American Aerospace Technologies Inc. (AATI), a provider of real-time remote sensing and airborne intelligence services for enterprise, has acquired Sky Scape Industries LLC (SSI), a provider of unmanned technology services.
According to SSI, its services are widely used by critical infrastructure operators in the electric, water, and oil & gas industries. The company says that it will continue to provide integration services, professional UAS advisory services, and inspection services across the U.S.
Air
Air
DJI partners with Los Angeles Fire Department to advance UAS tech for public safety purposes
In an effort to create, test and deploy its UAS technology as an emergency response and preparedness tool, DJI has announced a Solution Development Partnership with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Through the partnership, DJI will provide the LAFD with access to new technologies, training and support, so that the agency can utilize UAS technology as part of its operations.
Miami University using UAS to conduct building inspections on campus
The physical facilities department at Miami University in Ohio is using UAS to inspect the roofs and gutters of some buildings on campus.
The technology is being used thanks to a Lean Project, which examined how UAS could be used on campus to increase efficiency.
One idea was to use the technology for visual inspections of roofs, gutters, chimneys and cupolas. Usually, a lift would be used to allow employees and contractors to conduct inspections and repairs.
To conduct these UAS operations, Miami chose a Boise, Idaho drone company called Rapid Aerial as its time and materials contractor for drone services. The company inspected four academic buildings that are difficult to access due to their height and location.
Apex Unmanned and RelmaTech partner to promote benefits of UAS Remote ID and tracking technologies
UAS consulting company Apex Unmanned and technology company RelmaTech have agreed to collaborate on the promotion of the benefits that UAS Remote Identification and tracking technologies can offer.
Apex Unmanned and RelmaTech are partners on the Nevada team that NASA recently selected to execute its NASA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) Technical Capability Level (TCL) 4 program. Under the leadership of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS), the Nevada UAS Test Site was selected to execute TCL4 through a competitive process with six other states.
University of Nebraska and partners prepping for UAS-based investigation of severe storms
A UAS-based investigation of severe storms is set to launch in a few weeks.
Known as Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS), the project will be a collaboration between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and three partner institutions, including Texas Tech University, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory.
The project will start on May 15, and fieldwork for the project will continue until June 16, covering a 367,000-square-mile area of the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas, Iowa to Wyoming and Colorado.
Mississippi State University researchers use UAS to help NOAA forecasters refine forecasts
Scientists from Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Northern Gulf Institute recently used a small UAS to take high-resolution images of rising waters during a major rainstorm in late February.
The images were beamed back in real time to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather forecasters.
“We were able to see the water as it rose over the course of two days, which helped our office confirm when the crest had been reached,” says Dr. Suzanne Van Cooten, hydrologist-in-charge at the NOAA National Weather Service Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center in Slidell, Louisiana.
BAE Systems awarded contract to continue developing autonomy software to improve resiliency of air mission planning for military
BAE Systems has been awarded a Phase 3 contract worth $3.1 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further the development of autonomy software, in an effort to improve the resiliency of air mission planning for the military.
The goal of the Resilient Synchronized Planning and Assessment for the Contested Environment (RSPACE) program is to develop human-centered software decision aids that can help air operators better control daily operations in a complex battlespace. As part of the RSPACE program, BAE Systems has created software called the Distributed, Interactive, Command-and-Control Tool (DIRECT) to improve air battlespace awareness.
XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator successfully completes first flight
On March 5, a long-range, high subsonic UAS called the XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator completed its inaugural flight at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
Developed for runway independence, the UAS performed as expected, completing 76 minutes of flight time.
“XQ-58A is the first example of a class of UAV that is defined by low procurement and operating costs while providing game changing combat capability,” says Doug Szczublewski, AFRL’s XQ-58A program manager.
The XQ-58A is a result of a collaborative effort between the Air Force Research Laboratory and Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems.
