sUAS News

Nicolas Labbit is defending his team’s hard work. Drone Control, LLC applied for and won patents for Intelligent Flight Modes, Course Lock and Home Lock in DJI speak and Absolute Control if you talk Parrot. These were granted on Valentines Day 2017. The action against Parrot and DJI kicked off last Friday, the 17th of […]

Jo Harris, female marketing consultant at QuestUAV wrote an article entitled “Drone Boys vs Drone Girls” on 22 Feb 2017. sUAS News received a complaint following the publishing of the article complaining that the article was “flagrantly sexist, male-centric and benighted”. The complainant went on the say “You owe your readers, both female and male, […]

Kongsberg Geospatial, an Ottawa-based developer of real-time geospatial visualisation software, announced today with uAvionix, a California-based company that creates lightweight ADS-B transponders for unmanned aerial vehicles, that the two companies will be integrating Kongsberg Geospatial’s IRIS UAS Airspace Situational Awareness Display with uAvionix’s PingStation ADS-B receiver. Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, or ADS-B transceivers help […]

SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is pleased to announce a fully-integrated solution with Tianlifa, a major firm in the Asian surveying market for over 20 years. The partnership results in a high-end mapping product featuring the new China Star drone from Tianlifa and SimActive’s Correlator3D™. “We wanted the best available software for […]

Technology development is the most important force driving mankind forward. As great high-tech innovations are changing people’s lives, the drone industry is booming than ever before. Among them, JTT UAV is a dark horse that the drone industry should not ignore. JTT Technology was the first Chinese partner to work with Little Ripper, an Australian […]

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is expanding its optronics (EO/IR) family with new payloads designated for tactical UAV’s, robotic vehicles and drone applications used by ground and homeland security forces. The new EO/IR payloads are developed by TAMAM, the inertial navigation and electro-optical house of IAI, and will be displayed at the LAAD Defense & Security […]

The SF Drone School Research Center recently announced the acquisition of it’s night waver for part 107 sUAS research at Treasure Island. “This waiver will give us the ability to expand our testing capabilities for companies working on applications and innovations that will help them grow market share. Someday commercial drone operators will be able […]

Hionos will bring unprecedented safety systems to drone racing by providing its autopilot firmware, which complies with the highest level of safety in aeronautics – DO-178C with the highest level of certification and testing (DAL-A). Safety is the guiding factor for the executive teams of both Freedom Drone Sports™ and Hionos and it is crucial to the international […]

Rueil-Malmaison, France, SBG Systems is proud to announce the new Ekinox 2 Series, a new generation of the SBG’s advanced and compact inertial navigation systems. With new accelerometers and gyroscopes, Ekinox 2 attitude accuracy has been enhanced by a factor of two while improving resistance to vibrations and integrating the Beidou constellation. Ekinox 2 Series: […]

“Growing up, I saw the technological world unfold in front of me. Single products disrupting entire industries. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, all built companies that changed the world. And I thought that the best way to become a player in this game, was to go to university. That’s where I’ll learn how to […]

If you pre-ordered a Lily Drone and are now after a refund, you should take a look at Prime Clerk. Lily was the oversold and underdeveloped media darling of 2015. Lily was conceived in the UAV world’s Bermuda triangle, Berkeley California. The place good drone ideas seem to go to disappear. Almost 62,000 customers pre-ordered Lily, and […]

We are looking for a talented native English speaking Content Marketing and Communications Expert to join our growing team in Lausanne. Pix4D develops drone photogrammetry software and products that enable tens of thousands of professionals around the world to process, visualize, assess and edit their own maps and 3D models.As a member of the marketing […]

RESTON, Va., March 16, 20 Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) Flight Service has created an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) service that helps safeguard the airspace by sending automatic notifications of unmanned aircraft operations to relevant groups. The Leidos UAS Notification Service is being tested as part of the Federal Aviation Administration UAS Pathfinder Program with Burlington Northern Santa […]

Cyberhawk Innovations, the world leader in aerial inspection and survey using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), is taking part in a live drone demo showcase during this year’s CeBIT in Hannover, Germany. The showcase will highlight the diverse commercial applications of drones, providing attendees with a unique insight to UAV technology, its potential and how it […]

Multiple reports are reaching us of between 50 and 70% of Yuneec USA Inc staff being laid off. Parent company Yuneec International is a Chinese aircraft manufacturer owned by Tian Yu and based in Jinxi, Kunshan, a town in Jiangsu. They are better known for their man carrying electric aircraft. In 2010 the two-seat E430 won […]

Over my integration tenure, I’ve seen a lot of experts come and go, and have heard how the FAA would never regulate model RC flying, rockets or drones. Plenty of braggadocio from those champions on how they were going to clean the FAA’s clock and assurances that whatever the outcome common sense would prevail. Are […]

