Northrop Grumman Corporation, the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and a team of international science organizations successfully flew a Northrop Grumman-produced NASA Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system through Canadian airspace as part of a mission to collect environmental data in the Canadian Arctic. Continue reading
More UAS Included in Japan’s New $239 BN 5-Year Defence Budget
Japan’s new five-year defence plan approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet was unveiled on Tuesday. The details have indicated territory and island protection as one of the main security concerns for the country, justifying an increase in the budget allotted for defence equipment, including surveillance UAS and creating a Marine Corps-type of unit. Continue reading
France to Use First Reapers to Hunt al Qaeda in Mali
France will deploy its first US-made unarmed unmanned surveillance aircraft to West Africa by the end of the year, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, as it seeks to “eliminate all traces of al Qaeda”. Continue reading
Philippine Army UAS Open Day
The Philippine Army showcased to the public its UAS at a static display at Camp Aguinaldo as part of the anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday. Continue reading
Flapping Wing MAV Performs 9 Minutes of Autonomous Flight
The DelFly Explorer, developed by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, is the first flapping wing MAV that can perform autonomous flight. It carries a stereo vision system with processing onboard which is used to avoid obstacles. Continue reading
North American Aerospace Defense Command Prepares to Track Santa
In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defence command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa. Continue reading
Idaho Farmer Pioneers UAS for Smart Agriculture
Idaho farmer Robert Blair isn’t waiting around for federal aviation officials to work out rules for UAS. He and a friend built their own, outfitting it with cameras and using it to monitor his 1,500 acres. Continue reading
Laser-Equipped UAS to Scan Paths Through Finnish Forests
Finnish startup Sharper Shape was originally created with a year’s collaboration between major Finnish utility companies and a devoted group of engineers and had a very specific problem it set out to solve from the very beginning. Continue reading