sUAS News

DroneDeploy today announced that they have raised $25 million in series C funding. DroneDeploy is the largest cloud-based drone data platform with a community of 30,000 users having mapped 30 million acres in 180 countries on 400,000 job sites. The round is led by the Invenergy Future Fund, a venture capital firm focused on making […]

Martek Aviation has announced the official appointment of highly-acclaimed aviation expert Mark Wharry as their Head of Aviation. Mark brings over 20 years of unparalleled aviation experience to Martek, in both high-profile leadership and training roles. The drone industry is booming and Martek is the driving force behind the most disruptive and talked about UAS […]

Of course, there is an element of clickbait in that title, a quote then pulled from Eurocontrols Challenges of Growth report. There will be many more unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or ‘drones’ by 2040. Most of these will operate outside current controlled airspace, but this will put pressure to cede parts of current controlled airspace. Within […]

The drone industry has experienced tremendous growth in the last year with licensed drone pilots to the adoption of the drone technology by many companies. With this growth a problem that continues to rise across the country is qualified drone pilots, a large percentage of the drone pilot market is qualified for basic photography and […]

Ah, that’s a shame in a Facebook blog post, Facebook’s Director of Engineering Yael Maguire has announced the cancellation of Aquila, a British design created for Facebook in Bridgewater by some of the folks that created Zephyr. Facebook is now teaming with Airbus, the company that bought Zephyr. So, slow and steady wins the race, the […]

Juniper Unmanned, Inc., a premier operator of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with advanced sensing technologies, was named a 2018 Colorado Company to Watch winner Friday at the 10th annual Gala Awards. The Colorado Companies to Watch award honors second-stage companies headquartered in Colorado that develop valuable products and services, create quality jobs, enrich communities, and create […]

Any professional pilot relies on the safe confines of a flight simulator to learn and hone their skills, and so should law enforcement and first responder drone pilots. Whether monitoring a threat or searching for a victim, officers piloting drones must do so safely first and foremost, and the Zephyr Drone Simulator from Little Arms Studios is […]

KOTUG has chosen Delft Dynamics to develop a pioneering invention – using a drone to connect the towline to an assisted vessel. This patent-pending drone technology will drastically improve the safety margin of tug operations as this will avoid the need for manoeuvring in the so-called danger zone. KOTUG is the first tugboat company that […]

Matternet today announced it has raised $16 million in Series A funding led by Boeing HorizonX Ventures, with participation from Swiss Post, Sony Innovation Fund and Levitate Capital. Matternet will utilize the funds to expand U.S. and global operations in urban environments. Matternet’s strategic partnership with Boeing and financing round builds on the company’s strong […]

Nine of the top ten platforms at the 2018 AUVSI sUAS student competition were flying Ardupilot firmware. The number nine slot was taken by a custom Linux system on an odroid SBC. The competition is held at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (NAS) Webster Field in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This is the site of the […]

Dedrone, the market and technology leader in airspace security, announced that its team of Echodyne Corporation, Squarehead Technologies and Battelle, won first place at ThunderDrone’s “Game of Drones” outdoor demonstration at Nellis Air Force Base and AFWERX enclave, June 18-20. Hosted by AFWERX, Team Dedrone bested five other teams in the last of three ThunderDrone rapid […]

On July 10-11, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) plans to make the first-ever trans-Atlantic flight of a Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). GA-ASI’s company-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPA is scheduled to fly from the company’s Flight Test and Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, to Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK. The […]

Wingtra, the Swiss drone company that manufactures the VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drone WingtraOne, has signed a reseller agreement with SITECH Louisiana, an authorised Trimble distribution partner in Louisiana. “We thoroughly evaluated all the popular professional surveying drones but only the WingtraOne offers the high data accuracy and usability that our customers request” – […]

SALINA — Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus has received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly unmanned aircraft systems beyond the line of sight. It’s the first such waiver granted to a university by the FAA. The FAA certificate to Kansas State Polytechnic’s Applied Aviation Research Center waives the rules regarding visual sight […]

Position Partners, Australia’s largest retailer of positioning and geospatial solutions for surveying, mining and civil construction, have partnered with Klau Geomatics to deliver technical training and support, improving the productivity and efficiency of accurate UAV surveying. Klau Geomatics, an innovative Australian technology company, produces the world’s most accurate and sophisticated PPK geo-positioning solution, compatible with […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) today announced that the Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) has concluded the first large-scale demonstration flights in Japan. The demonstration flights, which took place from 10 – 23 May were intended to promote the civil and scientific applications of the RPA. “We thank the Mayor of Iki and the […]

AERTEC Solutions has reached a new technological milestone in the RPAS sector in Spain with its unmanned fixed-wing aerial platform TARSIS 75. This RPAS, built in carbon fibre, has made a complete and automatic operation in the Arenosillo area, on the beach of Mazagón (Huelva) , thus expanding its range of capabilities in unconventional operation […]

