FAA UAS Symposium 2020
UAS
UAS
Schiebel's Camcopter S-100 UAS provides situational information during toxic pollution crisis in Malaysia
During the Kim Kim river toxic pollution crisis in Malaysia last year, Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 UAS was used to provide critical situational information, the company has announced.
Last March, more than two tons of illegal chemical waste were dumped in the Kim Kim river, which is located near Johor Malaysia, the largest industrial area in the South of Malaysia. This resulted in toxic fumes being released throughout the adjoining area, which impacted more than 6,000 people, resulting in many being hospitalized, and several schools being closed.
Silent Falcon UAS E1 surpasses 500 hours of successful flight testing and operations
Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (SFUAS) has announced that the Silent Falcon E1 UAS has completed 500 hours of successful flight testing and operations.
The solar electric, fixed wing UAS is considered an ideal platform to use to collect data in both harsh and peaceful environments, thanks in large part to its payload capacity of 20 pounds and its ceiling of 20,000 feet above ground level (AGL). The UAS is also noise and emission free, and it provides long range, low cost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
Simlat delivers small UAS simulation platform to FAA UAS simulation lab
Simlat has announced the delivery of its small UAS simulation platform to the UAS simulation lab at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC) NextGen Integration & Evaluation Capability (NIEC).
Compliant with the MAVLink protocol, the Simlat INTER simulator can easily be integrated to UAS control software that supports MAVLink such as UgCS and MissionPlanner.
Using the AviationSimNet standard, INTER was also integrated to the FAA simulation infrastructure as part of this delivery, which will allow distributed exercises and experiments with other FAA simulations.
Swift Tactical Systems to launch comprehensive UAS program in Bahamas following contract award
Following a multi-agency selection process that saw it beat out 25 other companies, Swift Engineering subsidiary Swift Tactical Systems has been awarded a $17 million contract to launch a comprehensive UAS program for the Bahamas government agencies and ministries.
55 short and medium-range UAS will be purchased for the multi-agency UAS program. Immediate surveillance capabilities will be available, training and support will be provided, and a regional UAS academy will be established as part of the program.
The UAS will be available for use by all law enforcement agencies, immigration and customs, corrections facilities, and the military for a variety of activities.
University of Louisiana Monroe team trains Louisiana law enforcement and first responders in UAS tech
A team from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) Precision AG and UAS Research Center recently provided UAS training to a select group of Louisiana law enforcement, firefighters and first responders.
The training class was led by Paul Karlowitz, who has been teaching about aviation and UAS technology in the College of Business and Social Sciences for more than 20 years at ULM. Karlowitz helped establish and became director of operations for the ULM Precision AG and UAS Research Center in 2014.
State of South Dakota signs Participating Addendum for UAS services with DroneUp
DroneUp has announced that the State of South Dakota has signed a Participating Addendum for the NASPO ValuePoint contract for UAS services, established as the Contract Number 17379.
According to DroneUp, this starts the offering for the purchase of complete UAS platforms to all state agencies, commissions, political subdivisions, institutions, and local public bodies allowed by law. DroneUp notes that this award is the first of its kind for the UAS industry.
Sec. Chao releases version 4.0 of federal AV guidelines
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced the fourth iteration of the federal automated vehicle policy during a keynote speech at CES 2020.
Named Automated Vehicles 4.0: Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies, the guidance streamlines federal guidance for 38 government agencies, departments, commissions and others, Chao said, and is aimed at maintaining highway safety while allowing development on AVs to flourish.
"The takeaway from AV 4.0 is that the federal government is all in for safer, better and more inclusive transportation, aided by automated driving systems," she said.
Embry-Riddle, Florida Polytechnic partner to advance safety of autonomous airborne systems
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is joining forces with Florida Polytechnic University to advance the safety of autonomous airborne systems.
Through a memorandum of understanding, the universities will collaborate on the advancement of the research and application of “cutting-edge” autonomous technology.
“Embry-Riddle is excited to combine our strength in airborne autonomous systems with the Florida Polytechnic Advanced Mobility Institute’s expertise in verifying and validating new autonomous technologies,” says Embry-Riddle’s Associate Provost for Research Dr. Remzi Seker.
UAVOS' R-22 unmanned helicopter designed for humanitarian and disaster relief missions
UAVOS has converted the Robinson manned helicopter into an unmanned helicopter known as R-22.
Designed for cargo delivery, as well as humanitarian and disaster relief applications, the UAS has several features that make it ideal for these operations, including a range of up to 1,020 kilometers, a payload capacity of 400 pounds, and an endurance capability of six hours.
“The cargo companies only make money when that cargo gets to its destination, and our R-22 is their “guarantee” at any time, and any weather conditions, which makes it a very attractive prospect for any cargo company,” says UAVOS’s CEO Aliaksei Stratsilatau.
