The winners of a counter-terrorism technology competition backed by the Israeli and U.S. governments were announced on June 18th. CardioScale Ltd. won first place and $100,000 prize with a device that promises to help monitor the vitals of survivors of terrorist attacks and mass casualty events. Second
Military
Unmanned air system manufacturer Baykar Makina is developing a new heavy armed unmanned aerial vehicle called Akinci, according to Turkish media reports. Turkish media has published photos showing a new 4.5-tonne Akinci twin-engine, medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned vehicle (UAV) at Baykar’s facility. According to the
Commercial
On 8 June 2018, a report on drones entitled « Drones on the Horizon » was made public by Prof Yaye Kène-Gassama Dia & University Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar at the African Innovation Summit (AIS2018) in Kigali, Rwanda. The AIS is an Africa-wide initiative aimed at harnessing the innovation potential
Business
Counter drone technology provider DroneShield has secured an order for 70 units of its DroneGun tactical jammer by an as-yet-unnamed “major Middle Eastern country allied with Western governments”, with the identity of the country remaining a mystery, potentially for security reasons. “We believe that this is a company-
AERTEC Solutions has reached a new technological milestone in the RPAS sector in Spain with its unmanned fixed-wing aerial platform TARSIS 75. This RPAS, built in carbon fiber, has made a complete and automatic operation in the Arenosillo area, on the beach of Mazagón (Huelva) , thus expanding its range
Accidents
A British Army Watchkeeper has crashed near Aberporth, taking the number of crashes involving the unmanned aircraft to five. Launched from West Wales Airport at Aberporth, it crashed in a lane close to the airstrip at around 5 pm on Thursday afternoon. Police and firefighters were called to the scene
Business
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed an agreement with Airbus to lease Heron TP Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) RPAS to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence. Under the $600 million deal, Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH will serve as the prime contractor responsible for managing all aspects of the project,
OPA
Airbus Helicopters is set to conduct the first fully unmanned flight demonstration of its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) by the end of June, Jane’s has learned. The OPV is a modified Hélicoptères Guimbal Cabri G light helicopter being used to develop the control laws for the VSR700, a vertical
Military
In March 2018, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Sensors Program Office, working jointly with the AFLCMC Medium Altitude Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office, sponsored three demonstration flights of an MQ-9 Reaper with AgilePod. The flights were a first for AgilePod on an Air Force major weapon
Payloads
Headwall has introduced advanced sensor payloads consisting of hyperspectral sensors and LIDAR for deployment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms. Through the fusion of spectral imaging data and 3D LIDAR output, Headwall continues to provide new capabilities for addressing critical remote sensing applications ranging from civil and military infrastructure inspection
Business
Spain's Directorate-General for Armament and Material (DGAM) has awarded Thales two contracts to supply unmanned Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms to the Spanish Navy and Army. The Spanish Navy has selected the Fulmar X unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for testing and evaluation of UAS in maritime
Video
The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: "Storm Bird") in attack versions, was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems and top-level interference kept