Military
Two flights in February with a Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance System (SYERS)-2 intelligence gathering sensor strapped to a Block 30 Global Hawk were the first demonstrations by Northrop Grumman of its Universal Payload Adapter - a move toward creating one fleet of the unmanned aircraft to carry any sensor
Military
Around 50 unmanned aerial vehicles are protecting the assets of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (SMF), responsible for the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to the Russian defense ministry. "Around 50 UAVs are involved in operations to guard and protect SMF infrastructure," the Russian Defense Ministry press service
Military
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced the successful first flight of Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Extended Range (ER) Long Wing, retrofitted with improved long-endurance wings with greater internal fuel capacity and additional hard points for carrying external stores. The flight occurred on February 18 at GA-ASI’s Gray Butte
Military
The US Air Force intends—once again—to divest itself of the MQ-1 Predator and transition to an all-MQ-9 Reaper fleet of medium-altitude remotely piloted aircraft, according to Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and requirements. Speaking with reporters about the Fiscal 2017
Military
The Afghan military is expected to field its first specialised surveillance drones as soon as March, a U.S. commander in Kabul said recently, as the nation slowly expands its own air force. The boost in military hardware comes as Afghan security forces, fighting largely alone since the withdrawal of
Military
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 assigned to the 451st Air Expeditionary Group, part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, crashed Feb. 20 at about 9 p.m. Kabul time, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The crash was contained on Kandahar Airfield and there were no injuries or damage to civilian
Events
The UK Ministry of Defence has placed a highly anticipated order for two Airbus Defence & Space Zephyr 8 high-altitude pseudo-satellites. Announced during Singapore air show on 18 February, the contract will cover the acquisition of two solar-powered, long-endurance surveillance unmanned air vehicles, the first of which is already under
Research
Each year, the U.S. Army conducts a series of technology demonstrations known as the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments, or AEWE. The event is the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's live, force-on-force experiment. AEWE places technologies under development by industry and Army researchers into the hands
Business
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced its notification of Spain’s selection of the Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper RPA system to support the nation’s airborne surveillance and reconnaissance requirements.The Spanish Ministry of Defence has awarded GA-ASI the delivery of one Predator B RPA system for the Spanish
VTOL
The US Navy (USN) is nearly ready to commence deployment of a radar-equipped Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial system (UAS) aboard the Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) from June 2016. According to Captain Jeffrey Dodge, Multi-Mission Tactical UAS programme manager at NAVAIR,
Testing
The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system built for the U.S. Navy by Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully completed Operational Assessment (OA). Pending final data analysis, the completion of this milestone signals the maturity of the system and paves the way for a positive Milestone C decision. Milestone C will
Events
Russia has revealed a new concept whereby a multicopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been adapted to the anti-tank role with the fitting of cameras and a shoulder-launched rocket system. The multicopter complex was unveiled at a military robot conference near Moscow. Consisting of several drones, the complex is set