sUAS News

The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), a subsidiary of ARGUS International, Inc., and a leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) flight safety education, and remote pilot training and certification, has partnered with the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), a non-profit organization designed to support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of aircraft by governmental […]

The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), a subsidiary of ARGUS International, Inc., and a leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) flight safety education, and remote pilot training and certification, has partnered with the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA), a non-profit organization designed to support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of aircraft by governmental […]

Last year at this time, I reflected back on the news and trends of the commercial drone markets of 2015 and wrote about the mixed state of affairs in the U.S. Back then we saw only 2,500 Section 333 grants for commercial activity, and the press’s narrative that ‘drones are cool’ turned to ‘drones are […]

Earth-i, the innovative British distributor of Earth Observation and information services, announced today that it has been awarded the contract to supply the government of the state of Queensland, Australia with very high resolution optical imagery of the entire state. The contract covers the supply of imagery from the DMC3 / TripleSat Constellation for each […]

The pan-European Neva Aerospace consortium, which is developing heavy-duty drones, industrial and commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and vehicles (UAV) based on its patented distributed thrust concept, has released the first OEM electric turbofan (ETF) to the aerospace market. These ETFs are claimed to be between two and four times as efficient as existing, standard […]

Lt. Gen. Vern M. “Rusty” Findley II, a highly decorated retired member of the U.S. Air Force with a military career spanning 35 years, joined SkySkopes as a senior consultant for business development this week. Findley is a former vice commander of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command headquartered at Scott Air Force Base in […]

by Erin Olsen Director of Marketing at Skyward Over the past year, my team and I have had the opportunity to hear from many of you about the interesting ways you are using drones and the challenges you face in building your businesses. In fact, during each of our monthly webinars, we ask you about […]

SPH Engineering’s latest update to UgCS mission planning software for drones brings improvements to features, user interface ergonomics and a new affordable license type for UAV professionals. Added support for PX4, DJI Matrice 600 and DJI A3 autopilot, expanding the already wide base of UgCS supported drones. The UgCS version 2.10 features many changes, one […]

Need to fly in B, C, D, or E at the surface airspace but you don’t want to get an authorization or waiver? You could just wait till the airport tower closes and fly under a Part 107 night waiver. For more info on what is night, see my article on How to Fly Your […]

By Lia Reich At UAS TAAC (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technical Analysis and Applications Center) held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, PrecisionHawk released the results of its Pathfinder Phase 2 research during an update titled ‘Pathfinder Initiative for sUAS BVLOS’. Dr. Allison Ferguson, Director of Airspace Research at PrecisionHawk, sat with representatives from both the FAA, including Robert Pappas of […]

Well yeah, meh, I was massively disappointed by Amazon’s presentation at Farnborough 2016. I thought that they disrespected those who there to ask questions, and they lied through their teeth about various aspects of their operation. Would I be the only person to think that this is just another Christmas PR stunt? So far they […]

In our weekly hangout last night, we spoke to drone advocate and all round good egg Rhianna Lakin. She had been to Standing Rock to witness events unfolding and help where she could. Rhianna mentioned that she knew the journalist that was granted permission to fly in the TFR. Today that journalist, Rob Levine has […]

We are looking for an all-star Content Marketing Manager who’s ready to take storytelling to the next level. You will own content strategy and development, and be responsible for educating and engaging the market about the value of commercial drones. As an early stage contributor, you’ll have the opportunity to build from the ground up […]

DJI, the world leader in unmanned aerial vehicle technology, will open the doors of its Shanghai flagship store to the public on December 10, giving residents of China’s largest city the opportunity to explore the creative and professional possibilities that drone technology has brought to the world. Located at the center of Shanghai’s busiest shopping, […]

Hyperspectral Sensing from UAV Platform for Agricultural Monitoring and Precision Agriculture.The candidate will be employed at QuestUAV under the supervision of Mr Nigel King and enrolled as a PhD student in the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, supervised by Dr Rachel Gaulton and Dr Nigel Penna. Project Descripion The ESR project will […]

Insitu is an industry-leading provider of information for superior decision making. We design, develop and manufacture customized unmanned systems and information processing software solutions while providing 24/7 global training, services and support. Our platforms – ScanEagle and Integrator – have logged more than 835,000 operational flight hours, and deliver high-quality, combat-proven ISR for both land […]

The one in which Rhianna Lakin told us about drones being shot down at Standing Rock, the TFR and journalists being approved to fly. But with man-made obstacles. Nik Fox from Cloud 9 in the UK speaks to Civil Aviation Authority fee increases, 128%! Rory San Miguel and the Phantom 4 Pro camera, when will […]

