Timothy E. Conver, AeroVironment’s CEO and Trustee of The Conver Family Trust, has established a pre-arranged stock trading plan to sell a portion of company stock held by the Trust. The company’s shares reached over $28 last week as a result of unusually high trading volume. Analysts at Pacific Crest upgraded shares from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating.
Swedish Research into Collaborative Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The Linnaeus Centre for Control, Autonomy, and Decision-making in Complex Systems (CADICS) at Linköping University is undertaking a research project on Collaborative Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The centre is funded by the Swedish Research Council.
UAS to Survey Super Bowl ?
Police in Arlington, Texas are considering flying a miniature unmanned helicopter over the Cowboys Stadium to survey Super Bowl XLV crowds on Sunday, February 6. The department is the first in the country to get an unmanned aircraft. Officials say officers are finishing certification and will deploy the UAS if considered necessary.
Lockheed RQ-170 Sentinel – New Photos
Lockheed RQ-170 Sentinel
New pictures have emerged of the Lockheed RQ-170 Sentinel stealth UA, which has been flying in Afghanistan since 2009.
New FAA Rules Spark Privacy Debate in US
News that by 2013, the FAA expects to have formulated new rules that would allow police across the country to routinely fly lightweight UAS up to 400 feet above the ground – high enough for them to be largely invisible eyes in the sky – has sparked off fresh debates about the boundaries of privacy in the US media, lead by The Washington Post.
UVS International Launches 2011 UAS Photo Competition
UVS International has just launched its 2011 UAS Photo Competition. It is open to all association members, as well as companies & organizations that are not members, from all countries. Deadline for submission of photos is 15 April 2011. Click below to download the announcement pdf.
Shadow Crashes on Training Flight in Arizona
Gorgon Stares But Can’t See
A draft report by the US Air Force’s 53rd Wing Group at Eglin Air Force Base said that the new system, dubbed Gorgon Stare*, had “significant limitations,” and is “not operationally effective” and should therefore not be deployed in the field. The Sierra Nevada built device transmits live video from nine cameras and is intended to cover a three-mile area. It has been in development for the last two years. Testers found 13 serious deficiencies in the system, including: