sUAS News

UMS SKELDAR provides modified R-350 to ESG for use as Unmanned Mission Avionics Test Helicopter (UMAT); concludes successful first flight demonstration with The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support UMS SKELDAR and key partner ESG (ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH) have successfully completed a week of flight demonstrations with the new R-350 […]

To kick off the holiday season, Epson announced today the launch of its consumer rebate program, offering a $100 discount for those purchasing its award-winning Epson ® Moverio ® BT-300FPV Smart Glasses (FPV/Drone Edition).The promotion is available now and will be applied instantly at point-of- sale (POS) through the end of December. The Epson Moverio […]

Kittyhawk, the leader in commercial drone operations and management, today announced Flight Profiles, a key new feature to its expanding enterprise platform. After collaborating with customers, it became clear that as more organizations teams leave the “freelancer” or “contractor” model and begin to train more employees to fly, that a set of “common-sense” presets was […]

Neil Ludwig “Owning a drone does not a pilot make” (Morritt, 2017). Why does only answering a few questions give someone the ability to fly through the skies like piloted aircraft? The ability to obtain a Part 107 Remote Pilot License could be made more difficult and like manned aircraft have harsher penalties for violations […]

SkyX Systems Corporation, the Canadian leader in long-range unmanned aerial monitoring and data collection, is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed an unmanned data collection flight of 100km, one of the longest journeys in its class. Taking place in Mexico, the firm successfully flew its SkyOne Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) on an autonomous data mission […]

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) issued today a call for participants for its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC). The announcement follows the UASSC’s kick-off meeting held September 28 in Washington, DC. The UASSC’s mission is to coordinate and accelerate the development of the standards and conformity assessment programs needed to facilitate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – […]

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo:7272) announced on December 4 that it will exhibit a wide-ranging lineup of five models at the CES 2018 tradeshow in Las Vegas, U.S.A., including autonomous-drive 2- and 4-wheelers, a motorcycle-riding robot, and a drone and an unmanned helicopter, both for industrial use. CES 2018, the world’s largest consumer electronics tradeshow, will take place from January […]

KapetAir is a Danish/Croatian startup based at UAS Denmark test center and focused on the development of versatile fixed-wing VTOL drone for commercial remote sensing applications whether they are mapping, precision agriculture or industrial inspections. KapetAir VTOL has combined the best of multirotors and fixed-wings into a configuration that is both fully autonomous and has a long […]

Martek Aviation is now accepting CV’s from suitably qualified UAV pilots for the role of Deputy Chief Pilot. Applicants must have a good working knowledge of the UK and European rules and regulations along with a sound understanding of BVLOS operations. You should have a minimum of 500 hrs of BVLOS operational experience, ideally in […]

The XRay UAS has been built from the ground up to deliver extremely high-quality data collection in a wide range of operating environments. The airframe features full composite construction, including Kevlar fiber control hinges for rugged performance. The high strength to weight of the materials ensures optimum flight efficiency and durability in use. It’s design […]

Congress Must Protect the Traveling Public by Allowing FAA to Regulate Hobby Drones WASHINGTON––Capt. Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), issued the following statement regarding this week’s findings from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directed study that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) may damage aircraft more than bird strikes during collisions. […]

DJI is introducing new features to the DJI AeroScope remote identification system that functions as an “electronic license plate” for drones. The new features allow drone pilots to voluntarily identify their flight operations to authorities while still protecting their privacy. AeroScope is a system that remotely identifies and tracks airborne drones, allowing law enforcement and […]

Leading air traffic services provider, NATS, is serving up a festive treat for drone enthusiasts young and old this Christmas with the launch of a fun and competitive online game, Drone Run. With the number of drone-related airspace incidents on the increase, NATS is committed to taking a leading role in encouraging responsible drone use. […]

Global UAV Technologies Ltd. (CSE: UAV, OTC: YRLLF, FSE: YAB2) (the “Company” or “Global UAV”) is pleased to announce that on November 21, 2017 NOVAerial demonstrated the flight capabilities of the Procyon 800E to the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and various members of the Department of National Defence. The Company was represented at […]

“That’s not gonna fly”. It’s often something you hear when things seem impossible. It’s definitely what most people thought when we were asked to get high-speed broadband to the tiny village of Pontfadog – deep in the heart of rural North Wales. Skip forward a few months and we’d already engineered a link to the […]

QinetiQ Target Systems (QTS) has introduced a new service to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) by emulating the threat posed to large naval vessels by small multi-rotor drones. The live demonstration was carried out in November 2017 from a Halifax-class frigate under the C$8.5M Unmanned Targets Repair, Overhaul and Engineering contract, awarded to QTS in […]

Cyberhawk Innovations, a market leader in inspection and survey using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), has completed another world first for the drone industry, this time in the nuclear energy sector. Cyberhawk inspected two concrete PWR containment domes for American Electric Power at the Cook Nuclear Plant, located along Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline. Although drones have […]

