Military
The British and French governments have signed an agreement to begin a new interim phase of the bilateral Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme. A 12-month study phase will now begin, which will ultimately lead to a full-scale demonstrator development programme starting at the end of 2017. This
Business
BlueBird has won a contract to supply a target variant of an unmanned air vehicle to the Israeli Air Force (IAF), to enable it to train its air defence units.
Business
QinetiQ announced that it has acquired Meggitt Defence Systems Limited and Meggitt Holdings Canada Inc. (together “Meggitt Target Systems”) from Meggitt for £57.5 million on a cash-free, debt-free basis. Meggitt Target Systems is a leading international provider of unmanned aerial, naval and land-based target systems and
Business
There are thousands of drone companies out there, but Intel has chosen to acquire MAVinci, a start-up from one of the European Space Agency’s business incubators in Germany that has developed an easy-to-use system for land surveillance. “They focus on precision payloads for construction and inspections,
Military
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is acquiring more unmanned air vehicles with advanced payloads to satisfy the growing demand for their services. As an immediate step, the existing inventory of Elbit Systems Hermes 900 UAVs will be multiplied by six, the IAF announced on 19 December. “This platform is a
Commercial
The Norwegian Governments’ Agency for Railroad Services – Jernbaneverket - has signed nationwide framework agreements for drone services with the Iris Group on 8 December 2016. The mapping and observation of avalanches, landslides or flooding is the most important of several areas where this new technology can be used effectively. Climate change
Business
The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has issued a request for information (RFI) for a new long-endurance Group 2 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for use by the US Marine Corps (USMC). The RFI, posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website on 14 December, is for a 'small&
Business
Groen Aeronautics Corporation has announced that it has begun its first drone program: The Optionally Manned GAC ReconHawk Gyroplane Drone based upon GAC’s highly advanced sustained autorotative flight technologies.The company has received cash and commitments that are to finance taking the GAC ReconHawk Gyroplane Drone through to production.
Military
General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded two contracts for MQ-9 work. The first is a $17,143,626 contract (0039) on previously awarded basic ordering agreement FA8620-15-G-4040 for MQ-9 Block 5 Exportability acquisition. Contractor will develop an MQ-9 Block 5
Propulsion
The Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC-TINA) and Arcturus UAV have announced a joint partnership to develop a hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine capable of supporting the T-20 family of unmanned aircraft. Defense organizations face significant logistical, safety, and security challenges in the transportation and storage of large amounts of
Business
NASA has awarded Human Automation Teaming Solutions Inc. (HATS) a $1 million contract for a yearlong effort to develop R-HATS technology that will reduce the number of human operators needed to manage complex systems. By allowing the seamless sharing of tasks and responsibilities between automation and human, a single
Business
Drone USA, Inc., a developer, manufacturer and distributor of low altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and related technologies announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. ("ESAero"). Headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, ESAero is best known for their work on the