At the beginning of July, the Heron 1 UAS logged its 15,000th operational flight hour. The three systems, which are operated by Cassidian subsidiary Airborne Solutions on behalf of the Luftwaffe, are stationed in Mazar-e-Sharif in north Afghanistan where they are serviced by an experienced team of engineers, pilots and UAS specialists.
First Upgraded MQ-8C Fire Scout Delivered to US Navy
The U.S. Navy got its first look at the upgraded MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned system when Northrop Grumman Corporation delivered its first MQ-8C system this month.
Fake ‘Speed Enforced By Drones’ Signs Appear on California Highways
San Francisco Bay Area CBS station KPIX reports that the California Highway Patrol (CHP) recently discovered a number of fake road signs in the Bay Area that read “Speed Enforced By Drones.” Continue reading
Unmanned Aerial Survey of Elephants – Research Article
The use of a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) was tested to survey large mammals in the Nazinga Game Ranch in the south of Burkina Faso. The Gatewing ×100 equipped with a Ricoh GR III camera was used to test animal reaction as the UAS passed, and visibility on the images.
American UAS Surveillance Expands to Hot Spots beyond Declared Combat zones
Since November 2011, the U.S. Air Force has been flying unarmed unmanned aircraft from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey in an attempt to suppress a long-simmering regional conflict.
FAA Warns Against Shooting Guns at UAS
People who fire guns at UAS are endangering the public and property and could be prosecuted or fined, the Federal Aviation Administration warned. Continue reading
OctoCopters for Mountain Rescue in the UK
A specialised search and rescue UAS will go on patrol in the Lake District. Anyone will be able to follow the maiden flight of the AeroSee UAS, developed at the University of Central Lancashire.
Israeli Industry Develops Unmanned Systems Network
Israel’s defence industry is working on a networked system that will enable joint operations of unmanned air systems, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned maritime systems (UMS). Continue reading