Control Stations
New high-tech networking systems and ground stations in development would let a single pilot fly four aircraft, possibly even from different manufacturers, dramatically reducing the ground staff now needed for each plane. To save money and make unmanned aircraft less reliant on massive ground support crews, manufacturers are working
Business
Las Vegas-based Arcata Associates has been selected NASA’s 2011 Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year. It’s the second time in four years that Arcata, a 32-year-old engineering services and information technology firm, has won the award. The company, whose first contract was to provide
The Philippine military is considering using US military UAS to search for kidnapped Australian adventurer Warren Rodwell, who is being held by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Officials say the aircraftwould make it easier for ground troops to locate members of the al-Qaeda-linked group who have demanded a
Testing
In 1980, Abraham Karem, an engineer who had emigrated from Israel, retreated into his three-car garage in Hacienda Heights outside Los Angeles and, to the amusement of his tolerant wife, began to build an aircraft. The work eventually spilled into the guest room, and when Karem finished more than
Testing
INSYS aero, supplier of avionics, control, communications and security solutions for the aerospace industry, and Röder Präzision GmbH, manufacturer of unmanned system platforms on sea and in the air, have agreed to cooperate on UAS development. Unmanned systems must perform high functionality with low weight and long operating times with
Military
In the next decade, US defence spending on known medium- and large-size unmanned aircraft will be nearly $40 billion, increasing inventory by 35 percent. Ranging in size from a private aircraft to a commercial jet, nearly 800 of these bigger unmanned are operating around the world, observing, collecting data
Research
On December 19, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the establishment of a 2 million square foot engineering and applied sciences university campus in the heart of New York City. The New York-based Cornell University and the Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, were chosen to oversee
Military
US Customs and Border Protection issued a draft RFP for the purpose of acquiring a Ku Band Beyond Line of Sight Digital Datalink (BLOSDD) System. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) currently operates a fleet of manned and unmanned aircraft, including manned P-3 and DHC-8 patrol aircraft and the
Billionaire Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen has launched a new company Stratolaunch Systems, that will launch payloads into space from a monster aircraft. He has revived his relationship with aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan to further his plans. Allen and Rutan first teamed up on SpaceShipOne, a suborbital air-launched spaceplane that
Military
Major Jeff Brown, a spokesman for the 174th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard, said that in response to the new stress of around-the-clock Reaper missions, the unit has added a full-time chaplain and flight surgeon, as well as a civilian director of psychological health. Reaper
Testing
Reuters ran this new report on the flocking abilities of the Swinglet MAV built by Swiss start-up Sensefly. The aircraft are programmed to "flock" like birds, according to Dario Floreano of the Swiss Federal Polytechnic of Lausanne, the leader of the team ."So what we have
Commercial
Federal law enforcement authorities are rapidly expanding a military-style unmanned aerial reconnaissance operation along the US-Mexico border. Fans of the Predators say the $20 million aircraft are a perfect platform to keep a watchful eye on America’s rugged borders, but critics say the drones are expensive, invasive