Military
The goal of the Shrike programme is to demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of man-packable perch-and-stare micro air vehicles to provide real-time persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to small unit commanders. Shrike’s quadrotor design enables vertical takeoff, forward flight to an area of interest, vertical landing onto a perch
Military
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is being awarded a $10,474,708 cost plus fixed fee contract for logistics in support of the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) MQ-8B Fire Scout system. Logistic support services includes: logistics management, maintenance support, supply support, air vehicle
Military
AeroVironment, Inc. has introduced its lightweight and man-portable Shrike VTOL unmanned aircraft system. In August 2008 AeroVironment received $4.6M a contract from DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to develop a portable, stealthy, persistent perch and stare (SP2S) unmanned aircraft system. Shrike VTOL represents the conclusion of this
Military
Indian Army has deployed Herons in Northern part of Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) to track the movement of Kashmiris. 16 Herons were originally supplied to the Indian Army in 2007 by IAI - 8 of which are thought to be operated out of several bases including Mansbal. “The UAS are fitted
Military
The US Army will mount the largest yet demonstration of manned and unmanned aircraft systems interoperability. The manned unmanned systems integration concept (Music) exercise will take place September 15 at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Music will demonstrate new manned-unmanned teaming concepts. These include the use of a universal ground-control station
Testing
South Africa's Denel Dynamics plans to conduct the first flight of its prototype Seeker 400 in the first quarter of 2012, having announced the completion of manufacturing activities. Denel unveiled a mock-up of the Shadow 400 at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Show in Cape Town last year.
Testing
Israel Aerospace Industries has completed development work on its Mini Panther tilt-rotor UAS, and has started offering the design to potential customers. "We are now beginning to market the system," said Avi Bleser, marketing manager of the company's Malat division. While he refused to identify any
Military
The Canadian Heron Unmanned Aircraft Detachment, known as Task Force Erebus, deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, as it was clear by 2008 that the flow of information supporting counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan needed to grow in both quantity and quality. “Task Force Erebus is unique in what it has brought
Military
Northrop Grumman just released this “music video” compilation of images of its various unmanned systems in action. Nothing new – just for fun…! Source: YouTube
Accidents
An American unmanned surveillance aircraft crashed in south-western Pakistan on Thursday evening, near a paramilitary base close to the Afghan border. "It was an American surveillance unmanned aircraft. It crashed on this side of the border," a security official in the area told AFP. He said that it
Military
US Navy acquisition officials are in discussions with Northrop about acquiring an unmanned helicopter based on the Bell 407 civil helicopter for special operations use. The possible sale is a rapid outgrowth of an effort Northrop and Bell began less than two years ago to demonstrate how the 407 could
Military
The US Marine Corps has purchased two Insitu Integrator unmanned aircraft systems to provide pre-deployment training at 29 Palms, California. The first system will be delivered next month and the second soon after. The U.S. Navy plans to purchase two similar Integrator systems for its special-warfare forces. This “early