sUAS News

No, they are not called that, the newest additions to DJI’s Enterprise line of platforms are called Wind 1, Wind 2 and CS SR 1. Yes, those other leaked photos from earlier this year were right, it appears. Patrick is currently at DJI’s Airworks commercial drone event in San Francisco. This is the first event […]

Boeing Phantom Works is seeking expressions of interest for candidates to work on some of the most exciting projects in Australia including Autonomous Systems, Mission Systems and Data Analytics, commencing early 2017. We require experienced Software, Systems and Electrical Engineers & Data Scientists: · Software engineering with skills in C++, Java and Python, including planning software sprints, […]

By 2050, it is estimated that there will be some 7 million consumer leisure drones in operation across Europe, including a fleet of 400 000 drones offering important services across the agricultural, energy, e-commerce, transport as well as public sectors. With an estimated value of EUR 15 billion annually, this market represents a huge potential […]

Last week a delegation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle experts from the United Kingdom met with industry leaders in California to highlight the United Kingdom’s regulatory leadership. The United Kingdom has sophisticated regulations governing the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) for commercial use. Currently many leading companies use the UK for their drones testing, such […]

A leap forward for Chris Ballard and the Freedom Class Racing Team. Leonard Hall of Ardupilot fame has completed a test flight in Brisbane. Freedom Class hope to race multirotors that weigh 25-30kg and reach speeds in the order of 200km/h. Well done all! Speaking after the test flight Leonard had this to say. “Our […]

FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today that it has acquired Prox Dynamics AS, a leading developer and manufacturer of nano-class unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for military and para-military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications, for approximately $134 million in cash. Based in Oslo, Norway and founded in 2007 by pioneers in nano helicopter technologies, Prox […]

The one in which… Bruce makes mention of flying rats and discusses the FCC vs HobbyKing OrangeRX drama. Jonathan Rupprecht mentions spurious TFRs. Philip Rowse of ProfiCNC tells us all about the Pixhawk 2.1 autopilot and RTK GPS. As well as restoring a Harrier Jumpjet! Gene Robinson was on standby for search and rescue duties as his […]

See AeroPoints in action live next week at the DJI conference in San Francisco. It is also your chance to bump into Patrick Egan who will be there covering it for sUAS News. As an Authorized dealer of DJI, you’ll probably be attending the Airworks conference in San Francisco. We are going be there too […]

Rebecca Wilson POWER Engineers is an engineering consulting firm specializing in the delivery of integrated solutions. Based in Idaho, with 40 locations across the United States, as well as an office in South Africa, POWER serves a wide range of projects, including facilities, infrastructure, environmental, and energy. Early on, POWER realized the value that drones […]

Leading European telco Deutsche Telekom AG is entering the drone defense market together with Dedrone, the market leader in anti-drone technology. Starting tomorrow, the Magenta Security business unit of Deutsche Telekom will offer protection against unauthorized drones for data centers, stadiums, critical infrastructure facilities, and public authorities utilizing solutions developed by Dedrone. Deutsche Telekom will […]

DroneDeploy is the leading cloud software platform for commercial drones, making the power of aerial data accessible and productive for everyone. Trusted by businesses and individuals in over 130 countries worldwide, we are transforming the way drone users collect, manage and digest impactful data in a variety of industries, including agriculture, real estate, mining and […]

The grousing from the old world suggests a long overdue circle back on Europe. From what limited contact I have had with companies and industry representatives, I’ve gotten the impression that folks believe they are falling behind. I have to politely disagree as Europe has enjoyed years of experience with thousands of certificated operators while […]

MultiGP has released a documentary recapping the action packed competition at our 2016 Drone Racing Championship. Prepare for an adrenaline filled twenty minutes of stunning videography as our nation’s most comprehensive drone racing championship is presented to our community for the history books. The U.S. Sport Aviation Expo debuted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs… aka drones) […]

Drones have entered the world of consumer electronics with such a blast but generally speaking, it still stays in the phase of aeromodelling just like the intercom in the wireless era. Although the UAV technology (such as flight controller, gimbal and obstacle avoidance) has made breakthroughs, there are two major technical bottlenecks hindering the UAV […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, today announced that its Type-Certifiable Predator® B (TCPB) variant completed its first flight test at the company’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale, Calif., on November 17th. “The first flight of […]

