sUAS News

Transpower today released guidelines to enable the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for work to be carried out on New Zealand’s National Grid. The guidelines for RPAS follow Transpower’s trial flights in 2013 as well as ongoing work with the Civil Aviation Authority, Airways Corporation Ltd, and other airspace users to understand how…The post NZ:- Transpower permits RPAS (drones) for grid works appeared first on sUAS News.

by Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – The 432nd Weather Flight is the largest of its kind in the Air Combat Command with 51 personnel and supporting remotely piloted aircraft operations globally. “We support organizations and units throughout the Air Force and Department of Defense,” said Capt. Jacob, 432nd Operations…The post Forecasting the mission, keeping RPAs in the sky appeared first on sUAS News.

In December 2015, the FAA initiated specific rules governing the use of unmanned aircraft. Registration for the vast majority of drone types has become mandatory and all use of unmanned aircraft in the commercial or government realm are now required to obtain a special Certificate of Authorization (COA) or a FAA 333 Exemption depending on its…The post RPVaero.com Streamlines Drone Authorization Process As FAA Issues Mandatory Rules For Drone Use appeared first on sUAS News.

A spot of fun and a great advert for the Yuneec Tornado. Filmed for ITV’s It’s not Rocket Science the depot to door delivery service pits the Tornado flown UK FPV racing champion James Bowles against Elfyn Evans world rally car driver. I won’t spoil the result. Its accurate though.The post Delivery drone, white van man head to head race on UK TV appeared first on sUAS News.

We don’t often post market reports as they very often wildly wrong. This one might very well be as the market is moving fast away launchers towards VTOL. Maybe I will be wrong, the numbers are huge so worth a share! A new study Launchers for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Market Shares, Strategy, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2012…The post Launchers for Unmanned Aerial Systems and Targets Anticipated to Reach $1.3 Billion by 2018 appeared first on sUAS News.

Canberra, Australia, March 7-8, 2016 The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) industry is continuing to grow at a fast pace. Greater access to airspace remains a critical issue to the continued growth and viability of the sector. The Australian Association for Unmanned Systems is hosting a “RPAS in Australian Skies” conference is bringing together the…The post RPAS in Australian Skies Conference appeared first on sUAS News.

Scientific photographs taken from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, like the QuestUAV Agri-Pro system, and processed with Pix4D are a powerful tool to fight soil erosion. This case study shows that image-based farm management can significantly reduce the soil loss on tropical fruit plantations, such as pineapple. In our study a reduction from intolerable 200 t/ha/yr was…The post QuestUAV Drone Image Interpretation Dramatically Increases the Lifetime of the World’s Largest Pineapple Plantation appeared first on sUAS News.

LizardTech®, the creator of MrSID® and provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, announced today it will exhibit at the FedGIS 2016 conference in booth number 116 Feb. 24-25, 2016 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. At the conference, LizardTech will showcase the latest version of GeoExpress, LizardTech’s…The post LizardTech to Showcase Latest Version of GeoExpress at FedGIS 2016 appeared first on sUAS News.

Airbus Helicopters, a division of Airbus, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conduct Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) trials in Singapore. The agreement, signed at the sidelines of the Singapore Air Show on Wednesday (Feb 17), will see the two parties collaborating on the Skyways Experimentation Project, which aims…The post Airbus unit, CAAS to trial using drones for parcel delivery appeared first on sUAS News.

What’s more important than your DJI drone suffering a mishap? Who’s going to fix it and how? This is where our brand new DJI Care service comes in. Whether it’s damages to your aircraft, gimbal, camera or pilot error such as drops and crashes, DJI Care has got you covered. Available now for existing…The post DJI launch paid customer care, for some appeared first on sUAS News.

Contract is first for pioneering high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) craft  World-record holding design made even lighter and more efficient Airbus Defence and Space has won an order from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the manufacture and operation of two solar-powered Zephyr 8 high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) craft. Flying at some 65,000ft, the ultra-lightweight Zephyr…The post United Kingdom Ministry of Defence places order for two solar-powered Airbus Zephyr 8s appeared first on sUAS News.

Each month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) receives more than 100 reports from pilots and others who spot what appears to be an unmanned aircraft (UAS) flying close to an airport or a manned airplane. It’s become a serious safety concern for the agency, and a potential security issue for the Department of Homeland Security…The post FAA, DHS, CACI, UMD Perform UAS Detection Work appeared first on sUAS News.

The only fully radiometric flight thermography on the market Thermal imaging camera optris PI LightWeight with new features Infrared images and videos from the air – recorded by drones, UAVs and other flying objects – are becoming increasingly important in industrial maintenance. In some cases, the cost savings compared to existing applications are enormous. The…The post The only fully radiometric flight thermography on the market appeared first on sUAS News.

