A satellite image obtained by Defense News shows what appears to be a WZ-8 supersonic reconnaissance drone parked outside one of two newly built hangars at China’s Lu’an Airbase. China is continuing to revamp a bomber base that was identified in recently leaked U.S documents as
Research
The effects of the ground on propeller noise have been measured experimentally for the very first time by researchers in the Aeroacoustics research team at the University of Bristol. In findings, published in the Journal of Sound and Vibration, the team found clear differences in the noise characteristics of propellers
Commercial
On May 23, 2023, at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Swiss firm Meteomatics is expected to start running what it claims is the first drone-based micro-weather service in the US (the firm calls it a ‘Meteodrone’ system). Meteomatics has been cleared by the FAA to operate
The Armed Forces of the Czech Republic have announced a change in priorities regarding the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Instead of three large tactical drones, Prague will prioritize the purchase of over 200 smaller unmanned aircraft of various types. The decision by the Armed Forces of the Czech
The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a Single Source Non-Qualifying Defence Contract valued at up to £1,500,000 (ex VAT) with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Limited for a period of [7] months for the delivery of work to undertake trials/experiments
Aerial refuelling is an increasingly vital capability for military force projection, and Airbus-developed technology to automate the in-flight “topping off” of aircraft will revolutionise this process – with wider applications for both the defence and civil aviation sectors. Disruptive technology for fully autonomous in-flight refuelling – designated Auto’Mate
Tethered
Hoverfly Technologies Inc., a worldwide supplier of tethered drone technology, has released Spectre 2.0, the newest tethered system for mission critical situations. The new platform offers various performance improvements to its predecessor and has expanded carrying capacity with open architecture to accommodate many different payloads. Early adopters of Hoverfly
Business
XTEND – the developer of XOS, a human-guided autonomous operating system, has acquired Performance Rotors, the Singapore-based drone inspection specialists, in a move that will boost XTEND's ability to offer human-guided, remote interactive operations in a range of inspection scenarios, and grow its global business. Financial
Targets
QinetiQ is to provide the US Army’s Threat Systems Management Office (TSMO) with a uniquely developed version of its Banshee Jet 80+. Known as the MQM-185B, the target will help the US Army train for real-world scenarios by flying the hyper realistic threat targets. The MQM-185B
Military
In support of the U.S. Navy’s (USN) Integrated Battle Problem 2023 (IBP-23) exercise in May, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) conducted a series of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises cooperatively with the USN Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadrons (HSM) 38, 49, 71, and 75. GA-ASI
Russia is reportedly using wooden drones to distract Ukraine’s air defense radars, analysts have said. According to BLITZ Aircraft Unmanned, the decoy versions of drones are partly made of wood, extruded polystyrene foam and held together with masking tape. The drones are equipped with modern engines and electronics made
Data Links & Communications
Honeywell has unveiled VersaWave, a new small satcom system with 5G, for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) industry. VersaWave combines satcom, cellular (i.e., 5G, 4G, 3G), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity in an extremely small, lightweight package. These new connectivity features enable beyond-visual-