UAS
UAS
AeroVironment awarded $45 million contract for its RQ-11B Raven small UAS
AeroVironment has announced that on July 25, it received a firm fixed-price contract award for $45,190,881 for its RQ-11B Raven small UAS and initial spares packages.
Impossible Aerospace's US-1 crosses northern Nevada desert without recharging
Impossible Aerospace has announced that its US-1 “flying battery” quadcopter is the first aircraft of its kind to cross the northern Nevada desert without recharging.
The feat was accomplished on Aug. 6 during repeated 72-minute flights across the playa.
“The US-1 is the first major breakthrough in drone performance since the introduction of the quadcopter,” says Spencer Gore, CEO.
“More importantly, is the first battery-electric aircraft to rival the performance of a conventionally powered system.”
UAVOS, ISR Unmanned Technologies introduce new unmanned helicopter
UAVOS and ISR Unmanned Technologies Ltd. have developed a new unmanned helicopter called ISR-350-5, which is designed for commercial and security operations.
Expected to be manufactured and assembled in the United Kingdom, the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft has undergone extensive research, development and innovation, which has led to improvements to all its systems including the mechanics, the on-board electronics and the available payloads.
UAVOS says the UAS offers “a solution for the new medium-sized unmanned helicopter tailored specifically to the requirements of the commercial and civil operations.”
Unmanned vehicles to change the way we fight our wars
Unmanned vehicles “are going to change the way we fight our wars,” according to Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, Director of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) – Cross Functional Team (CFT), U.S. Army Futures Command.
Among the many ways this technology could help soldiers on the battlefield is by taking them out of precarious situations and conducting dangerous operations.
While robots will not save the number of people needed, they “will save the people you have by managing risks,” Coffman said during his keynote address on the final day of AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense. Protection. Security in Washington.
DOD plans 'trusted capital' program to match small UAS makers with investors
The U.S. Department of Defense will roll out a "trusted capital" program this fall aimed at bolstering the domestic industrial base for small unmanned aircraft, said Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.
Lord, kicking off the first day of AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense. Protection. Security in Washington, saying, "we are not innovating on the business side of things as quickly as technology is being innovated and applied to warfighter missions."
North Dakota UAS IPP, Xcel Energy receive waivers to conduct wider range of UAS flights without visual observers
On Friday, Aug. 16, Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota announced that the FAA has issued waivers for North Dakota’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) and electric services company Xcel Energy, which will allow each entity to conduct a wider range of UAS flights without a chase plane or other visual observers.
“These updated waivers for the North Dakota IPP and Xcel Energy are a big win, and with them in place, companies across the country should recognize that our state is the location of choice for advanced UAS operations,” Senator Hoeven says.
AATI, partners test delivering emergency supplies to first responders via UAS
American Aerospace Technologies Inc. (AATI) and its subsidiary company, Sky Scape Industries (SSI), recently successfully tested the concept of using UAS to deliver emergency supplies to first responders after disasters on behalf of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
On July 24 and 25, AATI and SSI completed two UAS research flights at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal in Cape May, New Jersey. Other entities involved in the testing included the New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey Innovation Institutes Unmanned Aviation Systems Test Site, the Delaware River & Bay Authority and the DLA.
Four Virginia companies chosen for new initiative to improve state agency access to UAS service providers
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has announced a contract that will improve state agency access to UAS service providers.
Considered a first for the UAS industry, the initiative now connects state agencies with approved vendors, which will allow state agencies to have “more affordable access” to problem solving data and imagery, CIT says.
Four Virginia companies— Draper Aden Associates, DroneUp LLC, ERUdyne Inc., and SkyShots—were chosen for the initiative.
Causey Aviation Unmanned, Flytrex to begin delivering food via UAS in NC
The FAA has granted UAS services company Causey Aviation Unmanned Inc. (CAU) and Flytrex permission to begin using UAS to make food deliveries in Holly Springs, North Carolina.
The flights, which will be conducted under the UAS Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP), will be a collaborative effort between CUA, Flytrex, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the Town of Holly Springs, and Kite Realty Group Trust.
