There are many misconceptions surrounding quadcopters and multirotors. The single main reason that they are popular for small UAS is mechanical simplicity. It’s worth pointing out that a quadcopter is LESS stable than an equivalent regular helicopter (and I’ll explain why in a sec), and is also LESS efficient than an equivalent regular helicopter. Continue reading
DJI Innovations’ S1000 Monster 8-Rotor to Carry Hollywood-Quality Cameras
At CES on Sunday, China’s DJI Innovations showed off its forthcoming S1000, an 8-rotor UAS that was built specifically to carry Canon’s 5D Mark II or Mark III. For those not familiar with camera gear, that’s a setup capable of shooting feature films or documentaries. Continue reading
US DOD Speeds Delivery of Surveillance Assets to Iraq
The United States is speeding delivery of unmanned aircraft systems Iraq purchased under the foreign military sales programme to help in tracking and thwarting al-Qaida-affiliated groups, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday. Continue reading
Parrot Launches MiniDrone & Parrot Jumping Sumo at CES
Parrot‘s been offering up relatively small updates to its AR.Drone line each year at CES, and while the quadcopter is, without question, one of the most immediately recognizable in the space, we’ve been waiting to see a genuinely fresh take on the product. Continue reading
FAA and AMA to Sign a Landmark Agreement at AMA Expo 2014
James Williams, Executive Manager of the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office, will join AMA President Bob Brown on the main Expo stage at 3 p.m. PST, on Saturday, January 11, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement institutes a formal relationship between the FAA and the Academy of Model Aeronautics and establishes the platform upon which the AMA and the FAA will jointly work to ensure the continued safe operation of model aircraft in the National Airspace System. Continue reading
Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police to get UAS
The Nova Scotia RCMP is buying five unmanned aircraft systems for a budgeted sum of $165,000 for the purchase, or $33,000 apiece. Continue reading
Nigeria’s First Indigenous UAS Flight – Gulma Tactical UAS
The first public demonstration flight of country’s first indigenous unmanned aircraft system, the GULMA Tactical UAS NAF 610 designed and constructed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
Total Market for Electric Unmanned Aircraft Systems Will Reach over $1 Billion by 2023
The total market value for electric unmanned aircraft systems will reach over one Billion dollars by 2023 according to findings in the new IDTechEx report, Electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) 2013-2023.