The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has awarded the maritime surveillance service provision contract to Schiebel for its Camcopter S-100 UAS.
Schiebel says that a number of factors led to the Camcopter being selected for this contract, including the Camcopter's service record in the maritime domain, and its maritime surveillance expertise. The Camcopter’s payload capabilities and VTOL abilities from shore and from vessels were also contributing factors for its selection, Schiebel notes.
UAS
UAS
Audi, Airbus and Italdesign test flying taxi concept consisting of self-driving electric car and passenger UAS
During Drone Week in Amsterdam, Audi, Airbus and Italdesign tested a flying and driving prototype of “Pop.Up Next,” which the companies describe as an “innovative concept for a flying taxi” that combines a self-driving electric car with a passenger UAS.
During the first public test flight, the flight module accurately placed a passenger capsule on the ground module, which then autonomously drove from the test grounds.
The companies say that this concept is still a 1:4 scale model, but they believe that in the near future, a convenient and efficient flying taxi service in large cities—in multi-modal operation, in the air and on the road—could be used by Audi customers, allowing them to enjoy their leisure time, relax, or work, all without having to change vehicles.
Mobile Recon Systems' Dauntless UAS designed to lift more than twice its weight
Mobile Recon Systems has introduced the Dauntless UAS, which is designed to lift more than its own weight.
According to Mobile Recon Systems, the UAS is designed to set new records for what multi-rotor UAS can carry. Weighing in at 78 pounds, the Dauntless UAS has showcased an ability to lift an additional payload of 100 pounds as a tethered quadcopter.
As an octocopter, with a generator-powered flight time of several hours, the UAS is designed to lift more than 200 pounds.
ALTI UAS launches new UAS for search and rescue operations
UAS developer and manufacturing company ALTI UAS has launched the ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’, which is a search and rescue version of the company’s ALTI Transition VTOL UAS.
Based in the coastal town of Knysna, South Africa, ALTI UAS notes that the ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is being launched following some of the worst fires in South African history, which recently effected the area.
Designed for search and rescue missions, the new ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is a specific version of the ALTI Transition UAS, the company explains. Described as compact, rapid, smart, and advanced, the UAS includes a unique vibration damping mount for the combustion engine, allowing it to fly up to 12 hours per flight, with a range of 900 kilometers.
DARPA demonstrates highly autonomous UAS during test series
DARPA’s Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program recently demonstrated the ability of CODE-equipped UAS to adapt and respond to unexpected threats in an anti-access area denial (A2AD) environment.
During the test series at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the UAS successfully completed a number of tasks, including efficiently sharing information, cooperatively planning and allocating mission objectives, making coordinated tactical decisions, and collaboratively reacting to a dynamic, high-threat environment with minimal communication.
PAE ISR's Resolute Eagle UAS receives Group 3 Interim Flight Clearance
PAE ISR has announced that on Nov. 13, it received a Group 3 Interim Flight Clearance for its Resolute Eagle vertical takeoff and landing UAS from the Naval Air System Command in Maryland.
PAE ISR was one of four prime awards on the five-year, $1.73 billion NAVAIR indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support services for land and maritime-based UAS.
The company notes that the IFC verifies the Resolute Eagle's airworthiness in accordance with the NAVAIR IDIQ requirements.
SkyGrid to develop platform that allows customers to safely perform wide range of UAS operations
Boeing and SparkCognition recently announced plans to launch an Austin, Texas-based company called SkyGrid, which will “enable the future of urban aerial mobility,” the companies say.
With a mind towards ensuring the safe, secure integration of autonomous cargo and passenger air vehicles in the global airspace, SkyGrid will develop a software platform utilizing blockchain technology, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled dynamic traffic routing, data analytics and cybersecurity features.
The platform will go beyond UAS traffic management (UTM), the companies say, as it will allow SkyGrid customers to safely perform a variety of UAS operations including package delivery, industrial inspections and emergency assistance.
InstantEye Robotics to provide small UAS to PMA-263
InstantEye Robotics will provide 32 InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 small UAS (64 aircraft) to the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) Program Office, after securing a contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in support of PMA-263.
According to InstantEye Robotics, the new InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 platform not only expands mission scope, but it also provides additional Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition capability to the individual Marine or Sailor.
Robotic Skies to support Alpha Unmanned Systems' commercial UAS
Alpha Unmanned Systems has selected Robotic Skies Inc. to develop and implement a global support plan for its current and future commercial UAS, which currently features the company’s flagship product, the Alpha 800 unmanned helicopter.
The Alpha 800 has a flight endurance of more than three hours, a payload capacity of three kilograms and a range of up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).
Through its network of worldwide service centers, Robotic Skies will provide a warranty program and field support management for Alpha Unmanned customers.
Aurora reveals autonomous aircraft Odysseus
Aurora Flight Sciences has revealed what it claims is the world’s most capable solar-powered autonomous aircraft, Odysseus, which is powered only by the sun.
Described as an “ultra-long endurance, high-altitude platform built for groundbreaking persistence,” Odysseus can effectively fly indefinitely, Aurora says, thanks its utilization of advanced solar cells, and its design, as it is built with lightweight materials.
“Odysseus offers persistence like no other solar aircraft of its kind, which is why it is such a capable and necessary platform for researchers,” says Aurora President and CEO John Langford.
