On April 4, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.’s (GA‑ASI) Predator-series family of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)—made up of Predator, Predator B, Gray Eagle, and Avenger lines—reached the five million flight hour mark. At the time of the achievement, a total of 360,311 missions had been completed, with more than 90 percent of all missions flown in combat. “Five million flight hours is a testament to the reliability of our RPA systems that are designed, built, and maintained by a dedicated group of skilled and innovative professionals for operations around the world,” says Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI.

Service Electric TV2, which is considered the leader in local sports broadcasting in Lehigh Valley, has partnered with a company called Lehigh Valley Drone to add a UAS to its broadcasts of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs games. The Lehigh Valley Ironpigs are a Minor League Baseball team, and the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies. This will be the first time that a UAS is used to provide a live video feed to a professional sports team in Lehigh Valley. “We are adding a new dimension to an already excellent production,” says John Fries, Co-founder of Lehigh Valley Drone. “I’m super excited by our test shots and I think the viewers at home will be in for a special treat too.”

The University of Hawaiʻi Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) and the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation hosted their first-ever drone boot camp at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 30. Approximately 100 people attended the boot camp. Many of the people who attended the event were UAS owners, but realized that they were afraid to fly—and crash—their aircraft. So they went to the boot camp to receive expert instruction about piloting a UAS. Margo Edwards, director of ARL, says that many of the attendees told her that the boot camp was exactly what they needed. 

The Leavenworth Police Department in Leavenworth, Kansas has purchased two UAS. Equipped with video cameras but absent of infrared technology—that technology can be purchased, though—the UAS can be used for a variety of tasks, including providing aerial perspectives of large crime scenes or accident scenes, and helping search for children and disabled adults who have wandered off. The UAS, which were purchased for a total of $4,467, can also be used for tactical purposes, Nicodemus says, as they can provide an additional set of eyes and vantage that officers otherwise would not have during tactical situations.