Weapons Systems / Lasers
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced the successful maritime demonstration of a Puma-Switchblade automated sensor-to-shooter (S2S) capability from a US Navy Coastal Riverine Craft for increased mission autonomy to counter threats. The tightly integrated walk-on/walk-off system uses existing RQ-20B Puma Block 2 - All Environment small UAS with the new Mantis
Business
US State Department officials approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Germany of MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for an estimated cost of $2.5 billion. The prime contractor will be Northrop Grumman Corp. in Rancho Bernardo, California. They will be responsible for integration, installation and functional platform
Military
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has set a new endurance record with its Avenger Extended Range (ER) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). On January 24-25, the next-generation Avenger ER flew 23.4 continuous hours in a representative Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) configuration while carrying out a simulated reconnaissance mission. This
Business
The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom of defense articles and services for continued follow-on support to the MQ-9 Reaper program for an estimated cost of $500 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress
Business
Poland has acquired the Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack small tactical unmanned aircraft system (STUAS). A USD 11.4 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract for one system was awarded to the Boeing subsidiary by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 30 March. The system comprises an undisclosed number of air
Business
Italy’s Ministry of Defence last month sent an acquisition request to Parliament’s defense commission for 20 Piaggio Aerospace P.2HH drones, costing a total of €766 million (U.S. $951 million).The platform, dubbed the HammerHead, is an unmanned variant of the Piaggio Aerospace P180 business aircraft, which
Business
The United Kingdom’s General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) Protector unmanned aircraft system has received a further injection of design, development, and integration funding. A USD 80.9 million contract was awarded to the manufacturer on 30 March to add to the approximately USD130 million that the UK government
Training
Can a video game help the U.S. Navy find future operators for its remotely operated, unmanned aircraft ? To find out, the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute and Adaptive Immersion Technologies, a software company, are developing a computer game to identify individuals with the right skills to be UxV operators. The
Accidents
A Hermes 450 crashed Saturday morning in southern Lebanon, according to reports in Lebanon during operational activity. After the crash, a second UAV of the Israel Air Force destroyed the crashed aircraft on the ground. The IDF Spokesperson’s Office confirmed the crash and noted that it was the result
Military
With the number of German major weapon programs at a new high, three Bundeswehr drone projects are up for critical milestones in the coming months, the defense ministry told parliament in a new report. The government’s newest biannual snapshot of big-ticket investments follows a series of critical assessments about
Military
UK army chiefs have had to put off bringing Watchkeeper fully into service after the troubled tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) failed to obtain a key flight safety certificate in November 2017. In an unprecedented move, the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD's) top civilian administrator, Permanent Secretary
Military
As part of a broader initiative to invigorate its advanced science and technology work and promote increased partnerships with academia, the U.S. Air Force has released a short video depicting how it thinks aerial warfare might look by the end of the next decade. It’s a futuristic, but