sUAS News

The scene is mid-2020’s, a fleet of on-demand, quiet VTOL aircraft are whisking passengers over traffic and across urban landscapes. As innovators, Bell is advancing the art of aviation and as long-time leaders in vertical lift, Bell is developing new concepts of mobility to make moving people and products more efficient and effective. The concept […]

In a global first for the network, PwC UK has undertaken a stock count audit using a drone, as part of a wider drive to harness emerging technologies to enhance audit quality and efficiency and transform the audit process. Hemione Hudson, head of assurance at PwC, commented: “Technology is an enabler for positive change and […]

NovAtel® announced the award of a contract from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to design, produce and deliver 40 next-generation Ground Uplink Station (GUS) Signal Generators to support the FAA’s safety of life WAAS navigation service. The contract also includes ongoing engineering support services for NovAtel’s complete portfolio of Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) […]

SALINA — Unmanned aircraft systems, more commonly known as drones, are both popular gifts over the holiday season and a widespread hobby for flying enthusiasts. Many systems are sold and marketed as ready to fly; however, it is important that consumers are up to date with important regulations and safety practices. Kansas State University Polytechnic […]

Craig Jump – Turkey Red Media and Ecosse from Above 2018 has without a doubt been a dark year for the fledgeling commercial drone industry in the UK. Numerous reports of drones being used for carrying drugs into prisons, and then finally there was the Gatwick incident in Dec 2018. Many in the drone industry […]

Universities across the UK are unlocking the potential of the drone industry for their students by partnering with Commercial Drone Experts COPTRZ to provide bespoke training courses. These courses are providing students with learnings about topics such as airspace and air law, navigation, meteorology, safe setup and risk assessment. The Drone training courses have provided […]

Details are sparse but of the stories reaching me, this one seems to have provenance. It is alleged that the Police drones used at Gatwick were not looking for drones but for accomplices to a systems hack at the airport that prevented aircraft taking off and landing. The police were unsure if the hackers were inside […]

Infurnus a Drone firestarter Something top of mind every winter for me, wildfires and burning firebreaks to control the spread of any fires that might take hold in surrounding properties. I immediately understood I could use this device. (Well local fire fighting grown ups could) Remote Pilot and Skyline UAV are very proud to announce the […]

On December 24 2018, Beijing TT Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. held Product Release Conference in Beijing Headquarters, which focused on ‘Share profit, Shake hand, Shape market together’ with its customers and distributors worldwide. M6E-GX agriculture UAV, M4H petro-electric hybrid UAV, and other four UAVs were released on this conference. Pic 1: M6E-G100/200, New Control System Robust […]

The pre-Christmas chaos at Gatwick Airport well and truly threw the spotlight on drones … and the severe disruption and danger they can cause if misused. One of the top drone training companies in the UK is Yorkshire-based Flyby Technology (https://www.flybydronetraining.co.uk/), recognised experts within the industry who gave informed, expert comment to national and international […]

A grown-up is going to have to explain to me how companies, particularly Amazon in our space manage to receive patents for things that have prior art anyhooo. It does seem obvious to bundle a drone with a high-end smartphone but wonder why you would not simply partner with DJI and make a Samsung Mavic […]

All of them share a common thread of trying to make sense of the absurd, and suffering. Many of the great philosophers—Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Kant, and even Camus—all boil to down to contemplating the existence of God, a sprinkling of misogyny, a pack of Gauloises, and learning to cope with regret. I was on […]

VINCI Airports, a VINCI Concessions subsidiary, today signed an agreement to acquire from current shareholders an effective 50.01% stake in Gatwick Airport Limited, a freehold property airport. The transaction is expected to complete in the first half of 2019. The other 49.99% will be managed by Global Infrastructure Partners. VINCI Airports is pleased to partner […]

The 21st century has seen a continued emphasis on Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) and greater autonomy and automation for both military and civilian applications. Unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft are in varying stages of development all over the world, and continue to expand into the civil and military sectors for a variety of […]

On 2 October 2018, shortly after a reported drone assassination attempt on the life of the Venezuelan President, DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (“DroneShield” or the “Company”) announced an order for its DroneSentry™ drone mitigation system and DroneGun Tactical™ jammer products for use by a Central American government security agency. The announcement stated that the Company’s ability to fulfill the […]

Superintendent James Collis said “As part of our ongoing investigations into the criminal use of drones which has severely disrupted flights in and out of Gatwick Airport, Sussex Police made two arrests just after 10pm on 21 December. “Our investigations are still on-going, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect […]

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (Velodyne), the inventor and leader of the lidar sensor industry for autonomous vehicles (AV), today announced Nikon Corporation (Nikon) as a new strategic investor with an investment of $25M. The parties further announced they have begun discussions for a multifaceted business alliance. Nikon is one of the world’s leading suppliers of products and solutions based […]