Sentera is excited to announce its partnership with RDO Equipment Co., a total solutions provider with 78 stores servicing the agriculture, construction, environmental, surveying, and irrigation industries. This partnership augments the RDO Equipment Co. already robust product offering, giving their customer network access to a variety of Sentera’s innovative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solutions including […]

“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” – Captain A. G. Lamplugh, chief underwriter and principal surveyor of British Aviation Insurance Company (1931) Often, insurance policies are defined not by what they cover, but by what they […]

The Crop Scouting package, which includes DJI’s Phantom 4 Pro coupled with PrecisionHawk’s flight and analytics software, is geared towards growers who want to implement drone technology to improve production efficiency across their precision farming operations. The package is available for pre-order today. Following the success of the Smarter Farming Package, launched in May, PrecisionHawk […]

Another SLT, all electric. These really make no sense at all to me. If it had a petrol motor on the back I would get it. The VTOL ability in this case really just masks the operator’s lack of skills. If you want to extend the endurance easily of this sort of craft, a SkyWalker, […]

With interest for the ALTI Transition rapidly growing around the globe, ALTI is excited to have secured a multi-system deal with Valmie Resources (www.valmie.com). Along with various other clients and orders received, we are excited to work with and supply Valmie with the Transition along with future business in the US. Valmie Resources was established […]

Epoc Unmanned inc, the creators of the OBS survey system, are pleased to announce that we have selected the TW3865 dual frequency antennae by Tallysman to be supplied with the OBS surveying system. We have strived to utilize only professional quality, known components which are North American made. For full specs please see the following […]

Octopus ISR Systems (Europe) has unveiled the enhanced version of their Epsilon 140, the UAV gimbal with dual sensor payload, and signed a long-term agreement with RT LTA Systems, the Israeli manufacturer of Skystar aerostats. The enhanced version of the Epsilon 140 will now operate a 3.3x IR continuous zoom lens on LWIR sensor while […]

The Kernel camera is the first modular camera platform that can be easily connected together to form custom, compact camera arrays. No longer are you locked into a particular sensor, lens, or filter setup: with Kernal you can swap anything out in the field. With an open hardware and software design, you can create new […]

UKRspecsystems (ukrspecsystems.com) has selected Robotic Skies (roboticskies.com) to provide worldwide support services for its line of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) products. As part of the agreement, Robotic Skies will develop and provide a factory warranty and field support programs for UKRspecsystems customers through Robotic Skies’ international network of 130 service centres. Based in the Ukraine, UKRspecsystems […]

Another SLT joins the party, I predict 2017 will be the year of the SLT with most people using the work of Tridge and the Opensource autopilot Ardupilot project to run the things. The Hercules is a 36-pound gross weight, 8 rotor UAS with a 2-stroke gasoline engine. It incorporates electric propulsion technologies based on […]

Fully assembled and test-flown professional copter Flying duration up to 30 minutes with 600g camera and BLG-600 camera gimbal Overall flying weight under 5kg Diameter 500mm Full carbon fiber construction Elaborate LED illumination Extensive telemetry system with recording of flight data High power motors and ESCs included DJI Wookong flight control system with optional waypoint navigation […]

Companies have been mining nickel-copper ores in the northern region of Ontario, Canada since 1901. For this project, the Aeryon SkyRanger sUAS was used to collect imagery from a Tailings Pond and a Slag Heap. This imagery and data would then be used by the mining company to help evaluate the growth of the waste […]

Five thousand five hundred and twenty-nine, FAA Section 333 Exemptions were updated (36 pages of docket numbers) with a blanket exemption amendment. This is great news as it provides many exemptions with new capabilities which were not possible before. The FAA has slowly been updating things such as when they updated the blanket COA and […]

UK based commercial drone operators Cloud 9 are not happy with proposed fee hikes. On their website, they have this to say. UAV operators who want to make money from ‘aerial work’ (flying in return for money) are legally required to be trained appropriately and certified/licenced via a document called a Permit for Commercial Operation (a […]

A strong rumour is beginning to circulate from several sources. Including a large camera and tech vendor that Karma is fixed. I must admit that would be a surprise to me. It would point to a software issue, one that has been solved by folks outside of the original project. What we do know for certain now […]