Two multirotor drones powered by Hybrid system successfully crossed the 62 miles (100 km) China Bohai Sea, from Shandong Yantai to Dalian Lushun Port, one non-stop flight of 2 hours 55 minutes. The world’s longest electric driven multirotor sea flight record was created. This 8.8 lbs (4 kg) hybrid heart provided power for extremely long […]

Following the launch of the Industrial Strategy White Paper, Business Secretary Greg Clark has today announced £53.7m of funding for seven R&D projects to grow innovation in the aerospace sector. This is part of government’s work with industry through the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and grow high value […]

Telecom Technical College offers the Qualified Drone Cell Tower Operator (QDCO) is an entry-level certification into both the Wireless Cell Tower Industry and Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS or drone) commercial operations. The 122-hour QDCO Certificate course will allow the technician the ability to perform safely, understand the basic requirements, personal protective equipment, and tasks […]

Terra Drone Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese industrial drone service provider, and KDDI Corporation, a Japanese telecommunications operator succeeded in a fully autonomous flight experiment of “Smart Drone” using “3D map” and “Drone Port.” As a result of the experiment, the world’s first long-distance drone flight of about 6.3 km via the “Drone Port” which […]

Yates Electrospace Corporation’s Silent Arrow® Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Wins United States Marine Corps Phase 2 Flight Test Program. Yates Electrospace Corporation (YEC) have announced that the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) has selected the company’s Silent Arrow® product line of autonomous cargo aircraft for a 12-month flight test program. Under the contract, YEC engineers […]

Blue Marble Geographics is pleased to announce the release of version 19 of the Global Mapper LiDAR Module. This comprehensive point cloud processing tool introduces a powerful new function for creating a 3D point cloud from an array of overlapping images. Ideally suited for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators, this Pixels-to-Points tool effectively transforms simple drone-collected images […]

LAS VEGAS – The International Drone Racing Association (IDRA), in partnership with the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, will hold its semi-professional world championship, 2017 Challengers Cup Finals, in Exhibit Hall C and D Friday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Jan. 20. Tickets are on sale now for $20 and available through the South Point […]

Texo Drone Survey and Inspection Ltd (Texo DSI) continuous commitment to pushing the envelope of unmanned aerial vehicle services, has gone even further with the addition of long range VTOL UHS (Unmanned Helicopter System) capability. The company has made a strategic procurement decision to acquire the High Eye HEF 32 Unmanned Helicopter – making it […]

In this third article about surviving in the competitive drone industry, we’re going to look at INNOVATION, a concept designed to make yourself distinguishable in the market. So you now have your plan and it’s sound. As you work up to legal commercial drone operations you will have looked around you and seen lots of other […]

RALEIGH – As drones, also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), become more common, North Carolina’s laws are changing to stay up-to-date with this fast-growing industry. Two laws that were passed in July will take effect on Friday, Dec. 1. House Bill 128 prohibits drone use near prisons, jails and any other correction or containment facility. Near is defined as […]

MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. Russia’s concern Kalashnikov (an affiliate of Rostec) is creating a provider of a variety of services in the unmanned aircraft market segment, the concern’s press-service told TASS. Kalashnikov has plans for manufacturing drones and provides the full range of maintenance and repair services to any customers interested. The specialists of the […]

uAvionix Corporation – a leading provider of communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) solutions for manned and unmanned aircraft – announced today it has closed a $5 million round of funding led by new investor Airbus Ventures and with continuing participation from existing investors Playground Global and Redpoint Ventures. uAvionix also expects to announce additional participants in this Series B round shortly. This […]

By: Michael Keller When he was young, Basil Weibel wanted to understand the world and solve problems. He went on to complete three degrees and to design an innovative drone. Today, he is CEO of ETH spin-off Wingtra – and, according to Forbes, one of Europe’s 30 most influential entrepreneurs under the age of 30 this […]

The UK’s Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority have announced measures that will start to address drone safety concerns in its draft ‘Drone Bill’, scheduled to be published in spring 2018. As makers of Drone Assist – the app used by tens-of-thousands of drone pilots in the UK every day, partners in the UK’s Drone Industry Action Group, members […]

Drone technology is advancing rapidly. UK cities now have a unique opportunity to shape this disruptive technology, in order to maximise the economic and social benefits it could bring, whilst ensuring safety. Led by cities, Flying High will position the UK to become a global leader in shaping drone systems that place people’s needs first. […]

Terra Drone Co., Ltd., the leading Japanese commercial drone service company, has commercialized UTM(Unmanned Traffic Management)system for the first time in Korea collaborating with LG U+, a South Korean cellular carrier owned by LG Corporation. On November 21st, 2017, LG U+ CEO Kwon Young-Soo announced that LG U+ began “U+ Smart Drone UTM System,” which […]

Police are set to be given powers to prevent the unsafe or criminal use of drones as part of a new package of legislation. The measures are intended to allow drone users to continue flying safely and legally, helping to place the UK at the forefront of the fast-growing drone industry. This will also pave […]

