sUAS News

Zain Group (“Zain”), a leading Middle Eastern mobile and data services operator headquartered in Kuwait has entered into a Teaming Agreement with DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (“DroneShield”), a worldwide leader in counter-drone solutions, which will see the companies working together on meeting Zain’s customers’ requirements for counter-drone security solutions in the region. In October 2018, Zain Group announced the […]

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both defense and commercial applications, today announced it is supporting the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program to assess the environmental impact of the Woolsey wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area of Southern California. Burning over 96,949 acres, the devastating […]

Marking a truly historic moment in the sUAS history, NYPD has officially and publicly announced their addition of “crime-fighting drones” to their ranks. Led by their Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU), NYPD has added 14 drones to their arsenal to assist with their operations. FLYMOTION is pleased to have provided the consultation, equipment, training, and […]

Award-winning company Heliguy has entered into a strategic partnering agreement with Survey Solutions Scotland – the sole UK distributor for Delair UAV fixed-wing products – to offer clients the long-range, BVLOS-ready Delair UX11. This state-of-the-art UAV is a professional aircraft suitable for large-area mapping, with BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight)-ready capabilities and optional PPK (post-processed kinematic) for survey-grade results. Ruairi Hardman, […]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Aerial Media (AAM) in collaboration with Advanced Aerial Education (AAE) is the first small unmanned aircraft service company in Alaska to obtain a certificate of waiver (COW) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operations over people in the State of Alaska. The provisions of the waiver incorporate the scenario-based end […]

NASA has partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, to successfully demonstrate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (known as UAS, or drones) on a use case to support emergency response and disaster recovery activities. This test, which happened in October 2018, connected JAXA’s Disaster Relief Aircraft Information Sharing Network, or D-NET, […]

SPH Engineering is announcing the latest update of its Drone Show Software — the world’s only widely available software for drone show management and control. Rotating dance moves, smoother movement and a virtual fence — the new Drone Show Software update focuses on making choreography even more precise, on viewer security, and on making drone shows easily […]

This program is under the governance of the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) which is working with ANRA Technologies as a UTM service provider (UTMSP) along with support from the appropriate UK Government regulators as well as an Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) and other stakeholders. Currently, numerous UTM services are developing independently of any framework – potentially resulting in […]

Airbus Defence and Space announced the opening of the world’s first High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) flight base serving as the launch site for the Zephyr UAV in Wyndham, Western Australia. This site has been chosen due to its largely unrestricted airspace and reliable weather and is the result of significant investment by Airbus into its […]

Here is your chance to sit down and break pancakes with some of the people you have read stories about in the sUAS News over the last year. You never know: you may be sitting next to a few existentialists eating pigs in a blanket. But there won’t be any drone nihilists at this breakfast […]

Nevis Environmental provides survey services and specialist management of environmental issues across a project lifecycle from its offices in the Highlands and North of England. They were delighted to sign a memorandum of understanding with ROAVR – an aerial data provider to form a partnership to market the use of drones in environmental and ecological surveys […]

Measure, a leading international provider of aerial intelligence, has completed a drone flight in the DC Metropolitan Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ) as a result of a waiver granted by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Systems Operations Security unit. Washington DC’s FRZ was put in place in 2007 and prohibits aviation operations outside of the Department of […]

Vodafone is conducting 4G drone test trials at the BCN Drone Center to enable the massive use of drones in the near future. Soon, all drones equipped with a 5G SIM card will be able to be controlled and geo-localized simultaneously. This will also enable the possibility of landing them in case of accessing restricted areas […]

Dronefly.com is an innovative and exciting place to work for tech geeks and drone nerds. We love learning about new technologies and helping our customers find the perfect solution to fit their needs. Over the past four years, we have been recognized as a top DJI and FLIR Dealer and are still growing very rapidly! […]

UAVOS Inc. has successfully tested the new GLIDER flight algorithm for the VTOL UAV, featuring a high level of safety in case of failures of the UAV power plant in flight. Flight mode GLIDER not only allows the helicopter to automatically switch into autorotation mode when the engine fails, it also protects the power unit […]

africanDRONE (aD) is seeking a part-time (4 half-days per week) Project Manager in Nairobi, Kenya to assist the ExCo Fellow with project related tasks, but also independently grow the organisation. The Project Manager will be working directing with the ExCo Fellow but will be reporting into the COO in Cape Town. aD is incubated and supported by Code for Africa, […]

