The US Air Force is funding work to let UAS tag suspects or cars with a spray that gives them a distinct spectral signature, making them easy to track. Continue reading
Ottawa Employs Goose Buster UAS to Keep Beaches Clean
Fed up with geese fouling the grass and water at its Petrie Island beaches, the City of Ottawa government is calling in UAS strikes. It’s proving amazingly effective, said Orléans Coun. Bob Monette. The place used to be haunted by as many as 140 geese, which can eat several pounds of grass in a day and poop out nearly as much in waste. Continue reading
AAI Gets $12M Contract for Upgrade of 6 Shadow UAS
AAI, Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, no option, non-multi-year, contract modification (P00111) of $11,798,626 with a cumulative maximum value of $1,530,786,418 for purchase of six Shadow unmanned aircraft systems and auxiliary equipment. Continue reading
UAS in Peru Study Ancient Ruins
In Peru, unmanned aircraft are being used to monitor crops and study ancient ruins.They are equipped with a microcomputer, a GPS tracker, a compass, cameras and an altimeter, and can be easily programmed by using Google Maps to fly autonomously and return to base with vital data. Continue reading
Unmanned K-Max Gets Cleverer
Lockheed Martin and Kaman have demonstrated new capabilities for the K-Max unmanned cargo helicopter under the U.S. Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate’s Autonomous Technologies for Unmanned Air Systems (ATUAS) programme. Continue reading
Indian Student Builds UAS Bomber for £400
A 21-year-old computer science student in India has come up with a design for an unmanned bomber aircraft made of scrap metal and costing £400. The unmanned aircraft cost Subhanjan Saha about £610 (60,000 Indian rupees) and he is hoping the Indian army will buy his design. Continue reading
Russian Defence Ministry’s Innovation Day Fair in Moscow
Cutting-edge military equipment and hardware – some of it too secret for the public eye – was featured at the Russian Defence Ministry’s Innovation Day fair in Moscow. Androids, UAS prototypes, and thin impenetrable armour were revealed to visitors. Continue reading
Burning Man Festival Issues Rules for Flying UAS at Event
Participants flying unmanned aircraft systems at the Burning Man Festival (August 26 – September 2) have developed a set of best practices for flying at Black Rock City this year. The best practices came out of a July 17 “Drone Summit” at Burning Man headquarters that had 40 in attendance and an estimated 100 on a teleconference. Continue reading