AI
The fiery eruptions of Kilauea in Hawaii, one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, offer not just a mesmerizing natural spectacle, but also an exceptional opportunity for scientists to employ groundbreaking technologies in volcano monitoring. With new advancements, the face of volcanic observation is changing dramatically. Revolutionary Drones: Unmanned
Testing
* NASA is collaborating with the wildfire community to provide tools for some of the most challenging aspects of firefighting – particularly aerial nighttime operations. In the future, agencies could more efficiently use drones, both remotely piloted and fully autonomous, to help fight wildfires. NASA recently tested technologies with teams across the
Iran has inaugurated its first drone-carrier warship, saying the vessel is capable of operating in oceans far from its mainland, the official IRNA news agency reported. The report said the vessel, manned by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s navy, can carry several squadrons of drones as well as helicopters and
Cracking the whip against domestic private sector companies that are using Chinese components in drones being supplied to the armed forces, the defence establishment has now scrapped three contracts for 200 medium-altitude, 100 heavy-weight and 100 light-weight logistics drones, with a total value of RS 230 Crore (USD 23M) for
The Northern Plains UAS Test Site will support AURA Network Systems’ recently announced contract with the Federal Aviation Administration. AURA, a supplier of secure and reliable communications solutions for the aviation industry, received a FAA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contract to demonstrate and validate technologies in support of the safe
Testing
* AALTO HAPS Ltd., an Airbus subsidiary which designs, manufactures and operates the Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), has completed its first successful stratospheric flight and testing from its purpose-built HAPS facility (AALTOPORT) in Laikipia County, Kenya. Flying for more than 13 days above 60,000ft in Kenya, Zephyr was
Tethered
* Windlift, a Durham, N.C.-based startup, is developing autonomous tethered drones that generate electricity by letting the air turn the rotors on its turbine propellers as it swoops through a loopy sideways figure eight pattern, potentially reducing material requirements by 90% compared to traditional wind turbines. One day in
OPTIMAS, a European project led by “monodon by Navantia”, has begun with the aim of developing an advanced free-space optical communication system for multi-domain defence applications in collaboration with Schiebel. OPTIMAS is an ambitious project that seeks to provide high-speed data transfer communications with an exceptional level of security, integrating
Business
* Unusual Machines has announced the signing of a binding agreement to acquire of Aloft Technologies, Inc., an FAA-approved provider of unmanned aerial system (UAS) services to enterprise, public safety, and government customers. The acquisition is almost all in stock, valued at $14.5M. The proposed acquisition brings together companies that
Ukraine’s latest unmanned aerial vehicle can fly 1,200 miles, drop a 550-pound (250 Kg) bomb and return to base, making it potentially the most powerful reusable drone in the Russia-Ukraine war. The Ukrainian military’s unmanned systems branch confirmed the rumored development on Friday. “We see that the
AI
– DroneDeploy has announced nationwide U.S. Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) approval for critical infrastructure, establishing it as the leading reality capture and robotics platform for critical infrastructure, including data center construction management. With over 84% of DroneDeploy's top 50 projects now focused on data center and
C-UAS
To significantly enhance its ground forces' air defense capabilities, the French Armed Forces Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) announced the acquisition of 24 Serval LAD (Anti-Drone) armoured vehicles on January 28, 2025. This new order is part of France’s expanding investment in counter-drone technologies, driven by lessons learned