Military
At the Air Force Association’s annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Insitu leadership announced Integrator Extended Range, a beyond line of sight, SATCOM-enabled small UAS capable of ranging modern combat theaters. The system delivers Group 4 and 5 capabilities in a Group 3 aircraft including: * Extended range operations
C-UAS
During the ARMY 2018 International Military-Technical Forum, a Russian company called “Avtomatika Concern” (a subsidiary of Rostec state corporation) has introduced an anti-UAV gun called “Pishal” (Пищаль – a Russian word meaning the very early hand cannons). Interestingly, this weapon system will be sold both in the military/LE
A novel insect-inspired flying robot, developed by TU Delft researchers from the Micro Air Vehicle Laboratory (MAVLab), has been presented in Science (14 September 2018). Experiments with this first autonomous, free-flying and agile flapping-wing robot – carried out in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research – improved our understanding
Military
A modified version of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter has successfully completed an automated sea mine-hunting demonstration. The work saw the rotorcraft coordinate with a small robotic surface ship and unmanned submersible at the US Navy’s Advanced Naval Technology (ANTX) exercise from 29-31
Business
Aerovironment Inc., Monrovia, California, was awarded an $8,868,341 firm-fixed-price contract for providing RQ-20B Puma AE II systems and support to Estonia. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Monrovia, California, with an estimated completion date of March 24, 2019.
Business
Drone operating system startup Airware suddenly informed employees it will cease operations immediately despite having raised $118 million from top investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Google’s GV, and Kleiner Perkins. The startup ran out of money after trying to manufacture its own hardware that couldn’t compete with drone giants
Military
On August 7, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) completed the first-ever automated landing of an MQ-9 Block 5 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), followed by the first auto-takeoff on August 9. The new Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) was developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Business
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced the receipt of a fixed-price contract award valued at $5,962,494 from NSPA on August 20, 2018.The contract award encompasses the procurement of Raven® unmanned aircraft systems equipped with Mantis i23 sensors and pocket Remote Video Terminals (p/RVT) for the Portuguese Army,
Accidents
A Hellenic Army unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fell near Komotini, northern Greece, last Thursday morning.The SAGEM Sperwer type aircraft fell some four kilometers west of Komotini, according to local reports. The aircraft had been on a training exercise when it crashed five minutes after takeoff, sources said. Initial assessments
Regulations
The ICAO Legal Committee, chaired by Mr. Terry Olson from France, concluded its 37th Session last week at ICAO's Headquarters, addressing a range of challenging emerging issues for international air transport. Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, ICAO Council President and Dr. Fang Liu, ICAO Secretary General were present to
Accidents
A MQ-4C Triton landed on its belly after a test flight last Wednesday went wrong at Naval Base Ventura County in California. The incident occurred at 2:45 pm Wednesday at Point Mugu when the aircraft from Florida-based Naval Air Station Jacksonville’s Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 experienced
C-UAS
Images from Russia's major 'Vostok 2018' exercise on 13 September appear to show a production version of the REX-1 counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weapon in use by Russian Federation airborne troops. The REX-1 is a rifle-like, man-portable jammer developed by Kalashnikov