Military
Rheinmetall Airborne Systems expects to complete the 1,000th operational flight of a leased Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 in Afghanistan during October, as the German government nears a decision on whether to buy a medium-altitude, long-endurance surveillance system outright. Flown in Afghanistan under a service provision deal
Testing
A self-exploding high-speed unmanned aircraft will be deployed within two years, which will target coastal artillery shells, long-range self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery and air-cushion vehicles. The state-funded Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) disclosed the current stage of developing “Devil Killer” striking short-range targets in
Commercial
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Air and Marine, or OAM, operates the highly capable and proven Predator B unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in support of law enforcement and homeland security missions at the nation’s borders. OAM selected the Predator B, manufactured by General Atomics
Testing
Cassidian is likely to conduct a fourth campaign of flight testing with its Barracuda unmanned aircraft technology demonstrator from around 2014, with the process to further develop its ability to operate the autonomous system in conjunction with other aircraft. "We are presently in discussions to come up with developments
Testing
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. announced that its Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA has successfully completed 106 full-stop Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) landings, a first for the multi-mission aircraft. The milestone was first achieved with four ATLC landings on June 27 at the company’s
Business
The US federal government has no way of knowing which countries have purchased U.S. unmanned aircraft because of inadequate databases and weak communication between licensing departments and intelligence agencies, government auditors found.The lack of oversight, according to the Government Accountability Office, increases the risk that weaponized UAS will
Surveillance camera systems are riding an upward spiral. They’re improving their image quality, bringing more benefits, and that’s sparking more demand for information gathered by UAS and UGVs. As this increased interest drives market growth, these unmanned platforms are increasingly carrying a range of sensors, including full-motion
U.S. Air Force researchers are planning to establish a Center of Excellence in Guided-Wave Infrared Sourcesto aid in developing laser-based remote sensing and laser communications for Air Force applications. The Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate at Wright Patterson Air Force Base,
Accidents
In August 2011, photos emerged of a bird-like unmanned aircraft that went down because of a technical fault just inside Pakistani territory in Chaman town, in insurgency-hit Baluchistan province. An official from Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps in Quetta, Baluchistan province's main town, confirmed the
Business
On the day after the merger talks between EADS and BAE Systems became public this week, the French and German governments signed a cooperation agreement on future medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAS. The two nations will develop a common operational requirement, and may also jointly operate an interim solution.
Electronic Sub-Systems
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced that it has completed the successful integration and operational testing of its Lynx Multi-mode Radar, a next-generation capability that integrates Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI), and Dismount Moving Target Indicator (DMTI) radar. Testing was conducted in May
Testing
With a small crowd of legislators and civic leaders observing, a nonprofit group launched a small, unmanned aircraft at the former runway at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Great Falls, Montana early 0n Wednesday morning.Remotely controlled, the 30-pound Sandstorm plane with a 15-foot wing span performed a few