Leading Australian geospatial mapping technology company Soar has announced their highly anticipated Token Generation Event (TGE) designed to fund the launch of the world’s first decentralised global platform for the distribution of drone content and maps. The TGE will be facilitated by an international consortium of blockchain advisors including Fidem and Digital Capital Management. The Soar TGE […]

YellowScan, designer, developer and producer of UAV LiDAR solutions for professional applications, continues to expand its presence in the United States with the opening of a new office located at 150 S. State St. Suite 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84111, USA. In addition to the corporate headquarter in Montferrier-sur-Lez near Montpellier (France), the new office […]

Securus Technologies, a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions for public safety, law enforcement, investigations, corrections and government payment services has selected AeroDefense systems’ AirWardenTM Radio-Frequency-based drone and pilot detection, location and alert system for deployment at its correctional facility customer sites. “Contraband delivery via drones is a threat to both corrections staff and inmate safety,” said […]

For the first time in the 45 year old history of the Kyoto-based multinational manufacturer of electric motors, Nidec has a new president, as Hiroyuki Yoshimoto becomes the first person to hold the post after the company’s founder Shigenobu Nagamori. The appointment, announced on February 15, was approved on June 20 at the 45th regular […]

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed an agreement with Airbus to lease Heron TP Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) RPASs (remotely piloted air vehicle system) to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence. Under the $600 million deal, Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH will serve as the prime contractor responsible for managing all aspects of the project, including […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) used its second full-scale MQ-9B to conduct successful lightning tests at its facility in Poway, California last month. The test was conducted jointly between engineers from GA-ASI and NTS Pittsfield, a recognized leader in the development of sophisticated lightning protection systems for the aerospace industry. MQ-9B is GA-ASI’s latest […]

Cansel opens Canadian market for Delair UX11 long range fixed wing UAV; Delair drones given stamp of approval by Transport Canada. Innovative products and local expertise ideally positioned for needs of geospatial, agriculture architecture, engineering, and construction industries LABEGE, France and VANCOUVER, Canada – June 19, 2018 – Delair, a leading global supplier of commercial drone solutions, today announced […]

Avy is looking for a Drone Builder to contribute to the ambitious mission we share! Join the Avy team to build drones to improve the world. Deadline for applications: Sunday 1 July 2018 11.59 pm Role description You are the master of drones You make things fly! You understand drones, you understand the drone industry, […]

The UNICEF Innovation Fund is looking to make up to $100K equity-free investments to provide early stage (seed) finance to for-profit technology start-ups that have the potential to benefit humanity through the use of drones. If you’ve got a start-up registered in one of UNICEF’s programme countries and have a working, open-source drone prototype or service (or you are willing to […]

The Freespace team are proud to announce our partnership with Domenec Molins and the Helion Group. Just as we are pushing the boundaries with our Giant Drone Racing platform, Helion are the market leaders in the development of powder metallurgy, solid carbide and innovative coating technologies for high-quality cutting tools. Helion is a global company […]

The Australian developer and manufacturer of cutting-edge high technology counter-drone products DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO or DRO.AU) (DroneShield or the Company) today released the following statement on the practical application of the Turnbull / Pyne Defence Export Strategy. On 29 January 2018, The Hon Christopher Pyne MP, Australian Minister for Defence Industry, announced the new Defence Export Strategy […]

Cyberhawk Innovations has been named the Venture-backed Management Team of the Year at the 2018 BVCA Scottish Management Team awards. Winners were announced at the BVCA’s prestigious annual dinner in Edinburgh. The BVCA Management Team Awards celebrate the performance of UK-based companies that are backed by private equity and venture capital. Cyberhawk is one of […]

vHive, the developer of cloud-based AI that enables enterprises to deploy autonomous drone hives for the acquisition, management and processing of field data, announced today the availability of a fully automated workflow for high-accuracy data products. “In order to get highly accurate field data, companies are forced to follow a labor-intensive workflow in which they […]

INVOLI is a Swiss-based company which develops and produces air traffic awareness systems for professional drone applications. We enable the safe integration of drones into the air traffic, avoiding collisions and enabling new exciting applications such as drone delivery or drone taxi. Our system provides the currently missing low-altitude air traffic data to drones, allowing a […]

Uplift Data Partners announced today it will launch a Night Ops training module in July 2018 in collaboration with Aerovista Drone Academy, a first-of-its-kind online resource that provides its network of highly-trained pilots extensive knowledge for night flight operations. The company is among the first ten percent of companies approved by the FAA to fly […]

Aeryon Labs Inc, a leading manufacturer of high-performance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for military, public safety, and commercial customers, today announced its partnership with HAZON Solutions, a drone service provider focused on critical infrastructure inspections for energy and utility customers throughout North America. “As utilities learn more about the cybersecurity risks inherent with operating drones, […]

Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is expanding its program options with a new offering for individuals interested in cybersecurity of unmanned aircraft systems. A graduate certificate in unmanned aircraft systems information assurance is being launched in fall 2018. The certificate provides working professionals and graduate students an educational foundation in an industry important to both military […]

