Latvia May Be Second NATO Ally to Buy Turkish Drones

Latvian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Artis Pabriks (L) and Baykar Makina’s General Manager Haluk Bayraktar at Baykar Makina’s R&D and production facilities, Ankara, Turkey, June 7, 2021

Latvia has signaled it could be the second European Union and NATO member state to acquire Turkish armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have scored high-profile successes in the field, following last month’s purchase by Poland. Continue reading →

EHang Conducts Trial Flights in Japan

EHang Holdings Limited announced that its flagship passenger-grade AAV EHang 216 successfully performed its maiden Japan unmanned and autonomous trial flight to showcase safe, autonomous, eco-friendly urban air mobility (“UAM”) solutions. Ahead of the trial flight, the EHang 216 obtained a trial flight permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (“MLIT”) with a local partner. Continue reading →

US Air Force to Develop ‘Rocket Cargo’

The US Air Force wants to soon be able to deliver cargo from space, and it is putting real money behind the effort. The Department of the Air Force announced June 4 that the “Rocket Cargo” effort is its fourth “Vanguard” program, joining the Skyborg wingman drone, the Golden Horde weapon swarming initiative, and the Navigation Technology Satellite 3 as top priorities to move from science and technology development to real-world programs. Continue reading →

Boeing MQ-25A Unmanned Aerial Tanker Refuels F/A-18 Hornet in Successful First Test

The Boeing MQ-25 T1 test asset transfers fuel to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet on June 4, 2021

For the first time in history, the U.S. Navy and Boeing have demonstrated air-to-air refueling using an unmanned aircraft – the Boeing-owned MQ-25 T1 test asset – to refuel another aircraft. Continue reading →