Epson Electronics America (EEA) has developed two products, the M-G550-PC and the M-G550-PR, for its inertial measurement units (IMU) range. The new products will be on display at Sensor + Test 2013, the world’s largest international fair for sensors to be held from May 14th – 16th in Nuremburg, Germany. The new 6-DOF*2 IMUs, which have gyroscopic sensors on three axes and accelerometers on three directions, also have built-in support for two widely used industrial interfaces: the CAN*3 protocol in the case of the M-G550-PC and the RS-422*4 in the case of the M-G550-PR. Continue reading
Israeli F-16 Downs Another Hezbollah UAS
An Israeli Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 has shot down an unmanned aircraft launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah militants. The threat was detected over the Mediterranean sea on 25 April and was destroyed shortly after by an air-to-air missile. Continue reading
Unmanned Aircraft Tested For Precision Airdrops
Unmanned aircraft, valued for their ability to hunt down the enemy without putting pilots in harm’s way, are being considered for a new mission: marking airdrop zones for resupplying troops in the war zone. Continue reading
Insitu Gets $7.8M US Navy Contract for ScanEagle Support Services
Insitu Inc., Bingen, Wash., is being awarded a $7,826,247 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-11-C-0061) to exercise an option for operational and maintenance services in support of the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems. Continue reading
Northrop Grumman Markets MQ-8C as ‘Rotary Wing UAS of the Future’
A full scale mock-up of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C, the unmanned platform that is to succeed the MQ-8B, was on show earlier this month at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition at National Harbor, Md. Continue reading
Successful US Navy Funded, ADS-B based, Autonomous, Sense & Avoid with Pilot Override Demonstrated
R³ Engineering LLC has announced successful demonstration of autonomous collision avoidance during flight tests that took place the week of April 15th-19th at Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in Arizona. Continue reading
Boeing’s X-48C Blended Wing Body Demonstrator Completes Flight Tests – Video
The Boeing X-48C research aircraft flew for the 30th and final time April 9, 2013, marking the successful completion of an eight-month flight-test programme to explore and further validate the aerodynamic characteristics of the Blended Wing Body design concept. Continue reading
Eurocopter’s Successful OPV Flights
Eurocopter’s ability to integrate unmanned flight capabilities into its helicopter family has been validated by an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) demonstration programme, which used an EC145 to fly routes that included deployment of an external sling load and a representative observation mission. Continue reading