Today it is easy and cheap to buy a drone. Drones have created new ways for smugglers and can be easily used to disturb public order and security. With DroneCatcher this can now be countered in a fully controlled manner. The DroneCatcher system is one of the very few counter-drone systems, which is capable of […]

I was sent a press release from UK firm SenSat on Wednesday that quite frankly made many claims that just didn’t stack up. Perhaps it was this line that first made me doubt SenSat from their about profile in the press release. SenSat is pioneering the use of a new technique called Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry […]

Silent Falcon UAS Technologies solar electric, fixed wing, long endurance, long-range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has been selected by Bridger Aerospace for its Call When Needed sUAS Services Contract with the US Department of the Interior. The contract, which is Interior’s first of its kind, will allow the agency to obtain fully contractor-operated and maintained […]

K2 Unmanned Systems, Inc, a U.S. commercial drone manufacturer, flight ops, and training company, announced this week their partnership with Robotic Skies to provide K2 customers the complete customer service experience. K2 Unmanned recently released their new industrial-grade drone, the Knight Hawk. This coaxial octocopter sUAS is equipped with a FLIR Duo pro camera, displaying thermal […]

Propeller Aero, a cloud-based analytics company that visualizes drone survey data to help heavy civil construction and resources operations measure and manage their worksites themselves, announced today a new infusion of $10 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Blackbird Ventures with participation from all existing major investors, and Sequoia China who […]

VStar Systems, a privately held aerospace and defense systems company, has announced its new office located centrally in San Diego. The office officially opened in April and will serve as VStar Systems’ corporate headquarters as well as a lab and production space for ongoing projects. “VStar Systems’ new office will allow us to greatly expand the […]

WASHINGTON – Introducing drone operations into the nation’s airspace can provide substantial benefits to society, such as preventing derailments, inspecting cell phone towers, delivering medical devices to patients in cardiac distress, and assisting firefighters, says a new congressionally mandated report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. However, an overly conservative approach to safety risk […]

A Detect and Avoid (DAA) avionics system developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) was the key technology that enabled an unmanned aircraft flight through the National Airspace System (NAS) after taking off from southern California today. The DAA system installed on Ikhana, a NASA-owned Predator® B/MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), enabled the UAS to meet the FAA’s […]

Jetoptera, Inc. and UAVenture realized the first successful demonstration of autopilot capabilities deployed on Jetoptera’s proprietary, unique airframe system. AirRails, developed by UAVenture, was proven on a sub-scale Jetoptera airframe that includes a closed wing and a canard. Autopilot-assisted take off and landing and autonomous mission mode were achieved. The next testing milestone for the […]

Drones have become ubiquitous the application of photogrammetry and 3D surveying in the last few years. Measurements from these systems have generated 3D models of buildings, landscapes, power lines and many other features. This project takes it one step further by generating extremely high-density point clouds and digital photos using the Scout B1-100 helicopter drone […]

An agreement to revise the powers of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) safety was approved by MEPs in Strasbourg today. For the first time in EU law the new rules introduce provisions on the civil use of drones and have been welcomed by ECR Group transport spokesman, Roberts Zile, as a sensible and pragmatic […]

SenSat successfully completes 12km Beyond Visual Line Of Sight drone flight in complex airspaceus, SenSat were granted to fly drones beyond a pilot’s visual line of sight. SenSats Artificial Intelligence (AI) turns real-time complex data into actionable insight, helping companies to make more informed decisions based on real-world information. The drone Pathfinder programme consists of a […]

Gap Wireless, a leading distributor of products and services for the mobile broadband and wireless markets, and inUAVi, an innovator in the drone radio frequency (RF) monitor and sensor market, announced today they have entered into a reseller agreement for distribution of inUAVi solutions in Canada and the U.S. Gap Wireless will stock and distribute inUAVi’s Network Quality […]

Firestorm UAV Inc. (https://www.fsuav.com/) recently announced its position as the sole supplier of an innovative handheld search and rescue sensor intended for all types of field-rescue operations. The mobile TigerStrike Lite hardware pairs with Firestorm’s unique iRDF™ technology to position the company as the foremost expert and manufacturer of mobile ISR search and rescue signal […]

SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is proud to announce use of its software for precision agriculture in Brazil by Portal Produtos Agropecuários Ltda (Portal). Drone data is transformed into useful and pertinent information for farmers with Correlator3D, leading to optimized yields and reduced costs for the agricultural season. The identification of the […]

The Microdrones md4-3000 has been added to Transport Canada’s (TC) exclusive list of compliant unmanned aerial vehicles. To date, only fifteen manufacturers worldwide have achieved this distinction. Vivien Heriard-Dubreuil, president of Microdrones, explained why this is important, not only in Canada, but internationally. “Professionals across all continents view Transport Canada compliance as a benchmark for […]