Regulations
Transport Canada is preparing to introduce new guidelines for the operation of unmanned air vehicles similar to those being proposed in Europe. The new regulations were first introduced in May 2015, and are considered to be more risk-based than those currently used, which only distinguish between the commercial or
Commercial
Meteorologist Mike Boyce ventured out to Edwards Air Force base to attend a news conference that explores the NASA/NOAA partnership in studying El Nino weather patterns in the Eastern Pacific. Mission scientists and staff were present to tour the flight mission control center and the unmanned Global Hawk Aircraft.
Propulsion
Cella Energy’s hydrogen-fuelled battery replacement system has successfully powered an unmanned aerial vehicle, replacing lithium-ion batteries with a safer and higher performance technology based on hydrogen storage. On the afternoon of the 19 of January 2015, the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) completed a test flight
In a move that Disney says could advance entertainment as well as advertising, the media powerhouse has filed a patent application for a “projection assembly for use with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),” according to a copy of the filing. Disney has signaled for some time that managers intend to
Regulations
Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee announced the introduction of the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act (H.R. 4441). The AIRR Act is a six-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While the proposed reforms to air traffic control garnered the most
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Korean composite manufacturer Hankuk Carbon will form a joint venture to new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicles. Under the terms of the memorandum of agreement, the JV will see the companies develop, manufacture, and sell VT OL UAVs, starting with a
Unmanned aerial vehicles, from large, long range aircraft to small tactical drones, have been a reliable tool for the military for years, but they still have weaknesses, according to the annual report to Congress by J. Michael Gilmore, director of the Defense Department’s office of Operational Test & Evaluation
Research
Recent tests of the U.S. Army’s Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) have been trying new navigational software—developed by the Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., and other companies—to achieve GPS-style accuracy with images alone. The software figures out its current location by comparing ground terrain features,
Regulations
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a technical opinion on the future of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the skies over the European Union (EU), dividing them into three classes, and issuing 27 recommendations for their safe operation in EU airspace. This opinion is a technical one and
C-UAS
It was the summer of 2014 and two Microsoft veterans, Phil Wheat and Zain Naboulsi, were chatting about drones. They knew the small gizmos were going to be ubiquitous in the near future and, after several hours of discussion, they realized that the potential for malevolent use was high. The
Accidents
An accident investigation board found that a remotely piloted MQ-1B Predator that was intentionally crashed into an uninhabited area of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on May 27, 2015, suffered an engine failure due to loss of coolant. At the time of the accident, the aircraft
Business
Following the lifting of sanctions on Iran, dual-use unmanned air vehicles can now be exported from the European Union, subject to authorisation. Trade restrictions on Tehran were eased following the nuclear disarmament Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action enforced in January. This had previously prevented the sale of dual-use