Skyworks Aerial Systems has officially changed its name to Dronesmith Technologies. This change marks a significant milestone in our company’s natural evolution and signifies our continuing dedication to making the best developer tools for the drone industry. When we founded Skyworks Aerial Systems in 2014, our team set out to enable drone makers, innovators, and…The post Skyworks Aerial Systems has rebranded to Dronesmith Technologies appeared first on sUAS News.

AT&T and Intel have agreed to test how Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more commonly referred to as drones, work on a network designed to connect devices on the ground. Intel and AT&T will be working to solve major issues in the space, including connectivity. Mobile World Congress attendees will get a first look at the Intel…The post AT&T And Intel® To Test Drones On LTE Network appeared first on sUAS News.

It is well known that drones, along with other aircraft, possess a certain safety risk when operated. This potential safety hazard of drones has been highlighted in the media many times. Oftentimes this serves as bad publicity for companies and individuals seeking to use drones to benefit the public. When it comes to automated mission…The post UgCS – A Safe Platform for Unmanned Flights appeared first on sUAS News.

As of immediate effect, Jim Bowers (Colfax, USA) has stood down from Director of SWARM (Search With An RC Multrotor), and been succeeded by Euan Ramsay (Unterageri, Switzerland). Euan will remain as acting director until the role is made official in January 2017. Jim established SWARM in 2013 as a volunteer network for drone operators…The post SWARM – change of director appeared first on sUAS News.

u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and chips, today announced the NINA-B1 Bluetooth low energy (Bluetooth Smart) stand-alone module. Compliant to the latest Bluetooth 4.2 specification and certified to global radio type approvals, the module is key to bringing Bluetooth low energy-based Internet of Things (IoT) designs to market in the…The post Bluetooth low energy 4.2 module brings state-of-the-art performance and power efficiency to IoT designs appeared first on sUAS News.

Congratulations to all at Ocuair, when hard things look easy a great deal of planning and prior preparation have happened. Next the North Sea. A UK Team of drone experts have successfully completed their bid to be the first people in history to fly a drone across the English Channel – a single flight of…The post Making Aviation History – The First Quad-copter Drone to Cross the English Channel appeared first on sUAS News.

The Silicon Valley Drone Show approaches in April again this year held at the amazing vista of the Golden Gate Club with natural scenic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and bay, commercial and hobby drone industry leaders are assembling to discuss innovation and technology discoveries of the past year. The sUAS News team is…The post DJI’s Michael Perry to speak at the sUSB Expo 2016, The Silicon Valley Drone Show appeared first on sUAS News.

Drone Airspace Management Launches WASHINGTON, DC – [Drone Airspace Management], a drone membership organization aimed at small and medium sized operators in the UAS market, has launched a new website: www.droneairsp.com “DAM is like an association but with an entrepreneurial twist,” says, Avery Brown, a principal at DAM. “DAM will be a community with collective…The post DAM Wants You in the Air! appeared first on sUAS News.

Rebecca Wilson Editor at Skyward The sky is open for business. As of last week, the number of registered drone pilots has eclipsed the number of traditional pilots in the U.S. At Skyward, we’re helping them fly safely. Our best-in-class commercial drone software empowers all those pilots to safely share the airspace. Pros and hobbyists…The post Skyward Is Hiring! appeared first on sUAS News.

uAvionix Corporation, the leader in unmanned ADS-B technology and Dronecode, the nonprofit organization developing a common, shared open source platform for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), today announced a plan to collaborate on advanced development in ADS-B ‘sense and avoid’ functionality in ArduPilot-based drones. The uAvionix Ping is the smallest and lightest ADS-B transponder available for…The post uAvionix Announces Collaboration with the Dronecode Foundation appeared first on sUAS News.

Unmatics ™ is the world’s first true pay per use (PPU) insurance solution for unmanned systems. Unmanned Risk Management is focused on delivering flexibility and personalization in all of our insurance product offerings – when and how customers want it. This approach requires simplified, transparent and flexible products with dynamic pricing and payment capabilities. Unmatics…The post Unmatics™ Pay for use insurance for drones of all kinds | Air-Land-Sea – COMING SOON appeared first on sUAS News.

Its the other private RPA personal registration deadline today, the one for people not the platforms themselves. A good day to look at the other sort. Platforms being registered for commercial work under 333 exemptions. I am going to put a caveat in… We are discovering that the way in which the data is captured is…The post Commercial Drone popularity by N number appeared first on sUAS News.

By Andrew Spence AMPHIBIOUS drones are being developed to collect and test potentially dangerous water samples from difficult to access watercourses. Dan Squire founded Drones Over Water last year in South Australia and has developed a sensor unit, which attaches to amphibious drones to allow the collection of samples from watercourses. He said the drones…The post Amphibious drones are being developed to collect and test potentially dangerous water samples from difficult to access watercourses. appeared first on sUAS News.

