Military
India is now deploying UAS and light observation helicopters along the borders with China to keep the stepped-up activities of People's Liberation Army under surveillance. The construction of over 5,500 "permanent defences and bunkers" along the borders is now being speeded up to ensure their
Military
U.S. Air Force testers say the Global Hawk Block 20/30 is unable to completely and reliably perform the high-altitude imagery and signals intelligence collection missions for which it is designed. Major General David Eichorn, who heads the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center in New Mexico, says
Military
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that it has been awarded a contract to supply a Latin American country (Chile...?) with Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The project is not in an amount that is material to Elbit Systems. The UAS will also include complementing ground control stations, as well as Elbit
Military
ING Engineering, which maintains UAS for Canadian Forces, trains soldiers on how to use them and launches and recovers them for the Forces in Afghanistan, showcased its remote-controlled planes at the two-day military industry trade show CANSEC. To date, ING's seven-member team in Afghanistan has flown more than
Military
The German Army recently announced that a team of instructors has been deployed to Afghanistan to instruct German soldiers in the operation of a new, small tactical reconnaissance UAS. The Mikado AR 100 B, built by German manufacturer AirRobot GmbH & Co. KG, is intended to provide additional situational awareness
Military
One of the flagship programmes underpinning the ambitious Franco-British effort to establish a 50-year strategic partnership in national security is several steps closer to being clarified. France and the U.K. have committed to jointly address their medium-, long-endurance unmanned aircraft (MALE) requirement under the new defence agreement that was
Military
The French Air Force's Cassidian Harfang, based on the IAI Heron airframe, has logged over 4,000 flight hours since deploying to Bagram air base, near Kabul, well over two years ago. Deployed since February 2009, the detachment at Bagram air base operates the interim MALE (medium altitude
Military
The Manned/Unmanned Systems Integration Capability (MUSIC) is an initiative designed to bring together both types of systems to interoperate and share a common operating picture among pilots, UAS operators and troops on the ground. MUSIC will include a demonstration at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, in
Military
In an effort to cut costs and avoid civilian casualties, manufacturers are developing small 'smart bombs,' drones that resemble model planes and microscopic crystals to tag enemy targets. Under mounting pressure to keep its massive budget in check, the Pentagon is looking to cheaper, smaller weapons to wage
Data Links & Communications
A small Phoenix-based company is using federal grants to develop technology that will allow U.S. Army soldiers to control UAS for resupply missions, surveillance and zeroing in on targets. Handheld controllers will use Kutta Technologies Inc.’s software so frontline troops can control UAS in a way similar to
Military
The Raytheon Co. Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Arizona., received the go-ahead to start lot 4 low-rate initial production of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) under terms of an $83 million U.S. Air Force contract announced last Friday. MALD is an affordable air-launched programmable expendable air-launched flight vehicle
Military
The U.S. Defense Department’s 30-year Aircraft Procurement Plan for the Navy and Air Force unleashed a few surprises, such as the possibility of replacing the Air Force’s E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft with unmanned systems. Dated March 2011, the 30-year