sUAS News

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 […]

As a professional photogrammetry software, Pix4Dmapper Pro can easily handle multiple cameras in one project processing or for project merging. We commonly recommend our users to execute grid flights with nadir images for digital surface models (DSMs) and ortho mosaics, and double-grid or circular flights with oblique images for 3D modeling. Now we would also like […]

DSNA Services and Aveillant are pleased to announce a partnership to develop a complete counter-drone surveillance solution capable of detection, identification, and tracking within a radius of 5 kilometres. This alliance is the marriage of both vision and agility; combining innovative technology with customer-centric operational expertise. After launching a successful proof of concept in June […]

Providing the Industry’s First Night Flight Operations and Waiver Lessons Today, UAVGroundSchool.com announced the addition of two new modules to their acclaimed FAA Part 107 online training program. The new Night Flight Operations and Waivers modules are the industries first detailed lessons in any Part 107 curriculum. These lesson modules, available to all Gold Seal […]

At the World ATM Congress 2017, Thales announces the launch of ECOsystem UTM, an advanced solution for Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management (UTM), built with key technology from partner Unifly. Joining forces to satisfy the growing need for UTM, the companies will leverage Thales’s unparalleled expertise in air traffic management, system integration and cyber security […]

NVIDIA today unveiled the NVIDIA® Jetson™ TX2, a credit card-sized platform that delivers AI computing at the edge — opening the door to powerfully intelligent factory robots, commercial drones and smart cameras for AI cities. Jetson TX2 offers twice the performance of its predecessor, or it can run at more than twice the power efficiency, while […]

Kelvin Hughes is delighted to announce that it will be launching its new drone detection system at the Home Office Security & Policing exhibition. The SMS-D is the first integrated, medium-range, radar-based surveillance system designed for the detection and tracking of small aerial targets. Whether used maliciously or just irresponsibly, drones represent a new threat […]

Deveron UAS Corp. (CSE:DVR), a major drone-based data provider to the agricultural industry in North America, is pleased to announce a multi-year commitment to working with Thompsons Ltd. to provide leading-edge remote sensing data solutions to its growers. The contract is expected to run through 2018. Thompsons Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based Lansing Trade […]

John Deere and Kespry today announced an exclusive global strategic alliance through which John Deere Construction & Forestry dealers will provide the Kespry Aerial Intelligence System to their customers on job sites around the world. Starting in North America, the alliance enables John Deere customers to use Kespry’s fully integrated industrial drone platform to capture […]

A full DSTW that passed quickly. I will describe what happened here; there are links to events in the timeline in the comments section of the video. Zack Clark, Drone America, and their long distance drone delivery flight and cloud seeding by drone. Drone America set a new long-distance record for aerial package delivery flying […]

Filmmakers are always looking for a new way to tell a story, and drones with cameras provide an advanced perspective never seen before, with breathtaking views and new vantage points. We’ve seen them flying in fleets at the Super Bowl, capturing close-up views of performers, and granting audiences a chance to watch as if they’re […]

DJI, the world’s leading maker of unmanned aerial vehicles, Monday released a white paper concluding the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) set its weight standard far too low for determining which drones pose the lowest risk to people. While the FAA’s 2015 Registration Task Force (RTF) said drones weighing up to 250 grams posed the […]

Silent Falcon™ UAS Technologies is pleased to announce Precision Vectors Aerial Inc. of Vancouver, BC, has chosen the Silent Falcon UAS as their exclusive UAS for their BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) unmanned aerial services business in Canada and the United States. Precision Vectors will use Silent Falcon exclusively in BVLOS UAS services focusing […]

Before the introduction of small UAVs for aerial photogrammetry, planes, helicopters and metric cameras were used. Not only was this costly, it was also complex due to the images being taken from high altitudes. UAVs have made aerial mapping more affordable, faster and precise. When it comes to planning survey missions for small UAVs, UgCS […]

Two days and two chances to look at Drone No Fly Zone maps. This time a Luton based DJI Mavic owner bumps up against a DJI No Fly Zone around London Luton Airport, and the Mavic wants to auto-land in response. A positive thing, the technology worked, well done DJI. The operator was flying to film […]

Our people are everything. As a Best of Staffing® Client and Talent leader, Aerotek® Inc. has distinguished itself as a leader in recruiting and staffing services, by having a deep understanding of the intersection of talent and business. As a strategic partner to more than 17,000 clients and 300,000 contract employees every year, Aerotek’s people-focused […]