Vigilant Aerospace Systems participated with Oklahoma State University (OSU) today in the first beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone flights authorized under a new, unique FAA Certificate of Authorization (COA) allowing flights in a 13-mile long corridor in central Oklahoma. The COA, released by the FAA on Dec. 6, 2018, allows the university to waive rules […]

Unifly, the leading drone traffic management provider, has raised a total of 14,6 mio Euro ( 16,8 mio US$ ) in a B-round, bringing the total invested capital so far to 21 mio Euro ( 26,5 mio US$ ) . Investors in this new round of financing include the existing shareholders QBIC, PMV, Terra Drone and the […]

Different partners from RAWFIE project visited BCN Drone Center for integration, testing and training sessions. RAWFIE (Road-, Air-, and Water- based Future Internet Experimentation) is a project funded by the European Commission (Horizon H2020 programme) under the Future Internet Research Experimentation (FIRE+) initiative. The project introduces a unique platform by integrating test beds of unmanned […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has posted a notice (PDF) in the Federal Register soliciting qualified candidates to serve on the Drone Advisory Committee(DAC). The committee provides an open venue for the FAA and stakeholders to identify and recommend consensus-based resolutions for issues related to integration of unmanned aircraft (UAS) into the National Airspace System. The notice explains the responsibilities associated with […]

As one of the staunchest opponents of working with China this article might seem like a complete 180 degrees from previous articles, but I have changed my mind. As my grandfather used to state “I change my mind often to keep it clean” another result of changing someone’s mind is that new information or data […]

CopKa is a BMWI funded project exploring the possibility of accompanying rescue operations with live images. Providing faster and more comprehensive information to mission control centers and additional participants in the rescue chain is the main goal. The data connection is achieved via satellite. In November 2018 the Trinity performed an 8km long BVLOS flight within the framework […]

AeroScope System Available For Remote Drone Identification DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, offers its assistance to authorities investigating the reported drone incursions at London’s Gatwick Airport. While DJI has no independent confirmation of what has occurred or what type of drone may be involved, the company is prepared to […]

As disruption continues at Gatwick Airport, our thoughts are with those passengers who are affected by the reported illegal use of at least one drone within the 1km restriction zone in effect, and the potential safety implications. This news broke in the late evening of the 19th December (and is still ongoing at the time of publication), when a […]

GENIUS NY, a business accelerator program at CenterState CEO’s Tech Garden, today announced the five finalists companies selected for its third round. These startup drone companies will participate in the year-long program and will compete for a total of $3 million in direct investment, with one grand prize of up to $1 million and four […]

A drone expert believes the Gatwick chaos may have been caused by someone deliberately targeting the airfield to cause as much disruption as possible. More than 2,000 flights have been grounded and all incoming flights diverted since 9pm last night after two drones were spotted flying inside the airfield boundary. The airport was closed all […]

In August of 2018, Microdrones partnered with Spatial Data Consultants (SDC), a full-service professional organization specializing in offering a variety of Photogrammetry, Surveying, Remote Sensing and GIS related services. Together SDC and Microdrones collaborated to bring the first mdLiDAR3000 to North Carolina. One of the benefits of working with Microdrones is that they have streamlined […]

A first-of-its-kind cutting-edge concept and technology received media attention last week as Northland, St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority unveiled the results of an ongoing project that has been in development since July. The project has the potential for extraordinary impact on industries using drone technology. The results will now be in […]

In the development of the parachute rescue systems of Drone Rescue Systems GmbH, the main focus was on the reliable, autonomous crash detection. A potential operation Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) should be possible in case of emergency. This orientation also applied, as the first drone-specific parachute system was developed: the DRS-M600 for the […]

DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today revealed the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual, a portable industrial drone equipped with powerful, side-by-side visual and thermal cameras that provide commercial pilots a reliable tool to operate better, safer and quicker in challenging environments. Developed in partnership with FLIR Systems, the Mavic 2 […]

The CAA is preparing to launch a new ‘Innovation in Aviation’ capability in April 2019, offering innovators the chance to discuss, explore, trial and test emerging concepts and technologies in aviation, where there are no current precedents or clear frameworks. One example is Urban Air Mobility (UAM), more commonly known as ‘flying taxis’. These types […]

FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) today announced three Neutrino™ midwave infrared (MWIR) camera cores: the small, lightweight FLIR Neutrino LC and two FLIR Neutrino Performance series cores, the SX12 and QX. The latest models expand the FLIR Neutrino cooled camera core family for commercial, industrial, and defense original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and system integrators. The […]

Terra Drone South Africa is happy to announce that we were corporate with Sibanye-Stillwater and had conducted the demonstration aimed to improve mining solutions. Terra Drone is a leading commercial drone technology company expanding to global with South Africa and other 9 branches in the world through mining oil &gas, electricity solutions. Sibanye-Stillwater is widely […]

