Business
Unmanned Aircraft Systems continue as the most dynamic growth sector of the world aerospace industry this decade, according to Teal Group. The 2012 market study estimates that UAS spending will almost double over the next decade from current worldwide UAS expenditures of $6.6 billion annually to $11.4 billion,
Business
AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, announced that it has won the competitive Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MEUAS) II award from the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The three-year award, valued at just under $600 million, includes support operations using AAI's Aerosonde Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS). Total initial funding
Business
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is in discussions with the nation's defence procurement body over a proposed launch order for its Anka unmanned aircraft, first flown in late 2010. "The tests are going well, and Anka is getting ready for production," says undersecretary of defence industries Murad
Business
Trimble announced that it has acquired privately-held Gatewing of Gent, Belgium, a provider of lightweight unmanned aircraft sytems (UAS) for photogrammetry and rapid terrain mapping applications. The acquisition broadens Trimble's industry-leading platforms for surveying solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed. UAS in combination with photogrammetry are an emerging
Business
Israeli and British security sources have confirmed in recent days that the Royal Air Force has been considering buying a number of Heron TP (also known as the Eitan) systems, since the Mantis, a joint British-French unmanned strategic project, has been delayed and will not be operational before 2020. No
Business
Advanced Defense Technologies, Inc. and Halberd Corporation announced the delivery of the first of several unmanned aircraft. The ADTI engineers are working collaboratively with Halberd to complete the critical design parameters for the payload systems that will provide the technical specifications needed for law enforcement and homeland defense applications. R.
Business
ReconRobotics announced that it acquired St. Paul systems engineering firm Xollai, a move that will expand its portfolio of technologies. ReconRobotics provides micro-robot systems for the defense and law enforcement industries. Xollai has developed identification software and technology that helps unmanned aircraft land safely. “This strategic acquisition will give us
Business
The Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base awarded a six-year $24.1 million contract to Defense Engineering Corp. to develop advanced sensing equipment to prevent mid-air collision between aircraft. The research is one of numerous efforts to develop so-called “sense and avoid” sensor technology that could allow
Business
"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" asks Regina Dugan, then director of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In this breathtaking talk she describes some of the extraordinary projects -- a robotic hummingbird, a prosthetic arm controlled by thought, and,
Business
The U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded CSC an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) contract to deliver streaming Video as a Service. This is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) multiple award contract (MAC) with three prime awardees. The contract has a 60-month period of performance, with
Business
Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems operating unit AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, both Textron Inc. companies have teamed to develop a Manned Unmanned Operations (MUMO) Capability Development Laboratory in Huntsville, AL. to enable a software and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) development test capability using operationally relevant systems specific to manned unmanned teaming. This
Propulsion
[gallery orderby="rand"] A new company, Fat Head Solutions, LLC with bases in Wichita Kansas and two other major operating locations, will provide low cost, high value, and complete subsystem solutions for small unmanned aircraft systems. Capitalizing on an emerging $17B/year market, Fat Head Solutions intends to