A panel of military scientists is briefing senior US Air Force leaders on ways to make the defenceless General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk more useful in a war against a sophisticated enemy that has the ability to hunt and kill aircraft. The MQ-
Panoptes Systems has introduced a sense and avoid capability for recreational unmanned air vehicles that offers protection over the intellectual property of hobbyist users. In an effort to ensure that every UAV is capable of avoiding collisions, the Aurora Flight Sciences-owned company has developed the eBumper4 obstacle avoidance system,
Israel is accelerate its search for a new maritime patrol aircraft, having decided against further life extensions of its current Israel Aerospace Industries 1124 Westwinds. "We will not invest in another upgrade of that old platform and will accelerate the search for an alternative," says a senior Israeli
Commercial
Launching its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft from Oliktok Point at the North Slope of Alaska, Insitu conducted flight operations for the U.S. Coast Guard 13-15 July. The successful demonstration was part of the Coast Guard Research and Development Center's Arctic Technology Evaluation 2015 Search and Rescue exercise
Military
Spain plans to spend €171 million on four unmanned aircraft and the infrastructure to support them in order to boost its military surveillance capability. From next year onward, the Spanish military will count on drones that are able to fly for periods of more than 24 hours, above an altitude
The U.S. has conducted its first strike on an Islamic State target by a drone flown out of a Turkish air base, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The strike Tuesday occurred after the U.S. began flying armed, unmanned aerial systems over the weekend out of Incirlik Air Base, a
Military
In a key step toward developing a new mission for unmanned air systems (UAS), two optionally-piloted Lockheed Martin/Kaman K-Max helicopters will move to a US Marine Corps base in Arizona by the end of September. Marine Corps test squadron VMX-22 will use the newly-designated CQ-
Video
This is a short clip of three Mk1 Spitfires at the Flying Legends 2015 Air Show at Duxford. It's taken from the official Flying Legends Film of the show available to order at www.FlyingMachinesTV.co.uk. Source: YouTube
Business
China's Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs has jointly issued a notice about strengthening controls on partial exports of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) starting Aug. 15, triggering concerns over UAV producers led by DJI of Shenzhen, reports the Shanghai-based China Business News. As the market
Business
Private drone operating firm, Australian UAV, announced this week the opening for business of its New South Wales offices. With over 1400 safe and successful flights for commercial and government clients, Australian UAV is fast establishing itself as one of the country’s most experienced civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
Accidents
A pilot's channelized attention resulted in an excessive descent rate and subsequent crash of an MQ-9A Reaper Dec. 11, 2014, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., according to an Abbreviated Accident Investigation Report released on August 4. The aircraft was assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech
Propulsion
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is kicking off a competition to demonstrate a lightweight, fuel-efficient turboshaft engine for unmanned aircraft and other applications with a $2 million prize at stake. The Air Force Prize seeks a 100-bhp-class powerplant that can achieve the fuel efficiency