Accidents
US Air Force Captain Justin Brockhoff, a spokesman for the military in Afghanistan, confirmed that a C-130 cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing Monday at a forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan after colliding with an RQ-7 Shadow, an unmanned aircraft that is usually operated
Military
The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $47 million contract to develop, demonstrate and deliver autonomous technologies for unmanned air systems in support of in-theater unmanned cargo resupply missions. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace will demonstrate intelligent autonomous technologies for unmanned aerial systems using the
Military
AeroVironment, Inc. announced that it has received a firm-fixed-price contract delivery order valued at $65,532,394 for new digital Puma All Environment (AE) unmanned aircraft systems and initial spares packages. The items were procured through the existing United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) All Environment Capable Variant
Military
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. announced that the U.S. Navy recently awarded the company a study contract to support pre-Milestone A activities for the service’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme. This study contract supports the UCLASS programme’s pre-Milestone A programme activities.
Business
AME Unmanned Systems, a ChandlerMay, Inc. company, and AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announced that the two companies have entered into a strategic alliance agreement regarding unmanned systems development. “AAI and ChandlerMay have enjoyed a long, successful working relationship for several
Military
Swedish aerospace firm Saab is taking on U.S. defense industry heavyweight Boeing and other American firms to land the rights to a lucrative Navy unmanned aircraft deal. Partnered with prime contractor Computer Science Corporation, Saab is pitching its Skeldar vertical-lift unmanned aircraft for the Navy's Close-
Military
China's first aircraft carrier returned to its base after completing a four-day maiden voyage to test its system and capabilities. Li Jie, a researcher of the China Navy Military Academy, said that some unmanned aircraft might have landed on the carrier. The carrier, refitted from an imported
Launchers
Larry Williams, CEO of BRS Aerospace, said at EAA AirVenture that his company is working on research projects to develop parachute systems for unmanned aircraft, in addition to its current line for light aircraft. Since 1980, BRS Inc. (Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.) has developed a line of whole-aircraft recovery
Propulsion
Israel Aerospace Industries is still looking for a fuel cell power system to replace the batteries currently used on its small unmanned aircraft systems. "We have a development plan for fuel cells in cooperation with Horizon, a leading developer," said Tommy Silberring, general manager of IAI's
Commercial
The Poker Flat Research Range (run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks) which operates unmanned systems , has an agreement with the Tanana Chiefs Conference, (also in Fairbanks and which provides local government functions to Alaskan Natives villages), to assist the villages to develop the most accurate, complete, and cost-effective
Military
The US Navy has confirmed that it is joining forces with the US Army to buy dozens of a new class of medium-sized, unmanned helicopter that could be mustered into service within five years, according to an acquisition document. The agreement between the services combines requirements for the navy&
Events
The Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute for Technology, Zurich) is organizing a conference with the focus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Geomatics (UAV-g) on September 14-16, 2011 at ETH Zurich, Campus Science City (Hoenggerberg), Switzerland. UAV-g 2011 will bring together experts in photogrammetry, surveying, robotics,