SkyX achieves another significant milestone. This one took place on December 10, with four members of the SkyX team on Salt Spring Island – one of the Gulf Islands between the BC mainland and Vancouver Island. SkyX was there, along with other leading UAV companies, to partner with InDro Robotics. InDro is one of four companies […]

Introducing the first parachute system for the Mavic 2! Fruity Chutes was so excited when DJI launched the latest edition of the Mavic they got right to work on a parachute system for it. The Fruity Chutes Mavic 2 Automatic Emergency Drone Parachute is lightweight, easy to use, and reliable. Designed with ease of use […]

DroneMapper Rapid and Remote Expert Version 20181120 has been released. Please download the latest version here. This release has the latest UI modifications, back-end API performance enhancements and features. See the full changelog below: New orthomosaic functionality, multi-threading (BETA) Orthomosaic seamline feathering (BETA) Alternate initial tie-point computation by image center distance to neighbors Added functionality to […]

Right from the flight management app (Delair Flight Deck), the pilot can now easily leverage the dual communication capabilities of the Delair UX11 by simply switching from 2.4 GHz band used to communicate with the ground control station to cellular, even on-the-fly to keep continuous command and control of the drone. To make the aerial […]

DroneUp is pleased to announce it is collaborating with SkyWatch.AI to provide on-demand, automated flight insurance coverage to Part 107 pilots when they execute commercial missions delivered in the DroneUp app. The liability coverage will be carried by DroneUp at no additional charge to its participating drone pilots. After notifying, verifying and accepting a job […]

Kansas State University’s Polytechnic Campus is offering $500 scholarships to first responders interested in attending the small unmanned aircraft systems, or sUAS, commercial remote pilot training course in 2019. The available scholarships reduce the overall course cost by 50 percent and still cover the fee for the Federal Aviation Administration written exam at the completion of the course. […]

The FAA is dedicated to ensuring drones are able to operate safely in the same airspace with manned aircraft. The LAANC capability offers industry the opportunity to work with the agency as we develop a UAS traffic management system. Companies approved to provide LAANC Services are known as Approved UAS Service Suppliers (USS). How to participate? The FAA plans to host two USS application periods a year, each consisting […]

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and National Air Traffic Services Ltd (NATS) are working collaboratively with all stakeholders to support the implementation of Aeronautical Data Quality requirements in the United Kingdom by providing regulatory oversight of data chains from origination to publication by Aeronautical Information Services (AIS). NATS as the service provider (AISP) is […]

DJI and SkyPixel, the world’s most popular aerial photography community, are kicking off their annual SkyPixel Aerial Photo & Video Contest. Running from December 18, 2018 to February 18, 2019, the contest is a showcase for the world captured from above, and welcomes submissions from professional photographers, videographers, aerial enthusiasts and content creators around the […]

DroneShield has today released an ASX announcement with regards to its teaming agreement with Kuwait’s Zain Group. The announcement is as follows: DroneShield Ltd (the “Company” or “DroneShield”) is pleased to announce that, following the execution of a Teaming Agreement with Kuwait’s Zain Group (“Zain”), a US$7 billion leader in telecommunications in the Middle East, […]

Up and coming drone racing brand, Archangel FPV LLC, recently announced the release of their racing drone lineup. The new limited edition drones were conceived to commemorate the 2018 DHL Champions Series fueled by Mountain Dew and was presented by DR1 Racing. The Archangel drone was first unveiled during the airing of Season 2 of […]

The Spanish Armed Forces, through the DGAM (Dirección General de Armamento y Materiales), has acquired two Alpha 800 UAV helicopters from Alpha Unmanned Systems, SL (AUS). The Alpha 800 is a tactical 14 kg gasoline powered helicopter that provides 3 hours of continuous flight with a 3 kg payload and 30 km of operating range. It […]

DJI, the world’s leader in creative camera technology, today launched the new DJI Pro website https://pro.dji.com. Since the introduction of the Z15 three-axis aerial gimbal in 2014, DJI has been committed to providing reliable and easy-to-use tools for creative visionaries. The DJI Pro website continues that commitment, providing a comprehensive user experience for cinematographers and filmmakers […]

Inpho version 9 combines the classical photogrammetric capabilities with modern 3D workflows, all in a single software environment. The new MATCH-3DX module incorporates state-of-the-art Semi Global Matching (SGM) techniques that enable photogrammetrists to reach a new level of quality and precision when generating large scale point clouds and true orthophotos from aerial (frame) images. With […]

Wing is reshaping the future of delivery. We are an on-demand drone delivery service that can deliver food, medicine or other items within minutes. We’ve also developed an unmanned traffic management platform–a kind of air traffic control for unmanned aircraft–to safely route drones through the sky. Our service is faster, safer and produces far less […]

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) yesterday named Chad Budreau as its new Executive Director. Budreau has held this position on an interim basis since April 2018, and previously served as AMA’s Public Relations and Government Affairs Director. “With Chad’s extensive experience in model aviation and deep understanding of AMA’s mission, he […]