On Sunday, Jan. 5, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled a proposal for a $9 million investment to establish a small UAS experimentation and test facility at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, Oneida County.
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UAS
Red Cat to acquire FPV and drone racing hardware provider Rotor Riot
Red Cat Holdings Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire first person view (FPV) and drone racing hardware provider Rotor Riot.
Red Cat notes that from 2018 to 2019, Rotor Riot’s revenue grew approximately 44 percent year-over-year. Red Cat adds that its acquisition of Rotor Riot will provide the necessary resources and combined expertise to facilitate more growth for both companies.
“We believe this deal is another significant milestone in our strategy to fuel rapid growth,” says Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat.
Pierce Aerospace, DRONEDEK partner to advance commercial drone delivery using Remote ID
On the heels of the FAA's proposed rule for the remote identification of drones being printed in the Federal Register, Remote ID UAS Service Supplier (RID-USS) Pierce Aerospace has partnered with smart mailbox company DRONEDEK LLC to advance commercial drone delivery.
The partnership will result in Pierce Aerospace combining its Remote Identification expertise and technologies with DRONEDEK’s patent portfolio in last-mile logistics, which includes a drone mailbox system.
Industry now responding to proposed remote ID rule for drones
The Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rule for the remote identification of drones has now been printed in the Federal Register, giving interested parties 60 days to respond.
AUVSI is reviewing the rules and will be responding, but in the meantime President and CEO Brian Wynne said he welcomes the move.
“The importance of remote ID regulations cannot be overstated, as they are necessary to enable advanced and expanded operations such as flights over people and beyond line of sight," Wynne said.
GA-ASI, U.S. Army partner to enhance the capabilities and survivability of GE-ER UAS
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has partnered with the U.S. Army to enhance the capabilities and survivability of the MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) UAS.
GA-ASI has been awarded several contracts from the Army to upgrade the Gray Eagle ER’s avionics, datalinks and software, to ultimately improve the operational capability of the UAS in contested environments.
According to GA-ASI, the modernization initiative provides an “open architecture concept” on the aircraft that is capable of hosting government-owned software, as well as increased autonomy that is needed to support Scalable Control Interface, and the rapid integration of long-range sensors.
AFRL successfully completes initial flight tests for Ultra Long Endurance Aircraft Platform
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.
Altitude Angel to provide Netherlands' ANSP with its first nationwide UTM platform
Following an open and competitive tender process, Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) technology provider Altitude Angel has been awarded the contract to provide Netherlands’ Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (LVNL), with its first nationwide UTM platform.
Altitude Angel says that the technically advanced, nationwide, UTM platform that it is providing the Netherlands will serve as the foundation for the safe integration of UAS, helping to further increase the use of this technology in Dutch airspace for years to come.
PrecisionHawk to use latest funding to innovate software tool, accelerate sales initiatives
PrecisionHawk announced it has raised $32 million in its latest funding round, which it plans to use for several efforts, including the continued innovation of its software tool, PrecisionAnalytics, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help enterprises better use data collected by UAS to solve business challenges.
The financing will also be used to accelerate sales initiatives and further market expansion.
“This is an exciting time at PrecisionHawk and the commercial drone industry overall as adoption of drones continues to grow,” says Michael Chasen, CEO of PrecisionHawk.
Terra Drone creates new subsidiary to provide UAS mapping and inspection services to underground mines
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.
