Military
The first RQ-4 Global Hawk developed for the NATO Allied Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme made its maiden flight out of Northrop Grumman's Palmdale facility in California on 19 December. The flight, which was attended by representatives from the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Management Organization (NAGSMO), the NATO
Commercial
Accelerating deployments of solar photovoltaics (PV) around the world are placing increasing emphasis on cost-effective operations and maintenance (O&M) practices that can enhance lifecycle plant economics. Particularly for large utility-scale systems—which comprise approximately 45% of global cumulative installations and can exceed several hundred MW, spanning
PrecisionHawk and Indiana State University have signed a research and development partnership that aims to advance the unmanned aerial systems industry from multidisciplinary perspectives. The university-business collaboration will focus on safety, education, training and algorithm development for PrecisionHawk’s DataMapper aerial data software. “PrecisionHawk is a strategic partner for
Regulations
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) new fact sheet on state and local regulation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provides information for states and municipalities considering laws or regulations addressing UAS use. The document outlines FAA's safety reasons for federal oversight of aviation and airspace, and explains
Military
Iraq's first lethal strike using a Chinese drone represents a major step forward in China’s drive to become a leading exporter of military equipment, experts say. Iraq is the only known export user of the drone, also known as the CH-4, which closely resembles the General
Propulsion
Intelligent Energy, the energy technology company, announced that it has developed a prototype of a hydrogen fuel cell powered range extender for drones. The range extender offers longer flight time and fast re-fuel capabilities, addressing two of the biggest challenges for manufacturers of battery-powered drones.Intelligent Energy will
Mapping & Surveying
“These new technologies, combined with the UAV mapping, are allowing us to observe glaciers in ways that we would never have thought possible even a couple of years ago. It is really an exciting time to be involved in this research,”
Commercial
Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) is teaming up with aviation partners to launch a drone safety campaign aimed at highlighting the risks associated with flying unmanned aircraft near airports. "Innovation and safety are two of YVR's core values," said Steve Hankinson, Vice President, Operations, Vancouver Airport Authority.
Military
Northrop Grumman has scheduled flight tests of three new payloads for the RQ-4B Global Hawk fleet next year. The tests are made possible by the development of a universal payload adaptor jointly funded by Northrop and the US Air Force. In its original form, the RQ-4B lacked the
Commercial
Jonathan Downey, 32, CEO of San Francisco-based Airware.com, has been named USA TODAY’s Small-Business Innovator of the Year. He was chosen from among 10 finalists by a team of USA TODAY editors and last year's winner, Porch.com CEO Matt Ehrlichman. “I really appreciate
Testing
Georgia Tech Research Institute and the Maneuver Center of Excellence have worked together in the past for various academic projects and services, along with agencies such as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, said Harry Lubin, chief of the experimentation
Despite all the hype surrounding the high-power microwave energy weapon known as CHAMP, interest in the computer-frying device assembled and tested by Boeing Phantom Works and the US Air Force Research Laboratory appears stalled. “There was a lot of activity when we did the demonstration a couple of