Epoc Unmanned Inc. is proud to introduce the “One Button Survey” system or OBS for short. Please forgive our hand-crafted prototypes! The production version will be tough, weather resistant and injection molded. With all the “cheap as possible” failed Kickstarters we have carefully priced this funding campaign so that we can actually deliver a top […]

I suspect the folks that bought the original units out had a hand in this. A hat tip to our favourite internet security type for sending this on! Federal Communications Commission DA 16-1290 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC 20554 In the Matter of HobbyKing USA LLC File No.: EB-SED-16-00020557 CITATION AND ORDER ILLEGAL […]

ALTI BASE systems, offering reduced cost and increased mission and performance flexibility to our clients. Basically, pun intended, the ALTI Transition is now also available as a hardware only version, excluding avionics, communication links or payloads, but including the fully complete Transition platform plus propulsion hardware, VTOL motors, speed controllers, servos, mechanical parts, fuel system […]

The FAA has imposed a 4-nautical mile Temporary Flight Restriction, (“TFR”), in airspace up to 3500 feet above sea level, over the Standing Rock Protest in North Dakota. The land in that area sits approximately 1600 feet above sea level, meaning about 1900 feet of the sky above the protest is off limits to any aircraft other than […]

It has been a while but a new acronym arrives on the scene and its horrid… U-Space, or a low-level area for unmanned aircraft. Something like this worldwide will eventually happen. Manned aviation in all but a few exceptions, taking off and landing, crop dusting and search and rescue does not really need to be below […]

Sky-Futures USA Inc. has been certified as the world’s first approved drone specialist for internal vessel inspections by American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). ABS surveyors have now certified drone data as an additional, valuable inspection tool to make critical decisions affecting classification and statutory surveys. Sky-Futures was awarded the ‘External Specialist Rating’ by ABS following […]

Farmobile, the farm data company, today announced an EFR Dashboard, the first real-time dashboard that helps farmers visualize their field data and derive insights to maximize profitability. The new product is available effective immediately and is being offered as an instant upgrade for existing Farmobile customers. Every farm has a unique combination of inputs–such as […]

This week, Northrop Grumman engineers and San Diego Zoo Global scientists are traveling to the Arctic to validate autonomous flight technology that they hope will lay the groundwork for future research missions to protect polar bears. The technology will allow researchers to track polar bear movements over thousands of miles while measuring the ice pack […]

If this works well, it is a game changer. Two hours endurance! Farmers would be able to map a huge area with this. Cost and spares availability and integrated sensors that support many apps will make it or break it. MMS Drone company informs abut the successful completion development and functional testing of gasoline engine […]

Skysense won the 1st prize at Innovators Pitch IoT category. The Innovators’ Pitch is among the Top 5 competition for early stage startups in Europe, offering young entrepreneurs the chance to present their innovative products and prototypes to a high-level jury and an expert audience. http://www.skysense.co/

They are not saying much, but the promise of deep discounts. I have seen its on single licences, but that is TBA. Get ready: Mapping Monday Madness is coming Innovative mapping tech at an exceptional price. #CYBERMONDAY ONLY https://pix4d.com/cyber-monday/

The commercial drone operating industry in South Africa is completely unsustainable. Schools are churning pilots out at a prestigious rate, which in some ways is a good thing. Trouble is, there is nowhere for them to work. The South African Civil Aviation Authority has only licenced eight companies since licencing came into force (Just over a […]

With one month to go to Christmas the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today issued a revised Dronecode to help millions getting a drone this year to fly safely and responsibly. The Dronecode, a simple set of rules and guidelines established in legislation which outline how to fly drones safely and within the law in […]

Multiple SkyWall100 counter drone systems were deployed during a visit from the President of the United States of America to Berlin, earlier this month. This operational deployment demonstrates how the unique SkyWall100 capability can provide protection from drone threats for heads of state while in mobile and urban environments. The SkyWall100 system allows operators to […]

Handlaunch. Map thousands of acres at cm accuracy. Parachute down safely. Repeat. This is what the Aeromapper Talon was conceived for, repeatable consistent professional results, durability and affordability. We are happy to announce the Aeromapper Talon has officially received a power upgrade that extends its flying time to two hours. This upgrade comes after many […]

If you enter the promo code ‘blackfriday’ you will instantly get a 150€ discount from the 7th edition of the UAV Remote Sensing Applications Course. This discount will only be valid until tomorrow, hurry up! http://www.barcelonadronecenter.com/

