In the United Kingdom, Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police have become the first police forces in the country to launch a fully operational drone unit.
The UAS will be used for a variety of missions, including searching for missing people, responding to major road traffic collisions, and combatting wildlife crime.
According to Chief Superintendent Jim Nye, Commander for the Alliance Operations Department, there are currently five officers trained to use UAS across both forces.
The plan is for an additional 40 officers to complete their Civil Aviation (CAA) training over the next 12 months, so that they can be fully accredited, which will allow them to operate the UAS.
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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University awarded grant to develop advanced capabilities for USVs
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will develop advanced communication, perception and energy systems for USVs, after being awarded a five-year, $900,000 research grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research.
Under this grant, Embry-Riddle will seek to accomplish a number of goals, with one focus being to develop “stealthier ways for unmanned vessels on the ocean’s surface to communicate with unmanned underwater vehicles such as submarines.”
Fortress UAV announces new North American repair service for commercial and consumer UAS
On July 10, Fortress UAV, a newly formed subsidiary of Fortress Solutions, officially announced a new North American repair service for commercial and consumer UAS.
With three facilities in the United States, and over 220 employees in repair services, Fortress UAV is in position to be the largest and most comprehensive facility for UAS repair in North America, especially since thus far, UAS repair facilities have mainly been housed at hobby shops, or been a product of drone enthusiasts launching new repair businesses.
Students at Tulsa Community College uses drone education program to prepare for FAA certification process
Tulsa Community College has launched a drone education program, which is teaching students how to operate UAS, so that they can earn the FAA certification necessary to operate UAS commercially.
Thus far, TCC has offered two classes for students, according to Beth Wild, continuing education director at TCC. The first class was a nine-hour course that was offered in April. The program was increased to 12 hours after students said that they needed more class time.
In August, a third course will be offered at the TCC facility at Jones Riverside Airport, where Wild and Pat Green, Workforce Development interim vice president at TCC, recently observed students learning to fly UAS.
Toyota announces new venture capital fund for autonomous vehicles
Have some good ideas for autonomous vehicle technology? The Toyota Research Institute would like to hear about it, and may be willing to fund it and become a customer.
Gil Pratt, the former DARPA roboticist who is now COE of the TRI, announced a new venture fund named the Toyota AI Ventures at the Automated Vehicles Symposium on Tuesday, July 11, held by AUVSI and TRB in San Francisco.
The idea is to invite innovative companies “to join us in trying to move this field forward,” Pratt said.
TRI was founded just last year with a $1 billion investment, and has quickly grown from zero employees to 200. Toyota AI Ventures is funded to the tune of $100 million from the $1 billion that TRI itself was founded with just last year.
Sanborn Map Company secures five-year contract for on-call UAS services with El Paso County
Over the next five years, departments and municipalities within El Paso County, Colorado will be able to negotiate task orders and procure UAS services and products from Sanborn Map Company, Inc. (Sanborn), which is a leader in the geospatial industry that delivers mapping services to customers across the world.
After awarding Sanborn this on-call unmanned aircraft services multi-year contract, El Paso County will reportedly use the UAS for a variety of tasks including disaster and emergency response, the mapping of parks, open space and trails, highways and bridges, and inspections for roofs.
Unmanned Safety Institute launches first high school/college pathway partnership for UAS in Michigan
The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), which is a subsidiary of ARGUS International, Inc., has announced the first high school/college pathway partnership in Michigan between the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District (Char-Em ISD) and Northwestern Michigan College (NMC).
All parties involved with the launch of the program are excited about the potential opportunities it could provide to students looking towards potential career opportunities in unmanned systems.
Warm Springs FAA UAS Test Range expands operations to two Oregon Airports
The Warm Springs FAA UAS Test Range, which is a member of the Pan Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC), is expanding its operations to the Prineville and Madras Airports in Oregon.
According to Warm Springs FAA Test Range Manager, Liz Stalford, the expansion will go a long way in the Test Range helping UAS clients with future missions.
“The expansion project will allow Warm Springs to support Unmanned Aircraft Systems clients who require an airport for launch and recovery as well as having certified maintenance facilities readily available,” Stalford says.
Inspecting Your Site: How Drones Are Changing Your Industry
Unprecedented access to dangerous and hard to reach areas have enabled companies to inspect ongoing projects and assess work sites more thoroughly than ever. More complete inspections allow builders to gauge the projects before them and provide realistic expectations to clients.
Inspection is one of the core tasks to which unmanned technology has been applied across domains. This webinar will include examples of how successful companies use drones to inspect holdings and increase profits. Our panel of users and drone providers will discuss the real applications and advantages of unmanned technology.
Who Should Attend
Deveron UAS Corp. to fly more farm acres with UAS thanks to partnership with FS PARTNERS
Deveron UAS Corp., which provides enterprise drone data services for agriculture, and is a nationally compliant, Transport Canada-licensed UAS operator, has announced a collaboration with FS PARTNERS (FSP), which is a leading agronomy service provider in Ontario, Canada that has six hubs that span across the province.
As a result of the partnership, FSP will offer its customers Deveron’s on-demand UAS data service, and Deveron will fly more farm acres with UAS.