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Polytechnic University of Turin in order to establish an official partnership in the fields of education and research. Celebrating the partnership, DJI has launched a short film that shows how drones are being used in a theoretical and […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced Earl Lawrence’s promotion to the Agency’s Executive Director for Aircraft Certification. Lawrence was previously Executive Director for the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office. He succeeds Dorenda Baker, who retired Nov. 30 after a distinguished aviation safety career. Jay Merkle, Deputy Vice President […]

As event organisers look for new ways to amaze their customers, drone shows are becoming more popular than ever. Hundreds of light pixels in the sky, composing intricate patterns, words or even portraits in a delicate dance. Drone shows used to be a thing from the future, but in the past few years, they have […]

Like many people on November 8th, 2018, I was glued to the news about the explosive Camp Fire burning through the town of Paradise, California. At that point, I didn’t know just how devastating the fire would be, let alone that it would become the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. No one […]

Flock have partnered with ICARUS, a leading commercial flight school in the UK, to provide free drone insurance to training pilots. Today, Flock have announced that they have teamed up with ICARUS, an industry renowned commercial drone flight school. Working together, the two companies are lowering the barriers to entry for pilots entering the UK’s […]

The British public remains sceptical about the use of drones, according to the latest figures released by the air traffic management service, NATS. Almost 80% of the 1,000 people surveyed by Ipsos MORI as part of NATS’ annual Aviation Index expressed concerns around privacy, while almost three quarters felt drones pose an ongoing safety risk […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) received a Special Airworthiness Certification in the Experimental Category from the FAA for its second MQ-9B SkyGuardian aircraft. The company-owned Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) – registered as N191FP and known as YBC02 – joins the first SkyGuardian in support of the MQ-9B development program. This certification permits YBC02 to […]

Lexington, Kentucky: Mobile Recon Systems today announces a new unmanned multi-rotor air vehicle (UAV) capable of lifting more than its own weight. This model, called “Dauntless”, is designed to set new records for what multi-rotor UAVs can carry. At 78 pounds, the Dauntless has easily lifted an additional payload of 100 pounds as a tethered quadcopter. […]

One of the new FAA mantras trifecta is “standards,” the other two are “we’re open for business” and “bring us a safety case.” I’ve touched on these before, and I’ll be writing another article addressing the absurdity (the good Lord knows we need some FAA leadership) as soon as I get done counting up my […]

ALTI UAS, world-leading unmanned aircraft developer and manufacturing company, launches a Search and Rescue version of the ALTI Transition VTOL UAV. This comes after some of the worst fires in South African history recently swept through the area. The ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is a specific version of the ALTI Transition designed for search and rescue missions. […]

Klau Geomatics, industry leader in PPK hardware and post-processing software, announced today its new PPK software for the DJI Phantom4 RTK drone. The software enables professional users to achieve the most accurate and reliable results with their P4RTK drone without running it in RTK mode. RTK requires continuous communication between the drone and base station, […]

Drone Delivery Canada ‘DDC or the Company’ (TSX.V:FLT OTC: TAKOF), is pleased to announce that Air Canada Cargo’s, Mr. Tim Strauss, has joined DDC’s Advisory Board to assist the Company to execute its commercial strategy. Mr. Strauss currently serves as Vice President of Cargo for Air Canada, Canada’s largest domestic and international airline. Air Canada serves more than 200 airports on six […]

A “Certifiable” (STANAG 4671-compliant) Ground Control Station (C-GCS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) was used for the first time on October 4 to fly a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). The flight originated from Yuma, Arizona and flew GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPA. Aircraft flight critical functions were tested successfully, including hold modes, landing gear, flap operation, and […]

Post-FAA 2018 Reauthorization Drone Symposium and Pancake Breakfast. The venue is in the new US epicentre of Drones—Los Angeles, California, December 7th, 2018. We will meet for breakfast at the world famous Dinah’s Family Restaurant for pancakes, or pigs in a blanket if you’re not into the whole breakfast brevity thing. After breakfast, the […]

Drone Delivery Systems and FlytBase have just announced a partnership for the development of a precision landing kit, compatible with any delivery drone, to allow for secure and precise drone delivery to AirBox Home. AirBox is the world’s first smart drone delivery mailbox. Today, drones are readily being used to make deliveries in the medical […]

Sagetech Corporation, a maker of certified UAV avionics, this month demonstrated NATO Mode 5 encrypted interrogations/replies with a device weighing less than 6 ounces. The MX12B is an aviation transponder that enables small unmanned aircraft to interoperate in NATO military airspace, at minimal weight-cost. The event was hosted at a government facility near Patuxent River […]

SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is pleased to announce the use of Correlator3DTM for a large-scale project by First Base Solutions. The software allowed the processing of 50,000 large-format images at 200MP, collected at a 10cm resolution, on a single standard PC. The size on disk for each image consisted of 765MB, […]

