Military
The U.S. Air Force is planning to move much of its UAS force from Iraq and Afghanistan to East Asia over the next four years. Currently, the Air Force has 53 MQ-1As Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAVs operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. But at least a dozen
Military
The US Navy awarded two fixed-price contracts to Boeing/Frontier Systems and Lockheed Martin for their unmanned A160T Hummingbird ($29.9 million) and KMAX ($45.8 million), for Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System services in December last year. A decision is now expected some time this summer on which system
Testing
Boeing has announced that the Phantom Ray successfully completed its first flight on April 27 at NASA's Dryden Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The 17-minute flight took place following a series of high-speed taxi tests in March that validated ground guidance, navigation and
Military
The fourth rotation (ROT 4) of Australia’s Heron* Detachment in Kandahar, Afghanistan, has set a unit record for monthly flying hours of 475 hours during April. Commanding Officer Heron RPA Detachment - ROT 4 Wing Commander Greg Wells said "This exceeds the efforts of previous Heron rotations and means
Military
Angola's defence ministry is negotiating the purchase of a number of Israel Aerospace IndustriesHeron 1 unmanned aircraft systems, according to African sources. IAI has within the past few months conducted flight demonstrations with the Heron in Angola and Kenya, which is also looking for a UAS capability, the
Military
The Fars News Agency anounced on Sunday that the Iranian Army plans to increase the range of its home-made UAS and also equip its reconnaissance unmanned aircraft with missile-launching systems, according to an Iranian commander. Speaking to the Fars News Agency, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army'
Military
As part of the us Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Programme, the Air Force Research Laboratory calls for a proposal on the 'Aerial Distribution of Taggants'. OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate innovative methods to unobtrusively distribute taggants onto moving targets for tracking, locating, and identification purposes. DESCRIPTION:
Military
The Indian Government has approved a budget of $335M (Rs1,500 crore) for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop India’s latest UAS, the Rustom-H. This was disclosed by the chief controller, research and development of DRDO, W Selvamurthy, in Pune at a press meeting held
Military
The Raytheon Company was awarded a $7 million contract to serve as a Mission Systems Integrator for Phase I of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Persistent Close Air Support project. Raytheon's proposed PCAS solution will develop technologies that significantly reduce the timeline for close air support through
Business
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH, an approved and certified MRO company, to offer the Predator B UAS to meet the surveillance needs of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has established
Military
Raytheon has tested a new warhead for its Small Tactical Munition, a new weapon specifically designed to be employed from UAS. STM is a 13-pound guided munition that is approximately 2 feet long, making it the smallest air-launched weapon in the Raytheon portfolio. The 13-pound STM is
Military
The Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre of the UK Ministry of Defence issued a Joint Doctrine Note 2/11 on 'The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems' which calls for a more coordinated approach to the UK’s acquisition and implementation programme. “A lack of unity of joint