BVLOS
Swiss drone manufacturer RigiTech becomes the first to operate a full BVLOS (Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight) route and makes drone delivery a reality in France. Starting with their first approved route linking Bourgoin-Jallieu to Tignieu-Jameyzieu, RigiTech has begun daily flights between laboratories, using its long-range drone,
Inspections
The Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) and Netherlands Coast Guard are deploying drones to check lashings on board container ships. In 2022, 44 container ships were checked in this new way. Violations were found on eleven ships. To inspect container ships at sea, an ILT drone team sails
Business
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced a new contract with U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) to provide three MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft systems to its first U.S. customer. AFSOC’s acquisition of MQ-9B builds on more than 20 years as a GA-
Law Enforcement
Through a contract worth as much as £1 billion ($1.2 billion), Tekever’s drones provide live-streamed video footage that helps law enforcement distinguish between passengers and traffickers. This has, according to the Home Office, led to “dozens of” convictions of smugglers. Three years on and the Home Office
Research
Researchers from Bochum and Saarbrücken have detected security vulnerabilities, some of them serious, in several drones made by the manufacturer DJI. These enable users, for example, to change a drone’s serial number or override the mechanisms that allow security authorities to track the drones and their pilots. In special
Another video has appeared showing a drone, apparently launched by Belarusian partisans, landing on a Russian A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft at Machulishchy Air Base in Belarus. The footage is inconclusive when it comes to confirming whether the claimed drone attack caused any
Accidents
Known for belting out hits such as Let's Nacho, Lat Lag Gayee, Badtameez Dil and Besharmi Ki Height, singer Benny Dayal, who was performing at a concert in Chennai, got hurt after being hit by a drone, as it reportedly fell down and hit the back of his
Military
SYPAQ Systems will be delivering sovereign Australian autonomous systems to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces thanks to investment from the Department of Defence. Following the announcement in July 2022 that Defence would be providing further funds to purchase much-needed defence technology and equipment for Ukraine, SYPAQ Systems has been
Regulations
Alaska is the first state to be able to grant permission for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to operate and test with the aim of securing certification for national airspace flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the waiver last week, which was requested by the Alaska Department of Transportation &
Research
A team of researchers at the Microsoft Autonomous Systems and Robotics Research Group including Sai Vemprala, Rogerio Bonatti, Arthur Bucker, and Ashish Kapoor has extended the capabilities of ChatGPT to robotics, and controlled multiple platforms such as robot arms, drones, and home assistant robots intuitively with language. Have you ever
Military
The Philippine Army has received an initial batch of new THOR mini unmanned aerial systems (mUAS) from Israel's Elbit Systems. According to Philippine website Max Defense, the Philippine Army ordered 533 systems, which each system composed of 2 THOR unmanned aerial vehicles and a man-portable flight and
Business
The U.S. Army awarded five Rapid Prototyping Other Transaction Agreements (OTA) to AeroVironment, Inc.; Griffon Aerospace, Incorporated; Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation; Sierra Nevada Corporation; and Textron Systems for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Increment 2 (INC 2) competition on February 27. The awards are based on the