Disappointing results in light of a significant consumer drone market contraction Net income affected by the impairment of goodwill Development of a unique portfolio of companies focused exclusively on drones Action plan to retain €100m of cash by end-2019 Henri Seydoux, Parrot’s Chairman, CEO and leading shareholder, explains: “The end of this year is being complicated by a […]

Terra Drone Ltd, a global company with its headquarters in Japan, has acquired a majority stake in the leading European drone service provider Skeye. Skeye will become the European headquarters of Terra Drone. With this acquisition, Terra Drone has become one of the largest drone service company with more than 250 employees and presence in […]

On Wednesday 21st November 2018, to an exclusive delegation of over 120 influential people involved in the drone industry, Altitude Angel, NATS, Manchester Airport and our delivery partners collectively and successfully staged “Operation Zenith”: the most comprehensive demonstration of a UTM platform’s ability to unlock the full potential of drones. From all around the world, delegates […]

This course focuses on the knowledge and skills required by personnel who may be involved with Autonomous Vehicle or UAS operations – investigating future occurrences involving these systems, and those exploring the potential application of drones for accident investigation purposes. This practical course benefits from significant participation by members of the RPAS industry, academics working […]

e2E Satcom Limited (e2E), a UK-based provider of low-cost, solutions to the satellite communications industry has successfully completed its first over-the-air flight test of their newly launched UAS-I SATCOM communication node for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). This is based on e2E’s innovative e2Eaccess technology that has low size, weight and power at its core. e2E […]

Operation Zenith, an ambitious drone demonstration at Manchester Airport, has shown that drones can be flown safely alongside manned aircraft in controlled airspace. The drones, overseen by NATS air traffic controllers communicating with drone operators via Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM Airspace Management Operating System, successfully demonstrated how a series of on-airfield tasks can be performed without […]

It is with a deal of sadness that I must report that the P1.HH Hammerhead maybe no more. Italian manufacturer Piaggio Aerospace has asked to be put in receivership. A delay by the Italian Airforce in picking up the speedy canard is being blamed. Patrick and I marvelled at the Hammerhead when it made it’s […]

In partnership with Cobham and Starburst, Inmarsat’s UAV Pop-up lab is an initiative to demonstrate the value of resilient satellite communications in the unmanned aerial vehicle sector, with a focus on beyond line of sight (BLOS) and remote operation connectivity on platforms above 5 kilogrammes in payload mass. Five companies will be selected to integrate […]

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and SparkCognition today announced plans to launch SkyGrid, a new company that will enable the future of urban aerial mobility. Based in Austin, Texas, SkyGrid will develop a software platform to ensure the safe, secure integration of autonomous cargo and passenger air vehicles in the global airspace. Using blockchain technology, AI-enabled dynamic traffic routing, data […]

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today demonstrated how its AeroScope remote identification technology can be a key element in an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system that safely integrates drones and traditional aircraft into the same airspace. The AeroScope solution was featured in Operation Zenith, a full-scale test of how […]

UMS SKELDAR, the world-class provider of rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) solutions and avionics software, has joined forces with ESG to spotlight capabilities of UMAT rotary VTOL UAV, based on the UMS SKELDAR R-350, in pioneering airborne teaming with German Armed Forces helicopter. UMS SKELDAR has joined forces with partner ESG to complete a range of […]

ISO Draft International Standards for Drone Operations are formally released today for a public consultation, with drone professionals, academics, businesses and the general public is invited to submit comments by 21 Jan 2019 with final adoption of these Standards expected in the US, UK and worldwide in 2019. Today’s announcement by ISO is the first […]

TOOELE CITY- Deseret UAS has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) company, ElectraFly. This Utah-based company is developing a personal flying vehicle that has the potential to revolutionize the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry. Under the agreement, ElectraFly will begin flight testing on Deseret UAS ranges early next year. This […]

* This was written before the DJI and Airmap break up, Red Hat, IBM buy out and Uplift four-person onboarding. Things happen so fast around here; it changes by the day. Red Hat got enough bread from IBM that they could put PH on life-support for just about ever and not bat an eye. So, […]

InstantEye Robotics is pleased to announce it has secured a contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in support of PMA-263, the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Program Office, to field 32 InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 sUAS systems (64 aircraft). This procurement is being executed in support of a United States […]

vHive, the developer of a cloud-based software solution that enables enterprises to deploy autonomous drone hives to digitize their field operations and assets, announced today the enhancement of its fully automated workflow for cell tower inspection using drones to also support guy wire towers. “Millions of cell towers worldwide require ongoing inspection and surveying as […]