Business
* Patria announced on 13 June, 2024 about the acquisition of a leading manufacturer of drone systems Nordic Drones Oy and on 4 September, 2024 about the acquisition of an open source data collection product and business related to its cyber business area from WithSecure. The completion of both acquisitions required
– UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía has announced that SATNUS (a company formed by GMV, Sener Aeroespacial and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía) has counted on its collaboration in the ambitious European program Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This program aims to develop a future-generation weapon system (NGWS), which will integrate a new generation of manned
Testing
* Mayman Aerospace has completed successful flight tests at a military base in the Southern California desert of its RAZOR test bed VTOL aircraft. The RAZOR test bed is exactly the same dimensions and weight as the RAZOR P100 and uses the same propulsion, engine gimballing, thrust vectoring and flight control
Project ULTRA, a leading initiative to accelerate integration of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS), has officially received approval for Task Order 2. With $3.49 million in funding approved by the Office of Undersecretary of Defense (A&S) and Grand Forks County, Task Order
Regulations
Drone operators can now more easily access the airspace around Aberdeen International Airport, thanks to a digital flight approval service unveiled by the air traffic management service, NATS Services. Drone pilots wanting to fly in or through the Flight Restriction Zone around the airport can now request access at the
Russia is now training its troops to use helicopters to launch first-person view (FPV) drones to counter Ukraine’s uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). Using a helicopter as a FPV drone mothership in this way makes a lot of sense. You can greatly expand the reach of FPV drones by delivering
Video
The Messerschmitt Me 329 was a design project for a heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft, developed towards the end of World War II. It was a competitor and possible successor to the Me 410. Like the Me 265, the Me 329 used an advanced flying wing design. Other advanced features
Testing
The Marine Corps’ XQ-58A Valkyrie successfully completed its third test flight on Sept. 20, 2024, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. This flight was conducted in partnership with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, and industry
Business
* Serve Robotics Inc., an autonomous sidewalk delivery company, and Wing Aviation LLC, an on-demand drone delivery provider, have announced a pilot partnership to expand eco-friendly, autonomous food delivery offering a novel solution that will redefine last mile delivery. In the coming months, select Wing deliveries will be picked up by
Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a Russian Shahed-136 that was equipped with SpaceX's Starlink satellite communication during a night attack on September 25, in which 28 of 32 drones were shot down. Defense Express received the relevant photos from its own sources. They show a satellite dish with serial
Events
Excitement builds as competitors from around the globe converge in Limoux, near Toulouse in southern France, for the upcoming 2024 FAI World Championship for Slope Soaring Model Aircraft. This event, scheduled to take place from 6 to 12 October and organised by the French Aeromodelling Federation, promises to be a
Accidents
A previously undisclosed crash of an Air Force MQ-9 crash in Africa in February stemmed from the pilot’s failure to follow the takeoff guidelines and to properly recover the descending aircraft, according to a newly released report. The Feb. 11 incident, which occurred at an undisclosed location, caused no