RIEGL and Aeroscout have worked closely for many years. As a pioneer in the UAV LiDAR field, Aeroscout has integrated RIEGL scanners into many of their systems. In 2016, RIEGL and Aeroscout strengthened their long-standing business relationship by entering into a strategic partnership, which both companies expect to benefit their technological exchange and input for…The post RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems (Austria) and Aeroscout (Switzerland) are excited to announce a strategic partnership between companies. appeared first on sUAS News.

3DroneMapping was approached to assist in a topographic and bathymetric survey of 2000ha in Northern Zanzibar . This semi-autonomous island lies off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. The land has been provisioned for development of various resorts, marina, airfield and golf course and is the biggest Zanzibar has seen with many investors and…The post Drone Mapping in Zanzibar appeared first on sUAS News.

The growing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) ecosystem requires accountability of operators, availability of airspace, and security of communications, particularly a confidential, authenticated, and accessible registration system. The FAA’s recent launch of a web-based registration service starts the UAS registration system in anexcellent direction. Nevertheless, the scope and scale of the system’s future capabilities remains a concern. The anticipated…The post AirMap White Paper:- Robust and Scalable UAS Registration appeared first on sUAS News.

bizUAS corp is proud to sponsor DroneDeploy’s cloud-based photogrammetry post-processing and streaming technology. Effective immediately, current and future customers of bizUAS can purchase bizUAS’ turn-key industrial-grade UAS solutions with DroneDeploy Precision license as a specially-priced package. The plan is offered on a 12-months basis. It takes the pain and capital expense out of post-processing and…The post bizUAS to sponsor DroneDeploy Precision Subscription Plan appeared first on sUAS News.

November’s three-day trial of Sentient Vision’s Kestrel Maritime ViDAR optical detection system aboard a Royal Australian Navy ScanEagle UAV has demonstrated ViDAR’s ability to turn a tactical UAV in to a broad area surveillance asset, capable of covering up to 80 times the previous maritime patrol area in a single sortie. Flying from HMAS Albatross, near Nowra in…The post Sentient ViDAR trial turns Royal Australian Navy ScanEagle UAV in to broad area maritime surveillance platform appeared first on sUAS News.

Juniper Unmanned, Inc. is pleased to announce its collaboration with Pulse Aerospace and YellowScan to showcase LiDAR data acquisition capabilities from an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) in Denver, Colorado. The quality and affordability of the YellowScan Ultralight sensor onboard the Pulse Vapor 35 platform will support LiDAR mapping…The post Juniper Unmanned, Pulse Aerospace and YellowScan to Showcase UAS LiDAR Capabilities appeared first on sUAS News.

LizardTech®, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, has published a white paper showing users how to access 12 little-known geospatial data manipulation tools inside its popular GeoExpress software. The white paper is free to download here. “LizardTech customers know GeoExpress as our flagship solution for compressing raster images and LiDAR…The post LizardTech White Paper Reveals 12 Hidden Gems in GeoExpress Software appeared first on sUAS News.

FLY AG TECH, the new agricultural drone company is bringing the discussion of drone use in precision farming to the forefront. Fly Ag Tech has the only FAA-approved agricultural drone network in the US. This network allows farmers, agronomists, and UAS operators to effectively collaborate and provide precision mapping services to growers nation-wide. “What we…The post Fly Ag Tech – the first FAA-Approved Ag Drone Network appeared first on sUAS News.

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today on Governor’s Island, Measure conducted the first officially sanctioned drone flights for dozens of city officials as part of a broader effort to expand the use of drones for public safety. “Safe, legal, and insured drone operations can provide significant benefits to city residents and public safety officials,” said Measure…The post Measure Hosts Drone Demonstration for New York City Officials appeared first on sUAS News.

Building on its unique experiences within the growing U.S. Critical Infrastructure Inspection (CII) market, Unmanned Experts has partnered with Louisiana-based Innovative Plant Consulting (IPC) to provide drone inspection and data analysis to the Gulf Region’s Oil and Gas sector. The high tempo, high temperature operations of most petrochemical firms come with significant safety and inspection…The post Unmammed Experts partners with Innovative Plant Consulting to bring drone inspections to the oil and gas sector appeared first on sUAS News.

A consortium of Singaporean institutions and private sector companies including HES Energy Systems, ST Aerospace, DSO National Laboratories, and the Future Systems and Technology Directorate of Singapore’s Ministry of Defense, have worked jointly to achieve a record 6 hour endurance, 300km flight on the Skyblade 360 UAV built in Singapore by ST Aerospace. Besides achieving…The post New Solid Hydrogen-on-Demand Fuel Cell from HES Energy Systems Flies ST Aerospace UAV for Record 6 Hours appeared first on sUAS News.

by Timothy Sandland OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. – Things were all abuzz at the 102nd Intelligence Wing, Jan. 18-22. The wing hosted a team of robotics experts and support personnel from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on the Building 158 hangar floor to test the capabilities of the latest autonomous UAVs and…The post Otis ANG Base hosts autonomous UAV testing appeared first on sUAS News.