On 15th Mar., 2017, top industrial drone manufacturer MMC had power line stringing project for EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) in Thailand. That’s another successful transnational demonstration for MMC since power line stringing project in Bhutan, India, Kalimantan and Surabaya using the Spider solution. In recent years, the Thai government has increased the investment […]

Dynetics, Inc. has been awarded a contract for Phase 2 of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Gremlins program, an innovative technology program that seeks to enable aircraft to launch volleys of low-cost reusable unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and safely and reliably retrieve them in mid-air. The Gremlins architecture is designed to enable other […]

Martek Marine (Martek) has been awarded a ground breaking 2-year Remotely Piloted Aircraft Services (RPAS) contract from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The services offered will fulfil part of the world’s largest ever maritime drone contract. Part of a five-year EMSA strategy of improving coastguard monitoring and surveillance of maritime activity valued at EUR 67 […]

Perceptual Robotics is applying leading edge autonomy concepts to industrial applications. Currently based in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, our passion is to bridge the divide between academia and industry. Perceptual Robotics is applying leading edge autonomy concepts to industrial applications. Currently based in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, our passion is to bridge the divide between […]

The ATSB has today released a research report into the safety of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) or drones. The report finds the number of encounters is increasing. While there have been no reported collisions between RPAS and manned aircraft in Australia, and given the variables, the potential consequences of collisions are not yet fully […]

Rakuten, Inc., a leader in internet services and global innovation headquartered in Japan, and AirMap, the world’s leading airspace management platform for drones, today announced the launch of a joint venture, Rakuten AirMap, Inc. The joint venture will provide Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) solutions to drone operators and airspace managers in Japan. The partnership follows […]

In Part 1 of this mini-series we went over why it makes sense in agriculture to import images directly to Pix4Dag Desktop. We concluded that when you’re in the field without a good network connection, importing images to desktop takes nearly no time in comparison to the hours you might spend uploading images to the cloud. […]

Minister Garneau announced today an Interim Order which provides safety rules for recreational drone use. As the national organization representing over 500 members from the professional Unmanned Aerial Systems community, we applaud the Minister’s initiative to take steps to implement clear and enforceable regulations to deter the hazardous operation of recreational drones. Dangerous operations are […]

Drones are offering Europe a unique opportunity to increase its efficiency and competitiveness. Following the Warsaw Declaration at the end of 2016, the European Commission requested the SESAR JU to update the European ATM Master Plan to outline a clear path for the roll-out of U-Space involving all key actors. This workshop will explore the […]

The 6th edition of HOMSEC, the International National Security Technologies Trade Fair, will end tomorrow. It has already consolidated itself as the main platform for professional interchange in Spain for the national security and defence sector and is expected to attract more than 15,000 visitors this year. AERTEC Solutions is one of 195 participating firms […]

FOREMOST, AB, Regular Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) operations significantly advance as Canadian UAVs and Lockheed Martin CDL Systems completes the first BVLOS pipeline, well site and power line inspections using the Transport Canada Compliant Lockheed Martin Indago 2 at the Foremost Testing Range. Canadian UAVs seeks to provide its’ customers with innovative and […]

Two technical issues bothered the start of Drone Stuff This Week which lead me to create an international incident. I reported that Jonas Stjernberg was in Norway, he is actually in Finland. Jonas spoke about the Aurora Arctic Drone Hackathon a competition set in harsh weather conditions above the arctic circle. I sense the start of […]

Simple Mapping Workflow – Quality Data – Better Decisions Aerial images captured by a drone are a great asset for growers and agronomists. They can monitor the health and vigour and track change over time. When equipped with the MicaSense RedEdge camera, the Q-100 DATAhawkAg captures images in five discrete spectral bands, designed to detect […]

Computer vision and photogrammetry technology have advanced to a point which enables the creation of 3D city models that are kilometres in size with centimetre accuracy. With ContextCapture, you’ll see how terabytes of photos can be converted into realistic 3D models and then consumed in Esri’s ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online. With its flexibility, scalability, […]

Overcoming the challenges of mapping terrain in difficult conditions at altitudes exceeding 14,000 feet using a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), Black Swift Technologies (BST), a specialized engineering firm based in Boulder, CO demonstrated that a sUAS can successfully be deployed at extreme altitudes and deliver geo-referenced digital aerial images enabling detailed actionable information cost-effectively […]

Insurance Broker, Find Insurance NI, has become the first Broker in Northern Ireland to launch Drone Insurance for the entire UK market Trading under the name Aviate Protect, Find Insurance NI has worked closely with Global Aviation Insurers to create an innovative new product for the commercial drone market The demand for drones (also known […]

On the first weekend in March, The Freedom Drone Sports team were excited to showcase the latest developments at the Avalon International Airshow just outside Melbourne, Australia. For the first time in Airshow history, there was a dedicated Drone Showcase area that saw over 20 companies displaying the latest in drone technology. Conveniently located at the entrance of […]

