Business
* General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced the sale of three MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems to the Polish Ministry of Defence. The MQ-9B is the newest model of RPA produced by GA-ASI, and will serve as the foundational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform
Transport
* Amazon Prime Air launched its most advanced delivery drone in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area of Arizona and College Station, Texas, in November. The brand-new MK30 drone underwent an aerospace design and verification process, can travel two times farther than Amazon’s previous drones, and is significantly quieter.
VTOL
* Skyborne Technology, a UAV Corp Company and Atlantic Industrial Group Inc. have announced a joint venture to build cutting-edge manufacturing capability at Skyborne’s Wewahitchka, Florida facility. AIG will manufacture multiple high efficiency drone models (SVTOLs) at this location. This facility will set up an in-house design center
* BAE Systems Australia's (BAESA's) STRIX Uncrewed Aerial System has conducted its first vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flight, with the company saying the flight was made using the aircraft's autonomous onboard system. STRIX is a multidomain, multirole unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Defense Minister Shaykh-Khasan Zhazykbayev has called on foreign military agencies to cooperate with his country in developing its military aviation, including the drone industry. He made the remarks at a briefing held for foreign military diplomats at the Kazakh Defense Ministry’s National Military and Patriotic
Training
* Quantum Systems was certified as a training facility by the German Armed Forces Aviation Office (LufABw) on 10 December 2024 and is now offering training on unmanned aerial systems from the Family of Systems for members of the German Armed Forces. The rare certification of a civilian company for military
Package delivery drones are coming to our doorsteps in the future, and NASA wants to make sure that when medication or pizza deliveries take to the skies, they will be safe. In July, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the first time authorized multiple U.S. companies to fly commercial
– Ascent AeroSystems, a leading manufacturer of compact, high-performance, coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone systems, announced today that its flagship Spirit platform has been named to the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Green UAS Cleared list. AUVSI’s Green UAS program builds on the standards set forth
A Northern California man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint for allegedly flying a drone over and taking photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Justice Department announced on December 11. Yinpiao Zhou, 39, of Brentwood, is charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and
* Insitu, a Boeing Company, has announced the opening of its new Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence (COE) at Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The state-of-the-art facility will localize UAS Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO), training, and other essential services for the UAE Armed
Accidents
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was mistakenly shot down in northern Syria on Dec. 9 by the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The Kurdish-led SDF is the United States’ principal partner in the fight against the
The UK's Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has launched a new Market Exploration called ‘Air Launched Effects: Revolutionary Deployment Systems’. Run on behalf of the British Army, this Market Exploration is seeking to identify Uncrewed Systems (UxS) with extended range capabilities. The aim is to discover cutting-edge