Northrop Grumman’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System has completed a critical design review with the U.S. Navy.
Comprehensive Nonlinear Simulation with Robust Autonomous Control
A recent breakthrough in precise aircraft control with implications for both manned and unmanned flight is highlighted in a brief video which can be viewed below. The full paper describing this Apprenticeship Learning control method and its integration into a comprehensive design and analysis suite is available here.
Abstract of Paper:
ICAO Circular 328 UAS Now Published
ICAO Circular 328, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) – ISBN 978-92-9231-751-5 – has now been published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The purpose of this circular is to:
- Apprise States of the emerging ICAO perspective on the integration of UAS into non-segregated airspace and at aerodromes
- Consider the fundamental differences from manned aviation that such integration will involve
- encourage States to help with the development of ICAO policy on UAS by providing information on their own experiences associated with these aircraft.
Russian UAS Effort Loses Direction
Russia has spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying Israeli unmanned aircraft systems (and to acquire technology and components for joint UAS production. But at present these UAS are no more than expensive flying TV-cameras, the targeting information they produce is mostly useless, since there are no precise GLONASS (GPS)-targeted weapon systems to use it.
UAS In-Flight Refuelling Test
Proteus Approaches Global Hawk
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NASA Dryden Flight Research Center have just released pictures of a key risk reduction flight test in which Northrop Grumman’s Proteus test aircraft and a NASA Global Hawk flew as close as 40 feet apart at an altitude of 45,000 feet, an industry-setting record.
New UAS Flight Test Centre in Spain
Aerial View of the Site
A well-kept secret is the new CESVA UAS flight test centre which opened last year in Spain. Juan Secades, Director of the site, told UAS Vision: “We’ve had a lot of local clients – both military and commercial – who have been very satisfied with the experience, and now its time to open up the centre to international clients. We have a privileged location in an area with very low population and air traffic densities, good weather conditions and a large restricted airspace for flying UAS under the authorization of the Spanish Ministry of Defence.”
Multi-Spectral Imaging to Monitor Soil Composition
Carinthian Tech Research (Austria), Schiebel GmbH (Austria), and Quest Innovations B.V. (The Netherlands) have developed an aerial multispectral imaging system to monitor the soil composition of agricultural land.
UAS Operators Earn More than Aircraft Pilots
A survey by job seekers web-site Indeed revealed that in the USA, the average annual salary of a UAS Operator, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot, was $103,000 – somewhat greater than the average of $80,000 it found for Aircraft Pilots. For full results click here.