Time to count the numbers again, 3148 companies with an FAA 333. Not all of them based in the USA as the map above shows. Australia in the form of Aerolens who will be operating an Inspire 1 join a small list of overseas companies making their way to the New World. Canada, UK and…The post USA: 333 Operators list update appeared first on sUAS News.

So DJI has dropped the price of the Phantom 3 Professional to just under $1000, from $1259. It makes the P3P a very attractive platform at that price. Almost a why wouldn’t you, 4K camera and Lightbridge. Add to the mix the proposed changes to rules in the USA that might reduce the rules for…The post Drone price wars appeared first on sUAS News.

No name and no test fly float or swim yet for Singapore Technologies Aerospace companies new wing. Its on their stand at the Singapore Airshow though. Whilst only able to fly for 15 minutes it is said to be able to loiter underwater for three hours at a speed of 3 knots. I’m not sure if…The post If it flies, floats or …. appeared first on sUAS News.

By Pete Kunz, Vice President and Chief Engineer As the unmanned future unfolds, we have been continuously able to discover and create new ways to leverage technology for information gathering. Here at Insitu, this is driven by an innovative spirit and the foundational motivation to provide better information from places where situational awareness was previously…The post A true “find” capability for UAS appeared first on sUAS News.

u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and chips, announces the release of NEO-M8U, the industry’s first Untethered 3D Dead Reckoning (UDR) module. Combining multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo) with an onboard 3D gyro/accelerometer, NEO-M8U provides accurate positioning even where GNSS signals are weak or not available. It achieves this without any…The post u-blox leads automotive GNSS innovation with Untethered 3D Dead Reckoning appeared first on sUAS News.

AERTEC Solutions, the international engineering and consultancy firm specialised in airports, the aeronautical industry and aerospace & defence, consolidated its projection in the international market with a significant quantitative and qualitative leap in 2015. The company closed the last financial year with a turnover figure of €22 million euros, a 30% year-on-year increase on the figure for 2014 (€17 million),…The post AERTEC Solutions increased its sales by 30% in 2015 and boosted its international presence with cumulative projects in 26 countries appeared first on sUAS News.

Changing Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: CHGT) has its head in the clouds – looking for new business and revenues. The company is formulating a plan to go after drone repair, a market that has sky-high potential considering all the crashes the pilotless craft endure. “It’s a law of nature that what goes up must eventually come…The post CHGT Aims to Snare Share of High-Flying Drone Repair Market appeared first on sUAS News.

Western Daily Press An amateur drone pilot was stunned to find the sports cars he was filming were being driven by the new presenters of Top Gear Keith Bremner, 41, was out driving with his wife, Jennifer, 40, an accountant, when he spotted a yellow Mustang being driven along a bridge in the Scottish Highlands.…The post Shocked amateur drone pilot films new Top Gear presenters driving muscle cars appeared first on sUAS News.

Tokyo – A court on Tuesday convicted a Japanese man of landing a drone containing a bottle of radioactive sand from Fukushima on the roof of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office. The Tokyo District Court handed Yasuo Yamamoto, 41, a two-year jail term, suspended for four years, for forcibly obstructing the operation of Abe’s office.…The post Japan man guilty of flying drone to prime minister’s office appeared first on sUAS News.

Montreal, Canada, February 16th, 2016 – SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is pleased to announce that Loxley PCL has purchased its Correlator3D™ for a major mapping project in Thailand. The software is used by its subsidiary, Data Mining Co., Ltd., to process tens of thousands of large-format images to generate high-quality orthomosaics.…The post Loxley Chooses SimActive for Royal Thai Government Project appeared first on sUAS News.

By Nelson Daranciang A federal judge upheld a park ranger’s use of a Taser on a man who tried to run away after being told not to fly his drone in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Following two days of testimony in a non-jury trial in Hilo, the judge found Travis R. Sanders guilty Wednesday of…The post Judge: Park ranger’s use of taser on drone operator was justified appeared first on sUAS News.

CHICAGO — “Drones are proving to be powerful new tools to archaeologists for documenting excavation, mapping landscapes and identifying buried features. They also can be applied to monitor site destruction and looting in the present,” said Morag M. Kersel, an assistant professor of anthropology at DePaul. Kersel, whose research focus is on trade and antiquities, described how…The post DePaul University archaeologist explains UAV use at Fifa for site documentation, monitoring appeared first on sUAS News.