The innovative Swiss weather service provider Meteomatics received an extended version of the approval to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) from 2015. The extension includes the possibility of, under certain conditions, flying beyond visual line of sight also during the day instead of just being permitted to fly at night. The vertical limit […]

AEA International Convention, New Orleans, LA, March 13: uAvionix Corporation, the leading Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) ADS-B avionics solution provider, announced today that it has chosen Robotic Skies as an installation and field maintenance partner for its line of avionics products designed for commercial drone aircraft. As part of the agreement, Robotic Skies will provide sales, installations, and […]

Reported in the Chinese press the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is preparing to find a way to register all RPAS. Making sure that errant operators are easier to find. At Christmas 2015, the FAA rolled out just such a scheme. In America, operators flying privately can register for a nominal fee at the […]

Aeromon, a Finnish cleantech startup, has completed a pilot program for detecting fugitive emissions via drone-mounted sensors. The pilot program was carried out at the Ämmässuo waste treatment centre (operated by the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority HSY, Finland). Historical data captured using hand-held measurement tools were compared with aerial measurements taken by a remotely piloted aircraft […]

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — The 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force used a quadcopter to conduct a maintenance inspection of the exterior of a C-17 Globemaster III here March 6, 2017. The C-17 was on loan from Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. It was the first time the CTF flew a […]

7i Imaging Systems, a relatively new entry into the UAV and drone industry, specialising in digital image production from aerial platforms, is set to go live with a 4K/1080p live streaming service which will change the way UAVs and drones are used and deployed, worldwide. Utilising the latest advancements in hardware and software, combined with […]

At the March 7 City Council meeting in Laguna Beach, Calif. a proposed addition to the Laguna Beach Municipal Code was introduced that would ban drone flights over numerous areas of the city including several popular beaches. Chapter 7.80 “Regulation of Unmanned Aircraft” would also require any commercial operators to obtain a special permit from […]

Martek Marine undoubtedly lead the world in the emerging maritime UAV industry. We’ve just won the world’s biggest ever civilian drone service contract. Yes you heard right…. Our Vision is to dominate this and other sectors and deliver true disruption to operations using drones. Could you be a superstar UAV Business Development Manager to lead […]

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung based in Langen, Germany, and Unifly NV based in Antwerp, Belgium, signed a cooperation agreement at the World ATM Congress 2017 in Madrid to jointly develop and market a DFS drone app to be released on the German market later this year. This app will allow operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) […]

DJI just keep on impressing. A making off the Mavic Pro emerged on YouTube overnight, and it is a work of art. Engineers explain exactly how DJI arrived at design decisions and overcame problems. Much will have been learnt by DJI in the creation of Mavic, not least how to ramp up for unprecedented demand. Nobody […]

Following the recent release of a ‘Carbonix Volanti’ (Australia) VTOL aircraft, ALTI UAS would like to make the following official Statement: As a composites company, Carbonix was contracted by ALTI UAS in September 2015 to manufacture the ALTI Transition airframe, created, designed and developed by ALTI UAS. Unfortunately after 12+ months of development, on 2 […]

Aurora Arctic Drone hackathon at Enontekiö is the first RPAS-hackathon arranged in an arctic environment. The goal of the hackathon is to create future services by using drones in road maintenance operations. The robotisation of transportation is a global trend that attracts investments and development funds. The hackathon is built around three challenges – two […]

This post analyzes Airmap’s Drone ID digital certificates and examines who really benefits from them right now.

Over recent years the explosion in popularity of drones, both professionally and for amateur use, has inspired researchers to consider how to make flying robots as safe and robust as possible. Previous design methods have included producing bulky protective cages or making them as unlikely to crash as possible. Recently, researchers from Floreano Lab, NCCR Robotics and EPFL […]

On March 6, 2017, FDNY launched its first ever tethered drone to respond to a fire in a 6-story building on Crotona Park North in the Bronx. The $85,000 FDNY tethered drone weighs 8 pounds and incorporates both a high-definition camera and infrared camera. These capabilities allow the drone to transmit live images of a […]

Austrailian company Sypaq systems released the Corvo Micro at the at Avalon Airshow last week. If you need a claimed twenty-five-minute endurance in a FAA registration beating 100g package, then Corvo Micro is for you. I doubt it will come cheap The Corvo MICRO delivers a simple and safe autonomous surveillance capability. The sub-100 gramme […]

VersaTOL recently completed another successful demonstration of advanced autonomy and it’s Venom unmanned helicopter system. The funded demo took place at Quantico Marine Corp. base in VA where the helicopter was tasked with autonomously flying in formation with a moving ground vehicle to inspect the road ahead for potential IED threats. When tethered to the lead […]