AeroVironment Inc. (AVAV: News ) announced that it received firm fixed-price orders valued at $20.73 million for digital Raven unmanned aircraft systems and digital retrofit kits, and $17.14 million for Raven system spare parts, repairs and training services for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The orders were released under the existing U.S. Army... »
Not small, but OPV’s are a stepping stone towards sUAS in the NAS, just love using that phrase! MANASSAS, VA — (Marketwire) — 02/17/10 — Aurora Flight Sciences announced today that the DA42M aircraft that will serve as its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) prototype has arrived at its Manassas, Virginia facility. The DA42M is a 4-place, twin-engine general... »
MKU has developed India’s first indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle christened ‘TERP-II’. It will be showcasing a prototype of TERP-II at the Defexpo-2010 which is undergoing advanced testing routines at this moment. It plans to officially launch the ‘TERP-II’ by the middle of this year. The TERP II is a... »
DRDO Rolls Out Multi-Purpose Micro Air Vehicles Indian scientists from Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) are presently developing Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) for varied defence applications such as surveillance and disaster management. These MAVs are made of a unique mix of material and are not easily detectable by radars. The research and development on the... »
In a week containing several new offerings this one stood out as the most exciting. Based on an ARM chip and being bought together by a very enthusiastic team the Open Pilot project could be a game changer. Listen to Angus Peart and David Ankers on the DIYdrones Podcast Read more here :- http://openpilot.org/ Forums here http://forums.openpilot.org/ »
From the Guardian Newspaper in the UK http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/15/police-drone-arrest-backfires For Merseyside police, the “eye in the sky” arrest was a landmark moment in policing history. The force had managed to track down and apprehend a teenager who had fled from a presumed stolen Renault Clio, senior officers revealed, by using a remote-controlled flying robot equipped with thermal... »
From the Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/02/11/merseyside-police-make-uk-s-first-ever-flying-drone-arrest-in-litherland-100252-25810555/ MERSEYSIDE police made the first ever arrest in the UK using a flying drone to catch a suspected car thief in thick fog. It swooped into action in Litherland to find a suspect who was hiding at night in poor visibility. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acts as a flying CCTV and thermal... »
The realm of UAVs is expanding, moving from high altitudes and clear skies to fly amongst buildings and in forests. Flying close to the Earth presents many challenges, from cluttered terrain to adverse weather conditions such as fog, rain, or dust. The UAV must be outfitted with sensors to map the environment and control... »
Fancy joining a rescue effort on the Southern Tip of Africa? Using UAV’s for such tasks will be a major driver of innovation in the field. Australia has the very successful Outback Challenge, why not create a similar competition. That was the idea brainstormed recently in Pretoria, South Africa. I will add a page so that as... »
(Source: Textron Systems; issued February 1, 2010) HUNT VALLEY, Md. — AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announced today that it is expanding its fee-for-service unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) capabilities. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) customers, as well as civil and scientific organizations, now can leverage contractor-owned, contractor-operated... »