After operating in stealth-mode for two years, Outrider, a developer of autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has emerged from stealth with the announcement that it has raised $53 million in funding, after seed and series A funding rounds led by NEA and 8VC, respectively. Based in Golden, Colorado, Outrider has also deployed what it describes as the “first-to-market solution” that focuses on autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, the Outrider System. According to Outrider, the goal of distribution yards is to keep semi-trailers full of freight moving quickly in the space between the warehouse doors and public roads, but a lot of these processes that make up yard operations are manual, inefficient, and hazardous, the company says.

Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation (NASC) successfully completed a test flight of the NASC TEROS UAV, Technology Demonstrator at the NASC Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight Operations and Training Center at the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York.  During the flight, the UAV flew for approximately an hour and a half in both manual and autonomous flight profiles, which successfully tested the aircraft systems / avionics suite. “Today’s successful flight is a huge step toward reaching our ultimate goal of TEROS approval for integration into the National Airspace,” says Richard Leverich, senior program engineer, Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation.

Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully flew two autonomously controlled EA-18G Growlers as UAS, and used a third Growler as a mission controller for the other two. Conducted during the Navy Warfare Development Command’s annual fleet experiment (FLEX) exercises, the flights, which took place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, “proved the effectiveness of technology” allowing F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers to perform combat missions with unmanned systems, according to Boeing. 

Boeing has signed an agreement with Urban Aeronautics' subsidiary Tactical Robotics to explore the development of a ducted fan propulsion technology, which could potentially be used for piloted and autonomous light aircraft. The companies will use a joint working group to determine what opportunities may exist for the development, production and marketing of Fancraft–based vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) products such as Tactical Robotics’ Cormorant. Thanks to its compact, Humvee-sized footprint, Cormorant is capable of conducting emergency response missions such as delivering food, water and supplies during natural disasters or in combat environments. The vehicle can also carry up to four patients for medical evacuations.