Electronic Sub-Systems
Saab has signed a frame agreement and received a first order from EADS company Cassidian to supply safety-critical avionics equipment for the new advanced UAS system Talarion. The order includes design and development of the Aircraft Vehicle Management Computer (AVMC), Communications Computer (CC) and Mission & Payload Management Computer (MPMC)
Testing
Aurora Flight Sciences has revealed plans for future modifications of its 120 hour-endurance Orion. If cleared to advance beyond the funded demonstration, the Orion will be modified with a retractable main landing gear to reduce drag and a de-icing system for all-weather operations, said Tim Bennett, the US-headquartered firm'
Military
Armenia built unmanned aircraft featured in the military parade marking 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence, that took place in Republic Square in the capital Yerevan. The local newspaper, News.am , proudly proclaimed that the tactical and technical qualities of these machines "equal foreign designs"... Source: youTube
VTOL
In this video, which was just published on YouTube by Defense Media Network, Mansik Johng, A-160 Advance Design Manager at The Boeing Company, presents the outstanding features and capabilities of the unmanned helicopter. The video was shot at the AUSA Winter Symposium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 23-25, earlier this
Lighter Than Air
India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticised the nation's Air Force for failing to keep two Israeli-supplied aerostat-based radars in operational condition. The equipment was acquired for a combined total of 676 million Indian Rupees ($14 million). One of the systems was damaged in 2009,
Military
The Obama administration is assembling a constellation of secret unmanned aircraft bases for counter-terrorism operations in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as part of a newly aggressive campaign to attack al-Qaeda affiliates in Somalia and Yemen. One of the installations is being established in Ethiopia, a US
Military
According to an executive at Turkish Aerospace Industries, the new Egyptian government is interested in buying unmanned aircraft made in Turkey. Some Middle East countries prefer Turkey rather than Israel or the US, defence experts say. Egypt is interested in buying the Anka UAS from Turkish Aerospace Industries. Egyptian and
Events
The fastest-growing occupation in the US Air Force — warzone surveillance — soon may be reaching its peak as the Defense Department looks for ways to cut costs. The deployment of Air Force remotely piloted aircraft across Iraq and Afghanistan grew rapidly over the past eight years, at the same time that
VTOL
Qinetiq has joined forces with Northrop Grumman to offer what it has described as a low-cost, short-term solution for an emerging Royal Navy requirement to field a vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft system (VTUAS).The companies are proposing a demonstration programme which would take one of the UK'
Military
The US Naval Air Systems Command seeks proposals for research support in developing innovative solutions for the Maritime and Littoral Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission requirements. The Medium Range Maritime Unmanned Aerial System (MRMUAS) will be a Multi-Intelligence (MultiINT), reconfigurable platform capable of operating from all air-capable ships. Concepts
Accidents
A Predator came down on Sunday in Zangarha village in South Waziristan, near the Taliban and al-Qaeda hideouts in the rocky region bordering Afghanistan. A military intelligence official based in the nearest city, Wana, said that the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure. The Pakistani Taliban, a domestic offshoot of the
Military
The UK Ministry of Defence has outlined its planned schedule to field a follow-on batch of five General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft, and revealed details of the operational demands being placed on the Royal Air Force's current fleet. RAF Reapers have flown missions totalling more