Consortiq is pleased to announce that it was crowned best cloud services provider at the Digital Experience Awards in London for its drone operations management software,CQNet. Beating a number of highly-respected competitors in the same category, Consortiq proved that CQNet is an innovative digital capability that is disrupting the way in which drone operators manage […]

COPTRZ have been announced as the exclusive supplier of UAV solutions to Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset Police. The force will be expanding their fleet in the coming months with the purchase of a range of specialist UAVs equipped with optical zoom and thermal imaging capabilities. Earlier this year Devon & Cornwall Police and […]

Recent news and blog coverage of DJI has raised a number of key questions about DJI’s practices regarding cyber security and privacy. We recognize that there are several reasonable concerns brought up about DJI’s record in this space, so we’d like to set the record straight on the current state of DJI’s security efforts. […]

ASTM International’s committee on unmanned aircraft systems (F38) held a successful meeting at Virginia Tech last week that included significant progress in standards development and live demonstrations. “Industry leaders and users in the drone community attended this meeting, and they made huge strides in launching new efforts, advancing existing efforts, and revising standards that were already in place,” says Philip Kenul, senior vice president of aviation […]

For the first time ever on Sheringham Shoal offshore wind turbine farm, drones were used to inspect all 264 turbine blades across the 88 offshore locations. Sheringham Shoal, operated by Statoil, a key player in the UK’s offshore wind sector, partnered with Martek Aviation to carry out the inspections in August 2017. 200 UAS flights […]

The company AERTEC Solutions, an international engineering firm specialised in aeronautics and defence technologies, has undergone an operational evaluation on its TARSIS 75 RPAS under the Rapaz Programme (1). The tests were conducted on 3 and 4 October at the Conde de Gazola Army Base located in the province of León. The unit responsible for the operational evaluation […]

Book and Pay for your DroneCon 2018 Ticket in the next 24 hours and receive a MASSIVE discount! 3-day Passes for R2000 1-Day Passes for R1000 16-18 May 2018 @ Vodaworld. Email gisela@dronecon.co.za for Payment Details & More Information. South Africa’s drone industry is rapidly expanding across all industries, including mining, agriculture, security, telecommunications, emergency response, wildlife protection, search […]

With November 2017, Wingtra brings our users a game changing software update. “The latest flight planning improvements will make a big difference for our customers. Especially those, who rely on WingtraOne for complex mapping and surveying missions in difficult terrain” – says Armin Ambühl, CTO of Wingtra. And that is true – extended flight planning possibilities, simplified operations and […]

Dario Neuenschwander victorious in the FAI Drone Racing World Cup 2017, ahead of Germany’s Andreas Hahn and France’s Thomas Grout Junior pilots dominate, with three under 18s in the top five – an Air Sports World Cup first The 2017 World Cup attracts more than 430 different pilots from 37 countries Switzerland’s Dario Neuenschwander hurtled […]

Drone racing is a high-speed sport demanding instinctive reflexes — but humans won’t be the only competitors for long. Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, put their work to the test recently. Timing laps through a twisting obstacle course, they raced drones controlled by artificial intelligence (A.I.) against a professional human pilot. […]

To mark growing demand for maritime RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) services and the rapid expansion of business, Martek Marine has established a dedicated Martek Aviation division. The new Martek Aviation division is strategically focussed on pioneering unmanned maritime aviation services, after a successful track record of 25 years improving commercial maritime safety. Maritime RPAS applications […]

World-class provider of rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) solutions UMS SKELDAR is using the Dubai Airshow, one of the largest aerospace events in the world, as the launchpad for its new enhanced R-350 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) platform. This ITAR-free light tactical high-performance UAV is unique in its class, not only including an ability to carry payloads of […]

External Video Transmission and Camera Module Allows for Expanded Creative Uses Beyond DJI Drones DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today launched an enhanced version of the DJI Goggles targeted at drone racers, aerial enthusiasts and RC hobbyists. The new DJI Goggles RE (Racing Edition) take on a completely new […]

The various tsunamis, hurricanes and recent earthquakes that are affecting more and more populations have all deeply affected us by their violence and their steady regularity. How can we intervene quickly and provide first aid to populations in need where traditional vehicles are no longer efficient? Our own response: the Inti Solace – The first […]

With a legacy of delivering reliable, robust, and highly accurate small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), NOAA Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD) of the Air Resources Laboratory has selected Black Swift Technologies (BST), a specialized engineering firm based in Boulder, CO, to integrate their SwiftCore Flight Management System with a UAV Factory Penguin BE UAV […]

Anemoment LLC, a specialized meteorological instrument design firm located in Longmont, CO, announced today the availability of the TriSonica™ line of “whisper-weight” 3-dimensional wind sensors: the TriSonica Mini, and the TriSonica Mini Weather Station. The devices—which have no moving parts to wear out or replace—weigh only 50 grams, and are quite small in size (Figure […]