Business
L-3 Communications' services unit will provide the US Navy with engineering support for military landing systems and combat unmanned aircraft system programmes, the Defense Department announced on Friday. The company won a $14.49 million contract to provide the branch with technical assistance, software development, prototyping, integration and maintenance
Business
Indian giant Piramal Healthcare is to invest in Israeli unmanned air systems manufacturer BlueBird. BlueBird was reluctant to comment on the deal, which was reached in principle following a number of meetings in Israel, but sources say Piramal has agreed to make an investment worth around $20 million through its
Military
AeroVironment has received a firm fixed-price order for 12 hybrid small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets Materielverk) on behalf of the Swedish Army. The order consists of Puma AE and Wasp aircraft, ground stations, training, and logistics support. The order is the result of
Military
Poland’s Ministry of Defence has announced plans to acquire between 123 and 205 UAS by 2018, reported local newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, at a cost of at least 1 billion zloty ($295 million). With the planned acquisition, the Polish ministry aims to establish a new military unit within the structure
VTOL
Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems has been awarded a $27,883,883 cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for efforts required to complete Linux transition on the tactical control system software for vertical take-off unmanned aircraft ground control stations. The work will be performed at the Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Md., and
Business
Flying Robots debuted the FR102+ at the RPAS 2012 Conference currently being held in Paris. Since 2004, Flying Robots SAS France has developed a unique know-how on soft wing para-motors and UAS. The last development is the FR102, which integrates several aerial surveillance and satellite communication systems. Thanks to a
Business
Austria's Minister of Defence, Norbert Darabos, says that his country plans to buy surveillance UAS for use at home and abroad.The unmanned aircraft could be used to help protect troops on foreign soil through surveillance as well as in case of natural catastrophes such as avalanches. They
Military
Russia could be buying more unmanned aircraft from Israel as part of a new $50 million package negotiated with Israel’s third UAS manufacturer Aeronautics Ltd. Russia has been a customer of Aeronautics since the early 2000s, with first acquisitions of Aerostar UAS and Skystar aerostats in 2004-2006 for homeland
Business
AeroVironment, Inc. announced it received a $15,813,406 firm fixed-price authorization to perform on May 22, 2012 from the United States Army as the initial portion of a contract action with a total projected value of $65,889,191. The order includes RQ-11B Raven systems, new miniature gimbaled payloads
Military
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems is being awarded a $32,774,936 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-08-C-0023) in support of the broad area maritime surveillance unmanned aircraft system system development and demonstration. This modification provides for a maintenance concept change that will allow for the development
Business
Chile's defence ministry is set to select a mini unmanned air system for its armed forces, with the final contenders being the BlueBird Spylite, Elbit Systems Skylark 1LE and the Mantis made by Indra of Spain. The initial contract is expected to value around $3 million, but industry
Business
Sky-Futures has acquired the Gatewing X-100 as the new UAS to its managed service fleet, and will now also be providing mapping and surveying services. As a leading provider of UAS managed services the Sky-Futures team offer both vertical take off and landing (VTOL) and fixed wing solutions for lease