Business
Precision Integrated Programs of Newberg, Oregon, an aviation services company, has placed a launch order for Flexrotor, Aerovel’s exceptional long-endurance VTOL UAV. Delivery of aircraft and support equipment is scheduled for spring 2015.Precision’s Matt Parker explained that, “We are going after new civil applications at sea and
Business
Cassidian has launched its TANAN 300 new-generation compact VTOL Tactical UAS for maritime and land missions. Designed in close collaboration with potential customers in order to match their specific requirements, TANAN 300 is a real ‘eye in the sky’ thanks to a full HD imagery chain and to its main
Business
Aurora Flight Sciences and SRI International Sarnoff have announced the integration of the SRI Sarnoff DL Micro digital data link and video processor into the Aurora Skate Small Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS). This pairing maximizes the real-time delivery of quality video from the SUAS. Small, unmanned aircraft systems are critical
Business
British-company BCB International just unveiled its SQ-4 Recon UAV, a miniature unmanned surveillance aircraft that's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The company says the UAS can fly up to 30 minutes on a full charge, and it is capable of operating at a
Testing
This video shows three quadrocopters cooperatively tossing and catching a ball with the aid of an elastic net. To toss the ball, the quadrocopters accelerate rapidly outward to stretch the net tight between them and launch the ball up. Notice in the video that the quadrocopters are then pulled forcefully
News
Japanese remote control helicopter maker Hirobo has unveiled a battery-powered helicopter that is designed for one person. The HX-1 employs contra-rotating rotors and is equipped with a fly-by-wire control system, says a company spokesman. It can be flown by the occupant or with a remote control. One application for remote-controlled
News
ING Engineering in Ottawa, Ontario, is a robotic aviation systems operator with UAS of different sizes for hire. “We’re a charter aviation company. We fly payloads, not people,” said ING founder and CEO Ian Glenn. The ING portfolio of platforms now ranges from theAeryon Scout to the company’s
VTOL
When Prox Dynamics, Norway started the development of the PD-100 Black Hornet helicopter it performed a series of trade studies on different aircraft configurations: traditional single main/tail rotor (as the PD-100), coaxial rotors (such as the ProxFlyer), and quadrotors (commonly used in micro VTOL aircraft). The results were measured
VTOL
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin and Aurora Flight Sciences Sept. 28 to develop robotic rotorcraft capable of supporting rapid autonomous aerial cargo delivery to the battlefield. ONR is initially providing $28 million to the industry-led teams to develop prototype concepts in the Autonomous Aerial
VTOL
The Alcatel-Lucent engineers, the prototypers of the Bell Labs Acceleration Platform and the engineers from Parrot got together to discuss a proof of concept for piloting an AR.Drone using 4G/LTE. Parrot, the French company famed for its automotive and multimedia products, launched into action with its AR.Drone
Commercial
Japan has pressed into service an unmanned helicopter to measure radiation levels within a three-kilometer radius of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where detailed studies have not been conducted since the accident last year. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency decided to use the unmanned chopper as it does
VTOL
China's Sunward Tech SVU200 unmanned helicopter has successfully completed its first flight tests. The helicopter's first full autonomous flight occurred on 4 September near the Chinese city of Changsha, says Dennis Fetters, owner of Fetters Aerospace. Fetters is an American rotorcraft developer who designed the SVU200