Military
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) completed the first flight of its second MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) (YBC02) aircraft on September 26. The flight of the company-owned aircraft was conducted at Laguna Army Airfield in Yuma Proving Grounds. “We’re very pleased to have our
After 12 years developing hydrogen propulsion systems for small unmanned aircraft, HES Energy Systems has unveiled its plans for Element One, the world’s first regional hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft. One century after the start of commercial aviation, HES is joining forces with a variety of partners to pioneer a
Business
Drone Nerds, Inc. the largest UAV distributor in the United States announced its collaboration with AeroVironment, Inc. to become an authorized Quantix Hybrid drone dealer in North America. Founded in 2014, Drone Nerds, Inc. offers the most comprehensive set of services aimed to enable all participants to maximize the value
Commercial
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has announced that members who are opted-in for drone content are now eligible for discounted fees and special recognition from PrecisionHawk’s on-demand drone pilot network, Droners.io. Thanks to an agreement announced in July at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
Regulations
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced nine new partners to its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative, an innovative collaboration between the FAA and the drone industry that provides near real-time processing of airspace authorizations for Part 107 drone operators nationwide who fly in controlled airspace.
Commercial
A tethered drone built by Elistair was used by the French authorities to ensure continuous aerial surveillance of one of the biggest international sport competitions, The Ryder Cup 2018 held in Paris from September 25 to September 30. « This is not golf, this is the Ryder Cup » Every two years,
VTOL
Astro Aerospace, the company creating autonomous, eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aerial vehicles has announced the success of their recent flight testing just North of Toronto, in Markham Ontario, Canada. After being granted a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC), a permit for commercial Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flights by
UAVOS Inc. has completed a series of test flights of a new Sitaria fixed - wing UAV. The new UAV is designed for patrol and observation missions, for aerial photography of terrain area with a radius of up to 120 km. Among other tasks, the unmanned aircraft is purposely designed to
Military
Russia’s Kronshtadt Group, a subsidiary of Joint-Stock Financial Corporation Sistema, has unveiled a strike-capable variant of the Orion-E medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV). The weaponised Orion-E was showcased with a new 50 kg guided missile developed by the company. Jane’s
Pilots of unmanned aircraft (“drones”) who interfere with fighting wildfires, law enforcement efforts, or other first responders, such as medical flights, now are more likely to face serious civil penalties, even for first-time offenses. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has provided guidance for agency personnel who handle possible drone
Regulations
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has released for public review and comment a working draft of the Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Version 1.0)being developed by the Institute's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC). The release follows discussion of a preliminary draft at the
Germany is looking to sell a secondhand surveillance drone that has cost the country more than 700 million euros ($823 million) to Canada — without many core components it needs to fly. A defense ministry reply to lawmakers from the opposition Left Party states that Germany has decided to “begin concrete