This is so obvious it is a wonder that it has not been done before. But that seems to be the way the best ideas work. Hang a camera from a crane and whilst it is doing it’s day to day job automatically grab images and create a 3D model of the building site! Genius […]

Big news for folks wanting to get back down to ground level in their 3D models. It is hard to remove trees, park benches in general stuff sat in the survey area. I am keen to go find a row of trees or small woods and try and get them out of a model. Pix4D […]

Dubai, UAE – Nokia and the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have entered into a strategic collaboration to drive the development of an end-to-end UAS ecosystem that will make the UAE the first country in the world to allow the operation of drones by both businesses and government agencies in a safe, […]

Now imagine the delivery drone you are expecting is only coming from a vehicle near to your home. Perhaps one that has parked itself in a strategic spot to allow the speediest deliveries for the lowest mileage in a suburb. It’s not flying all the way from a hub. Once it’s completed its last flight […]

Fledgling drone companies met in South Africa last week for the first DroneCon at Emporer’s Palace in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. The event was organized by Vukani Communications and more than 100 people attended the conference, with most being of C level positions. The largest contingent came from the mining community. Interestingly the head of South […]

A few months after the start-up of the project and in line with the planned schedule, the initial development phase of this unique project has come to a successful conclusion following extensive testing in real-life conditions at the sites of Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône (near Paris) and Plaisance-du-Touch (near Toulouse). The initial prototype demonstrated all the potential of […]

Epoc Unmanned inc. creators of the OBS UAV survey system announces that we continue to evolve and are now actively testing dual frequency receivers; here is our latest fully functional dual frequency prototype We’ve received many great emails and questions over the past few weeks; one of the most common questions is ‘What’s wrong with […]

Common sense prevails in Australia! Since September, drone pilots in Australia have been able to enjoy light touch regulation if their platform was under 2kg in weight. Better still if you own the land you can fly platforms up to 25kg and more with appropriate training. It is said that it was incumbent licence holders that […]

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a $30 million investment to develop a 50-mile flight traffic management system between Syracuse and Griffiss International Airport in Rome to advance the burgeoning Unmanned Aircraft Systems industry in Central New York. Within the 50-mile corridor, strategic investments will accelerate industry growth by supporting emerging uses of Unmanned Aircraft Systems […]

Little Arms Studios, the software development team behind the newest and most advanced sUAS simulator on the market, Zephyr, has formed a partnership with AviSight, the nation’s leading manned and unmanned aerospace service provider. Zephyr will now be showcased during AviSight’s Drone Academy, rated by a 25+ year FAA veteran as one of the best […]

Novadrone, headquartered in Seville (Spain), recently launched its Nomad RPAS system to provide automated aerial images for mapping and surveillance professionals. Full manufactured in advanced composites, Kevlar and Carbon Fiber, Nomad is an industrial grade drone ready to work in adverse conditions. Its great inflight stability, ensure more accurate and trustworthy results, delivering high resolution […]

A prize draw and Phantom 3 standard for $399 (from $799), Phantom 3 Professional $799 (from $1259) and Phantom 4 $999 (from $1399) I quite like the idea around brightening up your black Friday. Follow this link If you’re lucky, your color will come with a special offer at the DJI Online Store to brighten […]

One of the most appreciated features of the E384 is its extremely long endurance without requiring special launch or recovery equipment. Using an E384 with a Sony WX500, users can fly nearly 100 minutes and collect up to 1,000 acres of imagery at 5cm/pixel in a single flight. Some have used this ability to map […]

Tariq Rashid Safety should not be the goal of a commercial or public UAS operating organization. That statement may seem counterintuitive or controversial—but bear with me for a moment. The primary goal of a national regulator such as the FAA (United States), CAA (United Kingdom), or CASA (Australia) is to ensure safety in a way […]

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) that enter the protected airspace around airports can pose serious threats to safety. The FAA is coordinating with our government and industry partners to evaluate technologies that can be used safely to detect drones near airports. This week, the the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are conducting drone-detection […]

On Nov. 8, four autonomous vehicles collaborated for a joint firefighting and lifesaving demonstration: the K-MAX helicopter, the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft (SARA), the Desert Hawk 3.1 fixed wing unmanned aircraft, and the Indago quadrotor. First, Indago located hot spots and directed the K-MAX to drop water on the fire. Then, the Desert Hawk 3.1 […]