Accidents
An experimental X-51A Waverider hypersonic aircraft, designed to fly six times the speed of sound, broke apart over the Pacific Ocean seconds into a military test flight after a control fin malfunctioned during a test shot off the California coast the U.S. Air Force said on Wednesday. The
Training
UTC Aerospace Systems will provide Sinclair Community College with a small unmanned aircraft system for use in the college’s training programme for first responders. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company, a unit of United Technologies Corp., announced the deal Monday. The unmanned aerial system (UAS) includes two aircraft, a
Commercial
TCOM Aerostat The U.S. military is joining with border-patrol officials in a new initiative that could bring dozens of surveillance aerostats from the battlefields of Afghanistan to America's border with Mexico. Over the next few weeks, the military will oversee a test in south Texas to
Testing
New Mexico State University (NMSU), coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), will use the Aeryon Scout system in a series of operational trials to determine the best concept of operations for small UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) to quickly assess storm damage to
Accidents
The Israel Air Force's most advanced unmanned aircraft, the Heron TP, known as the Eitan, is back in the air after being grounded for over seven months. The extraordinary decision to ground all Eitan UAS was taken after one crashed in late January during a test fight of
ACP Composites, Inc., a manufacturer of high quality, lightweight composite panels, has just announced the introduction of their new 3 Ply Sandwich Panels. These new 3 layer Sandwich Panels offer increased strength properties without losing the light weight features that sandwich panels offer. ACP Composites focuses on supplying the most
On Friday 10 August 2012, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the United Kingdom produced the fifth edition of CAP722, their guidance document relative to RPAS operations in UK airspace. This document had previously been published as DAP Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations in UK Airspace – Guidance: June 2001. The first
VTOL
Scion UAS has introduced a new line of VTOL UAS, starting with the SA-100 "Mink" and the SA-200 "Weasel". Scion UAS is focused on developing and delivering vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial systems. Founded in 2011, the company brings together expertise
Testing
US intelligence agencies were just as obsessed with UAS spying 40 years ago as they are nowadays -- only then, it was pipe-smoking entomologists and watchmakers who were in charge of building prototypes.Back in the '70s, the CIA needed some kind of miniature flyer to deliver an audio
Data Links & Communications
FreeWave Technologies has announced the Spartan Series of wireless radios for the government and defence markets, incorporating advanced implementation of FIPS 140-2 encryption technology for secure long-range communications. FreeWave’s Spartan solution is designed to provide a highly secure communications link for a variety of government and defense
Testing
To prepare for natural calamities, such as earthquakes, the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing and local emergency officials partnered to plan and execute Grizzly Field Exercise 2012, or GFX 12. The scope of the exercise included a simulated earthquake in Southern California with damage to the infrastructure, numerous injuries, and some fatalities.
VTOL
Hood Technology is equipping the Flexrotor, the unusual long-range VTOL aircraft from Aerovel, with a HoodTech stabilized imaging system. HoodTech President, Andy von Flotow, notes, “Flexrotor brings a quantum jump in capability to the small-UAS sector, with its unique mix of VTOL, long-endurance, small size, and fully-