The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) recently successfully completed initial flight tests for the Ultra Long Endurance Aircraft Platform (Ultra LEAP). The UAS has a customizable suite of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) tools that supports extended missions. After a series of flight tests that began in Feb. 2019 at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, a two and a half-day continuous flight demonstration was performed from Dec. 9 to Dec 11. Future flight tests will demonstrate increased levels of flight endurance, AFRL says.

A joint project led by Sonardyne International Ltd., with partners the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and L3Harris, has set “new standards in long-endurance underwater navigation and automated subsea positioning,” according to the entities. One of the main goals of the two-year, £1.4 million Precise Positioning for Persistent Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (P3AUV) project was to integrate existing and emerging technologies to deliver a “step-change” in unmanned platform endurance and navigational precision. The project also sought to use USVs to increase the use of autonomy in offshore survey positioning operations, which ultimately reduces risk to personnel, environmental impact and operating costs.

Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has announced that its Connext DDS has been selected as the connectivity framework by smart mobility and electric vehicle (EV) company Xpeng Motors for its latest production model, the Xpeng P7 intelligent electric sedan. RTI says that Xpeng Motors will be able to offer “highly reliable, robust and advanced” autonomous driving systems in its second generation electric vehicles using RTI Technology. Starting Q2 of 2020, Xpeng Motors will begin delivering its P7 vehicles to customers, and in the process will become the first Chinese company to use Connext DDS in the production models of autonomous vehicles.

Japan’s Terra Drone Corporation has signed an investment agreement with Ontario, Canada-based Unmanned Aerial Services Incorporated (UAS Inc.) to form a new subsidiary in Canada called Terra Drone Mining. The new subsidiary will provide UAS mapping and inspection services to underground mines across the globe.  With this new investment from Terra Drone, Terra Drone Mining will be able to expand UAS Inc.’s business beyond the U.S. to cater to areas of “thriving underground mining operations” such as South/Central America, South Africa, Central Asia, Russia, and Australia.