With flying time costing 2,000 euros per hour only the most prestigious ski resorts have a helicopter on stand-by. However and assuming the weather is favourable it remains the most effective search and rescue tool in the mountains. Continue reading
Hybrid Electric Planes Development Progresses
Last month Siemens and EADS demonstrated a new gas-electric vehicle capable of carrying two people and their luggage 900 kilometers—roughly the distance from New York to Detroit—between refuels and recharges. The prototype was not a car, but a small two-seater airplane. Continue reading
X-47B UCAS – Aviation History Under Way
Northrop Grumman just released this dramatic promotion clip of the historic first catapult launch of a U.S. Navy unmanned aircraft system from a carrier, May 2013. Includes touch-and-go sequences. Continue reading
US Navy wants Electro-Optical Sensor Small Enough for RQ-21A Integrator
US Navy researches are asking industry to build sophisticated electro-optical sensor payloads small enough for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) like the Boeing Insitu RQ-21A Integrator, but with high-resolution and wide-area coverage, autonomous identification of objects, and other advanced capabilities. Continue reading
Israeli Air Force now Flying More Unmanned than Manned Sorties
The Israel Air Force, battling manpower shortages and budget restraints, has been building a fleet based on unmanned aircraft systems. Continue reading
UAS Mounted Spectrometers Monitor Barley & Suger Beet Crops in New Zealand
A pair of Ocean Optics miniature spectrometers – one flown on a UAS and a second deployed in a ground unit – are helping plant scientists to monitor barley and sugar beet crops by providing hyperspectral measurements. Continue reading
India Seeking JVs for Domestic UAS Production for $2BN Market
The Indian market for UAS is estimated at $2 billion and the answer to the demand will be filled by local production. Continue reading
Insitu Gets $45M UK Royal Navy ScanEagle Contract
Boeing’s Insitu subsidiary won a UK competition to provide unmanned maritime surveillance system on Royal Navy frigates and support ships. Insitu will provide the ScanEagle UAS under an initial two-year $45 million contractor-owned, contractor-operated (coco) contract. Continue reading