Propulsion
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has announced that the growth variant of the Rolls-Royce AE 3007H engine has successfully completed its US Air Force-funded flight test. The engine is designed to enhance performance of the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft and will offer customers significant improvements in engine durability
Military
MBDA has advanced development and test activities for its Fire Shadow loitering munition design, and is on track to deliver its first operational examples to the British Army in 2012. Two significant test firings have been conducted since late last year, the European missile manufacturer announced during the Defence &
Testing
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. announced that it has completed initial testing of a new UAS open payload architecture in its Poway, California, System Integration Lab (SIL). The testing demonstrated the ability to host third party-developed payload control software on existing airborne and Ground Control Station (GCS) processors and was
Testing
The aerospace industry’s Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment (ASTRAEA) programme is about to test wireless communication system designed to allow a UAS to securely send video footage and other information to its ground-based operator at the highest possible speed, even when it is out of direct
Business
General Dynamics Information Technology has been selected by the US Air Force Research Laboratory as an awardee for the Manufacturing Technologies for Remotely Piloted Vehicles Contract. The five-year, multiple-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract has a total potential value of $45 million among all awardees. General Dynamics will develop new
Testing
Operational trials with the British Army's Watchkeeper remain on track to start next month, after the WK450 aircraft set a new endurance record in testing. Major Matt Moore, SO2 UAS for headquarters, Royal Artillery, said that a WK450 completed an almost 14 hour flight in early September from
Testing
Representatives from the Lawton Chamber of Commerce and Industry joined government officials to venture far west of Lawton to see the first public demonstration of the Sandstorm unmanned aircraft. Built by Unmanned Systems Inc. of Las Vegas, it is being marketed by Northrop Grumman as an inexpensive alternative to more
Testing
A combined, unmanned reconnaissance and attack system developed under a collaborative programme between Germany and Israel has recently passed an important milestone, demonstrating the integration of two unmanned aircraft systems – the Rheinmetall Defense KZO aerial reconnaissance drone and IAI’s loitering weapon – the Harop. The highlight of the test was
VTOL
The Lockheed Martin-led unmanned K-MAX team successfully completed a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA) for the U.S. Navy's Cargo Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) programme. "The autonomous flying K-MAX is designed to resupply Marines on the battlefield and in remote locations," said Roger Il Grande, director
Testing
[Warning - the music is dreadful] This video of Textron’s T-Ram - Tactical Remote Aerial Munition just appeared on YouTube. This 'new' machine looks suspiciously similar to the Prioria Maveric, that we covered in May. Indeed, Prioria gets a logo credit on the video... Source: You Tube
Propulsion
DARPA has released this first - and perhaps only - video footage of the ill-fated second test-flight of DARPA's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2). Shot with a handheld camera by a crewmember aboard the Pacific Tracker, the first monitoring vessel able to visually track the HTV'
Testing
[Hover over image for video] The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is testing a Draganflyer to hover over crash sites and crime scenes to take photos or beam video back to officers on the ground. The remote-controlled unmanned aircraft should help crash analysts get better, faster images to reconstruct what happened.