicopters Demonstrates Rotary UAS for Airborne Forces
Russian Helicopters, the holding that produces rotorcraft in Russia, has shown a demonstrator future rotary-wing unmanned aircraft system to the country’s Airborne Forces (VDV), the company announced last week. Continue reading
Where Did AeroVironment’s 22,000+ UAS Go ?
Analysts following AeroVironment ($631 million market cap) find that it is full of surprises. When the company reported its Q2 2014 numbers, revenues were down 19% year over year, but the news wasn’t nearly as bad as the 33% plunge in revenues that investment banker Sterne Agee had predicted. Continue reading
UAS Spotters Guide
Amsterdam-based designer Ruben Pater has created the Drone Survival Guide, a poster featuring to-scale silhouettes of common UAS and tips for spotting them in the style of traditional bird or airplane spotting guides. Continue reading
India to Buy 15 Heron UAS from Israel
A proposal to procure 15 Heron UAS at a cost of around Rs 1,200 crore (USD 195M) was approved by the Cabinet committee on security headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at its recent meeting . Continue reading
General Atomics gets $362M US Air Force Predator Logistics Contract
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has been awarded a $362,193,866 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Predator (MQ1)/Reaper (MQ9) Unmanned Aerial Systems contractor logistic support sustainment. Continue reading