General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $217,615,343 undefinitized contract action for Taiwan MQ-9B SkyGuardian procurement. Continue reading
Estonia to Acquire Long-Range Loitering Munitions from Israel Aerospace Industries
The Republic of Estonia has signed an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to procure advanced long-range loitering munitions, making it the one of the most expensive defense procurement Estonia has ever made. The procurement of long-range loitering munitions aims to strengthen Estonia’s defenCe capability by significantly increasing its indirect fire capabilities. Continue reading
Ukraine Rapidly Expanding its ‘Army of Drones’
Ukraine says it is rapidly increasing its production of drones as demand grows on the front line.The government has relaxed import laws and scrapped taxes for drone parts and equipment. The expansion is being funded by a successful fundraising campaign called the Army of Drones. Continue reading
Chinese TB-001 Scorpion Drone ‘Encircled’ Taiwan
A Chinese TB-001 Scorpion medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone has flown an apparently unprecedented mission around Taiwan, according to authorities on the island. The drone sortie came as part of the latest spike in Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) air and naval activity in the Taiwan Strait, something that has become more commonplace in recent months. However, according to local reports, this is the first time that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has publicly acknowledged that a PLA aircraft ‘encircled’ the island in this way.
Putin Announces $6M Investment During Moscow Drone Center Visit
On Thursday April 27th, Russia’s President Putin visited the Rudnevo Industrial Park, where drones are being manufactured, to hold a meeting on the development of unmanned aviation. During the visit, Putin called the Rudnevo park “the new industrial face of Moscow.” Continue reading
AI Weed-Killing Drones to Reduce Herbicide Use While Cutting Costs
For the past three years, Terry Aberhart has watched the spindly, fixed-wing drones zip across the big skies above his farm in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, testing a technology that could be the future of weeding. Fitted with an artificial intelligence system, the drones are designed by local startup Precision AI to spot, identify and kill the weeds without drenching the entire crop in chemicals. Continue reading
Ukraine Signs Three New Contracts with Turkish Drone Manufacturer Baykar
On 29 April, Ukraine signed three new contracts with Baykar, a Turkish drone manufacturer, at the Teknofest 2023 international aviation technology exhibition in Istanbul, according to Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industries Oleh Kamyshev. Continue reading
Marine Biologists use Drones to Affix Suction Cup Tags to Whales
A team of marine biologists affiliated with several institutions in the U.S., working with a colleague from Mexico, has found that it is possible to use drones to affix suction cup tags to whales as an alternative to doing it manually. In their study, reported in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group tested the use of an uncrewed-aerial-system-based tag deployment system with free swimming whales. Continue reading