Monrovia, California-based AeroVironment, which has built everything from a hummingbird-sized drone to high-flying solar aircraft, has built components for a new drone helicopter intended to fly much further afield: across the surface of Mars.
AV is working with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena to build the helicopter recently selected by the Mars Exploration Program, which is planned to fly across the Red Planet in less than three years.
“AeroVironment’s deep, rich and diverse history of innovation, combined with our experience with near-space aircraft like Pathfinder and Helios make us uniquely suited to collaborate with NASA and JPL on this historic, interplanetary venture,” says Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment’s president and CEO.
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GA-ASI to fly first trans-Atlantic flight of a MALE RPA in July
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) plans to make the first-ever trans-Atlantic flight of a Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) on July 10-11.
GA-ASI’s company-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPA is scheduled to fly from GA-ASI’s Flight Test and Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK.
GA-ASI has partnered with Inmarsat—the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications (SATCOM) services—for the trans-Atlantic flight. The MQ-9B’s ground control station will use Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband SATCOM to communicate and control the aircraft.
KT Corp.'s emergency network service platform features UAS for search and rescue operations
South Korea's second-largest mobile carrier, KT Corp., has unveiled an emergency network service platform that features UAS for search and rescue operations.
Co-developed by a local UAS maker named Metismake Inc., the Skyship platform features a helium-powered airship and a high-resolution camera that can scan for mobile signals of people who need to be rescued.
Capable of scanning for LTE or high-end fifth-generation (5G) signals, the airship can determine a person's position “to within 50 meters” before sending UAS to find their exact location.
Once the signal of a survivor is picked up by the airship, the platform will deploy smaller UAS that will deliver emergency kits and supplies before actual rescue personnel arrive at the site.
CNC Technologies selected to deploy state-of-the-art mobile video network to support advanced UAS program
The Michigan State Police (MSP) has selected CNC Technologies—an aviation technology and wireless communications company that serves the law enforcement, military and government markets—to deploy a state-of-the-art mobile video network to support the department’s advanced UAS program.
The new technology is meant to speed and improve the ability of MSP to share actionable aerial intelligence. It is also meant to “secure transmission of real-time video and data from the department’s airborne assets to officers and partner agencies across the region.”
SenseFly moves its North American operations to Raleigh, North Carolina
SenseFly has announced that it is moving its North American operations to Raleigh, North Carolina.
SenseFly says that its new office will “accommodate its rapid growth.” Additionally, the new office will host senseFly's North American shipping & logistics operation, its customer service & satisfaction function, and its sales and marketing teams.
“Our move to Raleigh reflects our dedication to meeting our customers’ needs through innovation,” says senseFly CEO Gilles Labossière.
Insitu's ScanEagle UAS selected to provide fire suppression services across U.S.
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has awarded a “first-of-its kind” contract to Insitu, so that the company can provide fire suppression services within the contiguous 48 states and Alaska using its ScanEagle UAS.
The UAS will help battle wildfires using geospatial mapping and full motion video.
Through the contract, Insitu will support manned aerial operations for a variety of scenarios, including fire suppression, search and rescue, and emergency management, as needed on a “call when needed” basis.
From Unmanned Systems magazine: DIGGING DEEPER WITH DRONES: UAS CONTRIBUTE TO MINING
Even though unmanned aircraft are proving useful to virtually every industry, it might not be expected for them to have any role in mining — digging deep into the earth for coal and other natural resources. Once you get beneath the surface, however, it’s clear that drones have a growing role to play in this field.
For a coal mining operation, what’s above the ground is just as important as what’s below it. That process starts with surveying the land and planning the complex operation known as a mining site.
Kespry, a drone-based aerial intelligence solution provider based in Menlo Park, California, has developed an aerial intelligence platform tailored for use in areas such as construction, insurance claims and coal mining.
Ohio's Franklin County Sheriff's Office uses UAS to locate stolen ATV
According to NBC4 Columbus, a UAS was recently used to locate a stolen ATV in Franklin County, Ohio.
After receiving a call from someone reporting that their ATV was stolen, deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office deployed their UAS and followed tire tracks that led from the area to an abandoned house, where deputies found the ATV.
The ATV was reportedly a recent gift for a young boy.
“End result, one happy kid!” read a Facebook post from the sheriff's office.
Syracuse Fire Department launches UAS program
In an effort to help members of its department fight fires, the Syracuse Fire Department has launched a new UAS program.
According to Fire Capt. Timothy Gleeson, the department expects to use the technology for stubborn fires or on fires in large commercial buildings.
Thanks to the drones' thermal imaging capabilities, firefighters will be able to see hotspots in stubborn fires and identify spots where roofs or parts of buildings could collapse, notes Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds.
“We're aggressive. ... This is a really different type of concept,” Monds says via Syracuse.com. “To step back and get a good picture.”
K-State Polytechnic launching graduate certificate in UAS information assurance
Come Fall 2018, Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus will launch a graduate certificate in unmanned aircraft systems information assurance.
The certificate will provide working professionals and graduate students “an educational foundation in an industry important to both military and civilian organizations,” according to K-State Polytechnic.
Enrolled students will learn important lessons regarding UAS, including how to protect UAS from cyberattacks, and understand “information assurance risk assessment principles” that apply to UAS operations on land, sea, air or satellite.