DRONE VOLT, the French professional drone manufacturer is launching the “DV WING”. This flying wing drone is dedicated to precision agriculture and construction work and will enrich the company’s range of professional drones. “DV WING” is a fixed-wing unit equipped with an 18.2 MP sensor and uses algorithms enabling it to obtain aerial imagery and […]

The Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC-TINA) and Arcturus UAV today announced a joint partnership to develop a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine capable of supporting the T-20 family of unmanned aircraft. Defence organisations face significant logistical, safety, and security challenges in the transportation and storage of large amounts of heavy fuel (diesel) required to fuel unmanned aerial […]

A^3 by Airbus Group recently awarded a Flight Test and Range Services contract for “Project Vahana” to Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI), and their partner, SOAR Oregon (SOAR). Project Vahana is an autonomous flying vehicle platform for individual passenger and cargo transport. It seeks to advance automated electric VTOL flight for the emerging on-demand mobility […]

The growing demand for civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations presents new safety oversight challenges for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Using an authority granted by Congress, FAA has approved over 5,500 commercial UAS to operate by exempting them from regulatory requirements, and recently issued a final rule governing operations of small UAS. Given the […]

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), tactical reconnaissance radars, and electro-optic surveillance systems, today announced the commencement of flight testing for its MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) series with the successful first flight of the company’s production representative MQ-1C Gray Eagle ER aircraft from its El […]

Astron, alongside partner C4D Intel, is pleased to announce successful completion of their first prototype field trial for Sentinel VDS, a state-of-the-art automated shark detection system using UAVs. Alongside our partners at Astron, we’re extremely excited to announce the successful completion of our first prototype field trial for Sentinel VDS, a state-of-the-art automated shark detection […]

SPH Engineering presents new addition to continuously evolving drone market – a ready-to-fly tethered drone system AirMast. Compared to some conventional mast systems AirMast is easy and quickly deployable mean to bring up sensors in the sky, not requiring operators specific technical knowledge. AirMast can provide significant support for most search and rescue, environment protection, telecommunication […]

The winners of the Dutch Drone Awards 2016 have been announced! Coen Swijnenberg won this year’s Drone Award in the category Aerial Photography with a beautiful drone video of Sri Lanka. Tim van Vliet won the award in the category Racing category with a high-speed dronevideo shot above the colorful Dutch tulip fields. Every year, […]

Praxis Aerospace Concepts International, Inc. has significantly increased its UAS operations capabilities to equal or exceed any nonfederal entity within Nevada. Praxis Aerospace Concepts International, Inc. today announced that it has been delegated Mission Command authority from the New York UAS Test Site, operated by the Griffiss International Airport. This significant achievement represents the growth […]

Chanapa Tantibanchachai In what is believed to be the first proof-of-concept study of its kind, Johns Hopkins researchers have determined that large bags of blood products, such as those transfused into patients every day, can maintain temperature and cellular integrity while transported by drones. In a report about the findings, published online last month in […]

You will be in charge of developing our next-generation software solutions for controlling and operating HySpex cameras for all application areas. The software will interface with different types of hardware, including sensors/cameras, electro-mechanical systems, gyro-stabilized mounts, radio links and various types of navigation solutions. Comprehensive documentation and strict version control (GIT) is also required. Responsibilities […]

DroneMapper is very pleased to announce that RAPID for DJI is available for download and testing on limited imagery data sets at no cost to the end user. RAPID will provide scaled DEMs and Orthomosaics using up to 75 images for a scene. Results are available in near real time using modest computing hardware in […]

The Byrd design is foldable, modular and comes in several configurations that include 1080p (plenty good for most web work). The model I tested was set up to carry a GoPro. Another available configuration is a 4K camera with the following specifications: 3840*2160P 24fps, 3840*2160P 30fps, 4096*2160P 24fps. An IR camera is also due out […]

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems for both military and commercial applications, today announced it has begun a year-long study with California State University, Fresno to research how unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and analytics could potentially detect varying levels of water stress in almond trees and give producers smarter […]

Insitu Commercial Aviation are hiring. We are building a dynamic team of leaders to create a new business offering in remote sensing. We have created a commercial organisation and are aggressively carving out a strong presence in enterprise autonomous planning, collection, analysis and delivery of data. We’re going to provide world class aviation services around the globe. […]

The DroneBox technology is scalable, patented, and designed to equip both plane and multi-rotor UAS, as well as terrestrial photogrammetric and bathymetric UVS. This solution is a genuine technological kernel, concentrating 70% of the drone’s value. By investing in the DroneBox, professionals gain access to Hélicéo’s seven measurement solutions at a reduced price. Solutions to […]