Phase 1 of the 2017 Student UAS Competition is complete. A judging panel, comprised of Canadian subject matter experts has completed its independent review of the technical papers submitted by all 16 teams. This year’s wildlife monitoring scenario will task the teams to census and locate nests of three different types of geese in the […]

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — North Dakota’s first drone flight training academy launched its online Remote Pilot Ground School Course today. SkySkopes Academy offers a self-paced, comprehensive course designed to give students the knowledge needed to pass the Federal Aviation Administration exam required for to receive their remote pilot certificate under Part 107. The course is […]

Flying Cross Aerial Productions, a Texas based aerial camera company specializing in the use of sUAS (drones) for motion picture and television productions, has received waiver #107W-2016-00357A from the FAA allowing the operation its sUAS when visibility and cloud clearances are below the minimums set forth in the Federal Aviation Regulations. Currently, drones cannot legally […]

This one is being misreported in the UK press not only is it being overplayed but the Chinook was recovering to RAF Benson, not RAF Odiham as is being told. I found the Airprox particularly interesting as the precision approach controller (PAR) was aware of the RPA. It appeared on his or her PAR radar. The […]

The Eli Drone Nest has been developed to provide a new dimension of autonomy to the already operational ELIX-XL multirotor platform. An installed drone nest provides an operational radius of 5km, and a network of drone nests can deliver visual information from a vast area of land. Overlapping operational radiuses mean that the command centre […]

Sharper Shape has recently refocused its strategy and undergone an organizational transition to move towards an international product company. Ilkka Hiidenheimo, born 1960, took the helm of Shaper Shape as the CEO. Hiidenheimo was the founder of Stonesoft Corporation in 1990. He served as CTO until 2004. Between the years 2004 and 2014 he held […]

Tampa, Fl.: Today, 3rd Rock Air, a provider of drone training to both commercial users and hobbyists, announced the rollout of 3 courses in the Tampa area. These courses cover drone flight training, preparation for the required FAA Part 107 knowledge test and business opportunities. Regarding the company’s launch, 3rd Rock Air President, David Cranmer […]

An exciting weekend for Philip Rowse of ProfiCNC, when not making Autopilots for unmanned aircraft he is helping bring an ex-military jump jet back to life. The AVT Harrier is on display at Avalon Airshow this weekend. The aircraft arrived in Australia in June 2015 and was transported to Ballarat, Victoria to the Advanced VTOL Technologies […]

What are the effects of the “angle between images” setting in circular missions when it comes to 3D reconstruction? Knowing which drone flight plan to design for 3D modelling can be challenging, but the good news is that Pix4Dcapture has automatic flight missions optimised for different scenarios. We tested circular missions with three image angle […]

ConsortiQ, have announced it is now an Approved Training Centre, able to award the ProQual Level 3 Certificate and Level 4 Diploma in The Remote Piloting of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Commercial Operation. It is now the first Training Centre of it’s kind to offer an Aviation Regulator approved and Academically recognised drone qualification in […]

Canadian Hydro-Québec subsidiary MIR Innovation (Maintenance, Inspection and Robotics), has developed a device that can lift a sensor and land it on an energised power line. The Linecore sensor and multirotor that took it there balance on and test the line as they roll along it. Power lines exposed to coastal environments and extreme weather wear out, quickly. […]

The ALPHA 800 is the evolution of the SNIPER and includes all the developments and improvements of the last year and a half of extensive work of research, development and innovation. Improvements apply to all the systems in the helicopter from the mechanics to the electronics on board or available payloads. In the airframe, the […]

Huntsville, AL – GeoCue Group is pleased to announce the latest release of LP360. LP360 is the world’s most powerful and popular desktop exploitation software for point cloud data from LIDAR and SfM (Structure from Motion, point clouds produced from small unmanned aerial systems imagery). LP360 is available as a standalone application and as an […]

Master Airscrew (MAS), has officially released its advanced FPV Racing Propeller Series for intermediate and expert drone pilots. The new product line is manufactured in the company’s factory in Rancho Cordova and is already available to customers. The MAS FPV Racing props come in two flavors: – RS Series – combines distinctive bat wing like shape […]

UMS Skeldar AG, a joint venture between Swiss based UMS Aero AG and Sweden based Saab AB (publ.), is a leading international co-orporation specialized in developing innovative flying robots’ technologies for aircrafts and helicopters RPAS (Remotely Piloted Air Systems). The high-tech company focuses on the production and distribution of small and medium sized RPAS on […]