Business
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has rekindled a maritime vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) concept demonstration to inform a possible follow-on acquisition programme for a shipborne UAS to operate from Royal Navy (RN) surface ships. Known as the Rotary Wing Unmanned Air System
Business
Defence ministers from the United Kingdom and France have agreed to increase cooperation on unmanned aircraft, following a bilateral meeting in London. French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian and British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond agreed plans, which will see France trial the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aircraft System. It is commonly
Testing
Photo: General Atomics Aeronautical SystemsGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. announced that its Gray Eagle UAS has reached a record 10,000 successful automatic launch and recoveries with the Automatic Takeoff and Landing System (ATLS).The milestone was achieved on June 2 while it performed a routine surveillance mission in support
Military
General Mark Welsh, the next Air Force Chief of Staff, admitted that the service's fiscal 2013 budget was "simply not executable" in the face of Congressional opposition over cuts to the Air National Guard. Welsh vowed to work with Congress, the Guard, and governors "so
Business
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation two contract modifications totaling $156 million to continue operating and maintaining the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) system in support of overseas contingency missions. Northrop Grumman was awarded a $106 million contract modification to extend the deployment and operation of
Military
US Army Colonel Tim Baxter is project manager for the Army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Programme Office. He spoke to Defense Systems Editor-in-Chief Barry Rosenberg about deployment of a company of Gray Eagle to Afghanistan, the use of universal systems and interoperability, and the weaponization of the
Military
The Pentagon is seeking to send hand-launched UAS to Kenya as part of a $40 million-plus military aid package designed to help four African countries fight al Qaeda and al Shabaab militants, notably in Somalia, the Wall Street Journal reported. Kenya would get eight "Raven" unmanned
Testing
Gizmodo claims that one of the reasons that the FAA is closing down a large area around Devil's Lake, North Dakota is to test UAS lasers.The restricted zone will be reserved for unmanned aircraft—civilian planes will have to fly at a different altitude, or around the
Business
Rheinmetall Airborne Systems GmbH, a joint venture by Cassidian and Rheinmetall, will continue to support the German Armed Forces in Afghanistan by providing unmanned airborne reconnaissance services. The Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) prolonged an existing order to the company to provide the German Armed Forces with
Military
The Pentagon is considering awarding a Distinguished Warfare Medal to UAS pilots who work on military bases often far removed from the battlefield. Pentagon officials have been briefed on the medal’s “unique concept,” Charles V. Mugno, head of the Army Institute of Heraldry, told a recent meeting of the
Business
Insitu Pacific, the Australia-based subsidiary of Insitu Inc., announced that it was awarded a contract to provide its ScanEagle to the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The delivery of these systems will be accompanied by training, logistics and ship installation, as well as specialist in-country maintenance support. The
Military
More interesting screenshots, taken from a documentary about the Great Prophet 7 exercise held in Iran recently reveal several new types of UAS currently being developed by Tehran. The first one (above) shows the somehow famous “Pahpad” drone, used by Syria to spy on the clashes in Homs. The second