http://www.suasnews.com Small Unmanned Aircraft System industry news for professionals • Drones, UAS, nUAS, pUAS and more... Mon, 20 May 2013 07:16:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22956/unmanned-aerial-vehicles-spur-demand-for-advanced-foams/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22956/unmanned-aerial-vehicles-spur-demand-for-advanced-foams/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 07:16:04 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22956
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly in the spotlight in trouble spots throughout the world, but they are also finding increased use in civilian applications. In parallel, suppliers of advanced thermoplastics such as Sabic are addressing demands for aerospace grade materials that meet a number of stringent operational requirements. The UAV market has potential not only for military purposes, but also for civil aviation applications, including First Responder support, wildfire mapping, weather monitoring and telecommunications. It is predicted that, if the opening of the National Airspace to civil UAVs occurs in 2015 as planned, the market potential for UAVs between 2015 and 2017 will be around $13.6 billion according to the AUVSI Economic Report 2013. The U.S. military UAV market is similarly expect to expand in the coming years: a report conducted byMarket Research Media states that the U.S. military UAV market is projected to grow at a 12% compound annual growth rate, reaching $18.7 billion in 2018. The report finds that the U.S. military UAV market will generate $86.5 billion revenues over the period 2013-2018. With this market growth, there is an increasing need for advanced materials that will allow the range of UAVs to be extended and their air time to be [...]]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22956/unmanned-aerial-vehicles-spur-demand-for-advanced-foams/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22952/does-navy-drone-spell-end-of-the-super-hornet/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22952/does-navy-drone-spell-end-of-the-super-hornet/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 06:21:02 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22952
By Tim Logan Something happened on the deck of an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia on Tuesday that could eventually ripple all the way back to one of the biggest factories in the St. Louis area. The X-47B took off. It was a “watershed event,” said the Navy’s head of aviation, the first-ever launch of an unmanned combat drone at sea. While the Northrop Grumman-built X-47B hasn’t yet stuck a carrier landing — one of the hardest feats in all of aviation — Navy officials think that’ll happen this summer, and they hope that by the end of the decade drones will be a big part of their air combat fleet. All of which raises some big questions about the future of the plane that makes up much of the Navy’s air combat fleet today: The F/A-18 Super Hornet. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/does-navy-drone-spell-end-of-the-super-hornet/article_93958ff4-3776-5132-aedf-db363c1ee8fa.html Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22952/does-navy-drone-spell-end-of-the-super-hornet/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22950/germany-scuttles-uav-program-according-to-reports/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22950/germany-scuttles-uav-program-according-to-reports/#comments Sun, 19 May 2013 20:30:50 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22950
Agence France Press is reporting that Germany has cancelled a planned ‘Euro Hawk’ UAV programme because it believes European authorities will not certify them to fly in civilian airspace. More from AFP: Germany had “no hope” of seeing the unmanned aircraft, part of a programme that would have cost more than one billion euros ($1.3 billion), approved for use, said the source speaking on condition of anonymity. The European Aviation Safety Agency has said it would only certify the drones to fly over unpopulated areas because of a lack of an anti-collision system to protect airliners, according to German press reports. “The equipment is not ready for approval without immense expenditure,” the source added. Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22950/germany-scuttles-uav-program-according-to-reports/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22947/israel-is-worlds-largest-exporter-of-drones-study-finds/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22947/israel-is-worlds-largest-exporter-of-drones-study-finds/#comments Sun, 19 May 2013 20:25:44 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22947
By Gili Cohen Israel is the world’s largest exporter of unmanned aircraft, in terms of the number of systems sold, a study has found. Over the last eight years Israel has exported $4.6 billion worth of unmanned aerial vehicles, according to a study by the business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. UAVs, or drones, constitute nearly 10 percent of Israel’s total military exports. Unmanned equipment exports are a relatively volatile market, the report shows. Israel had $150 million in UAV exports in 2008, a figure which increased substantially in 2009 to $650 million. Exports of the small surveillance planes peaked in 2010, a record year for drone sales, to $979 million. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-is-world-s-largest-exporter-of-drones-study-finds.premium-1.524771 Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22947/israel-is-worlds-largest-exporter-of-drones-study-finds/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22945/michael-hutt-program-manager-usgs-to-speak-at-susbexpo/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22945/michael-hutt-program-manager-usgs-to-speak-at-susbexpo/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 16:34:34 +0000 Gary Mortimer http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22945
Michael Hutt will share insights from the USGS and their unmanned aircraft operations at the Small Unmanned Systems Business Expo July 25th – 26th at the TechShop San Francisco The USGS National UAS Project Office at the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC) is located in Denver CO, and is an operational component of the Climate and Land Use Change Land Remote Sensing Program. It was established on May 8, 2008 based on the successful completion of an Emerging Technology Investigation into the potential use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to benefit the DOI and USGS missions. http://susbexpo.com/ Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22945/michael-hutt-program-manager-usgs-to-speak-at-susbexpo/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22939/texas-senate-approves-bill-to-curtail-drone-photography/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22939/texas-senate-approves-bill-to-curtail-drone-photography/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 16:22:18 +0000 Gary Mortimer http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22939
