News
In 2016 there have been 33 reported shark attacks across Australia, two of which were fatal. Both of these tragic events took place in Western Australia. It is somewhat fitting, therefore, that two key Perth- based consultancies have teamed up to create safer beaches with the latest technology and—crucially—
News
The Government of Malawi and UNICEF have announced the establishment of an air corridor to test potential humanitarian use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The corridor is the first in Africa and one of the first globally with a focus on humanitarian and development use. It will run for a
Regulations
PrecisionHawk has released its Phase 2 Pathfinder Results as part of UAS TAAC (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technical Analysis and Applications Center) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Pathfinder program is an FAA-led initiative to facilitate the early introduction of low-altitude operations for small, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National
Military
The Iranian Army’s Ground Forces have unveiled two domestically-designed and -manufactured drones on the final day of major military exercises code-named Mohammad Rasoulallah IV (Mohammad, the Messenger of God IV) in southeastern Iran. One of the two aircraft, code-named Oghab (Eagle), is a combat drone capable of carrying air-to-surface
News
The Lindbergh Foundation’s Air Shepherd program, developed to protect elephants and rhinos from poaching by using drones, has announced its partnership with drone manufacturer DJI. The operations are a collaborated effort with African Parks, the non-profit conservation organization that is jointly operating the drone project on the ground in
Regulations
AirMap has announced Drone ID, a partnership with DigiCert that will enable, for the first time, instant authentication of an unmanned aircraft's identity via a digital certificate. Drone ID is a step forward for drone security, laying the groundwork for a future in which millions of drones can
Electronic Systems
Octopus ISR Systems (Europe) has unveiled the enhanced version of the Epsilon 140, the UAV gimbal with dual sensor payload, and signed a long-term agreement with RT LTA Systems, the Israeli manufacturer of Skystar aerostats. The enhanced version of the Epsilon 140 will now operate a 3.3x IR continuous
VTOL
The development of the unmanned Fazan tailsitter aircraft has begun in Russia, a source in the Russian military-industrial complex said told RIA Novosti. "It is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which is able to sit on [a plane's] tail. Its development has already started in
News
Amazon said it has delivered its first Prime Air order. Last week, one of the company's drones dropped off an Amazon Fire TV and bag of popcorn in the backyard of a customer near Cambridge, England -- 13 minutes after the customer ordered it online. Jeff Bezos, Amazon&
News
Interview with Peter van Blyenburgh, President of UVS International Many people dream of making a living out of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), but so far a lack of clear rules and regulations has stood in the way of that dream. However, there is a glimmer of hope on the
News
G170-V, a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) fixed-wing UAV, is the latest UAV German-based GerMAP has added to the remote sensing and aerial mapping market. G170-V ideally combines the easiness of manual or automatic vertical take-off and landing procedures of multi-copters with the area coverage efficiency of airplanes. With its
Business
General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded two contracts for MQ-9 work. The first is a $17,143,626 contract (0039) on previously awarded basic ordering agreement FA8620-15-G-4040 for MQ-9 Block 5 Exportability acquisition. Contractor will develop an MQ-9 Block 5 configuration for future foreign military