With all the wet weather the Bay Area has had this winter, the mosquito population is expected to explode. Thankfully, Santa Clara County has a new weapon in its arsenal against the pesky insects — industrial-sized drones. Continue reading
AeroVironment Gets $10M NASA/JPL Contract for Two Helicopters for Mars Sample Return Mission
AeroVironment, Inc. has been awarded a $10 million contract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to co-design and co-develop conceptual designs and engineering development units of Mars Sample Recovery Helicopter flight systems. Future efforts could include detailed design, build, and test of qualification and flight hardware. Continue reading
DroneShield C-UAS System Protects IRONMAN Texas 2023
DroneShield Limited has announced that after placing a follow-on order, the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (MCOHSEM) deployed DroneShield’s DroneSentry System for the IRONMAN Triathlon Championships 2023 in Woodlands, Texas for the second year in a row. The event was held earlier this month. Continue reading
General Atomics Gets $217M MQ-9B SkyGuardian Contract for Taiwan
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