Remember the River of Blood story, it went viral. Seems the Texa’s senate would prefer to sweep what Texan businesses get up to under the carpet. If this act makes it all the way through and you let this sort of images out into the wild you will be facing the law. It should not have taken the images to uncover the massive pollution that was occurring.  Texas should know the condition of its rivers. I would be ashamed to live in a place that seems to care so little for its environment. Good news though for other states bidding to host one of the FAA Test sites, Texas Privacy Act (HB 912) could be a royal PIA for people testing. Use of drones to capture photographs and video images on private property without permission of the owner would be prohibited under a bill the Senate passed Friday. Supporters of the ban say it is needed because of the increasing incidence of indiscriminate surveillance by unmanned drones. The Senate amended the bill, already passed by the House, to exempt unmanned vehicles used by police and law enforcement officers and to protect citizens who use a cellphone or other recording device to film [...]]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22939/texas-senate-approves-bill-to-curtail-drone-photography/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22937/congress-gets-mixed-advice-on-drone-laws/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22937/congress-gets-mixed-advice-on-drone-laws/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 15:50:31 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22937
  AP WASHINGTON – The growing use of unmanned surveillance “eyes in the sky” aircraft raises a thicket of privacy concerns, but Congress is getting mixed advice on what, if anything, to do about it. A future with domestic drones may be inevitable. While civilian drone use is currently limited to government agencies and some public universities, a law passed by Congress last year requires the Federal Aviation Administration to allow widespread drone flights in the United States by 2015. According to FAA estimates, as many as 7,500 civilian drones could be in use within five years. “Technology is great — as long as it’s used the right and proper way,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Friday on issues surrounding drones — which can be as small as a bird and as large as a plane. http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/congress-gets-mixed-advice-on-drone-laws_2013-05-18.html Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22937/congress-gets-mixed-advice-on-drone-laws/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22934/minnesota-national-guard-launches-its-3-9-million-drone-facility/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22934/minnesota-national-guard-launches-its-3-9-million-drone-facility/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 15:48:06 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22934
by: PAT PHEIFER , Star Tribune CAMP RIPLEY, MINN. – The Shadow, an unmanned aerial vehicle commonly known as a drone, roars to life on the video screen like a powerful snowmobile before it’s launched into the skies on a catapult. Unfortunately, weather conditions prevented the real thing from taking flight Friday morning as the Minnesota National Guard officially launched its new $3.9 million Unmanned Aircraft Operations Facility. The Guard has flown UAVs since 2004 and has seven at Camp Ripley: three Shadows, with 14-foot wing spans, and four smaller Ravens, with 5-foot wing spans that can be carried in a backpack, quickly assembled and launched by hand. http://www.startribune.com/local/207963661.html?refer=y Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22934/minnesota-national-guard-launches-its-3-9-million-drone-facility/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22932/sinclair-invests-in-uav-courses/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22932/sinclair-invests-in-uav-courses/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 15:44:15 +0000 Press http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22932
Jordan Burgess DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs at Sinclair Community College may feel light when you pick them up, but they carry a lot of weight when it comes to the Miami Valley’s future. “We think this is going to be a very important industry for our region as we move forward,” says Sinclair President Steven Johnson. Sinclair invests in UAV courses That’s why starting next year you’ll be able to major in Unmanned Aerial Systems at Sinclair Community College. The college’s board of trustees voted today to invest $1.4 million into its UAS program. The money will allow it to add courses and classrooms. “In these unmanned systems we’re going to apply them in agriculture and mapping and law enforcement and planning,” Johnson says. But some think before students take a class in UAVs they need a course in ethics. http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/local/montgomery/sinclair-invests-in-drone-courses#.UZeg8LUweIw Bookmark It Hide Sites]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22932/sinclair-invests-in-uav-courses/feed/ 0 http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22929/nppa-other-groups-oppose-texas-drone-bill/ http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22929/nppa-other-groups-oppose-texas-drone-bill/#comments Sat, 18 May 2013 15:37:12 +0000 Gary Mortimer http://www.suasnews.com/?p=22929
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), joined by The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., The American Society of Media Photographers, The Radio Television Digital News Association, and The Society of Professional Journalists, has submitted letters to each of the Texas Senators, expressing extreme opposition to House Bill 912, which has passed the Texas House and is quickly making its way through the Texas Senate. The bill makes it an offense to capture an image using an unmanned aerial vehicle, (UAV), commonly called “drones,”  “with the intent to monitor or conduct surveillance.” This is the core of the offense, but there is no definition regarding what it means to “monitor” or what it means to “conduct surveillance.” NPPA’s attorney Alicia Calzada wrote, “We believe that this bill will create a significant impediment to journalists and others who are engaged in constitutionally protected speech.” The current version of the bill has no exceptions for first amendment activity. “A journalist (or ordinary citizen) monitoring an environmental spill, documenting the aftermath of a disaster or simply monitoring traffic conditions could easily be committing a crime under this bill,” Calzada explained. Multiple NPPA members also sent letters of objection. NPPA testified against the bill before a House [...]]]> http://www.suasnews.com/2013/05/22929/nppa-other-groups-oppose-texas-drone-bill/feed/ 0