sUAS News

VITEC, a worldwide leader in advanced video encoding and streaming solutions, today unveiled MGW Pico TOUGH, its latest innovation in airborne encoding and streaming appliances. As the world’s smallest dual-channel H.264 HD/SD encoding solution, weighing less than 400 grams, MGW Pico TOUGH sets a new standard of performance for manned and unmanned airborne platforms, military…

CINCINNATI/CLEVELAND – A partnership in research and technology is taking place between two of the nation’s leaders in the unmanned aircraft systems industry. The University of Cincinnati recently signed a research partnership agreement with Dronewerx, LLC., a Cleveland, Ohio company that focuses on design and manufacture of high-quality unmanned aircraft frames and systems for the…

DJI acquires minority stake in Hasselblad Group, creating synergies between the world’s leading imaging technology companies Hasselblad Group, the leader in high-quality professional cameras, and DJI, the world’s most-innovative aerial technology company, today announced a corporate partnership through DJI’s acquisition of a strategic minority stake in Hasselblad. The partnership will allow opportunities and new ways…

It looks like we have a name now for the larger version of Facebook’s Aquila UAS, the Aquila 1A. Below is an extract from the FAA N-register and on the 26th of October 2015 Facebook’s Aquila 1A became an N-registered aircraft. The airframe is listed as being in the weight class of between 55 lbs…

3D Robotics Inc, headquartered in Berkeley, California has been quite popular with US drone operators looking to operate commercially in the United States. According to the FAA N-number database, N-registered airframes listed as being manufactured by 3D Robotics currently stands at 118 aircraft. That places 3D Robotics at number three behind, DJI with just over…

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau), Office of Security Technology has created a Request for Information (RFI) to seek information related to a solution regarding protection from unmanned air vehicles. The goal of this RFI is to obtain detailed to collect information to identify and assess the landscape of technologies and systems that can assist…

The 4th Annual K-TECH Conference & Expo is showcasing technology’s top minds to explore and demo the big ideas driving one of Asia’s most dynamic economies among 1,000+ business influencers, entrepreneurs and investors on November 12-13 at the Santa Clara Marriott. Dubbed yet again the most innovative country in Bloomberg’s Global Innovation Index, number one…

Probably not, but for billions of people across the globe that live without access to paved roads and bridges it would. Say NO to poverty and help us bring delivery drones to those who need them most, the poor and isolated. The FAA estimates that in 2015 more than 1 million drones will be given…

By J. Harry Jones POWAY — A new law approved this week in Poway bans the use of drones in the city during emergencies, when the unmanned aerial vehicles could interfere with helicopters and aircraft responding to a wildfire or other disaster. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to enact the ordinance, which prohibits launching,…

In September 2015, Pix4D participated in a weeklong UAV training mission in Nepal, teaching engineering students at Kathmandu University how to use drones and image-processing software to create professional maps and models for a wide range of humanitarian and development purposes. Although drones and photogrammetric software for mapping applications are already being used in the…

by Leading unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturer EHang announced Wednesday the newest version of its popular Ghost 2.0 drone, which comes with virtual reality goggles. The drone will be available through the company’s website, Amazon, Fry’s and Hobbico electronics stores. Ghost 2.0 also packs several new features. A proprietary tilt-control system will allow users to steer…

by China based Da-Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (DJI) are the first company to break the magical 1000 registrations. There are now 1033 DJI platforms flying commercially in North America. All of them multirotors. It only seems a short while ago that the FAA were predicting 8000 licensed UAS total in the NAS how…

by The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has concluded its investigation into the sighting of an RPAS (drone) that was reported ‘too close’ to an Airbus A320 on Friday 25 September over Christchurch. It has not been able to identify the drone or find its owner. The Acting Director of Civil Aviation (CAA), John Kay says…

by Ready set go…. By next week all of DJI’s new video will be fact in the press all invented by DJI. A quad is two sticks and four motors, the brain behind it is the important part. DJI have always followed, granted they do produce excellent RTF products. The Inspire for most commercial purposes…

by ANNA BRADLEY-SMITH A drone that was shot by a shotgun while filming a family firework event at Nelson Speedway is written off after the “incredibly dangerous” act. The drone was hit by around seven pellets at the annual event on Saturday night, and three were found lodged in the drone after it was safely…

by Good morning, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to be here. Unmanned aircraft use has increased dramatically in recent years. With this surge in popularity has come growing concerns about their safe operation in our nation’s airspace. In recent months, we’ve seen an increase in reports of UAS coming too close to…

by As a part of its customer operations support initiative, UAV Factory announces the launch of its Accidental Damage Insurance Program (ADI) for the Epsilon advanced payloads. ADI enables unmanned aircraft operation related businesses to get the most out of their UAVs by expanding their services and operate a high quality advanced payload, without the…

by Drones are to be used by Dorset, and Devon and Cornwall police to aid in matters including missing people searches and crime scene photography. The six-month trial has begun in Devon and Cornwall, and is due to start in Dorset on 26 November. The drones are equipped with high definition cameras which can capture…

by A researcher from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) has developed an obstacle-detection system that allows a drone to autonomously dip, dart and dive through a tree-filled field at upwards of 30 miles per hour. “Everyone is building drones these days, but nobody knows how to get them to stop running into…

by UAV Mapper is the most affordable ready to fly aerial mapping camera platform. The airframe was designed for the Pixhawk autopilot and carrying Canon PowerShot cameras. It’s made of safe, durable EPP foam and is reinforced with carbon fiber tubes. It’s all up flying weight is less than 3.5 pounds (1.59 kg). well below…

by By Laura Keeney The Denver Post Colorado has the OK to open a flight test site for unmanned aerial systems — or UAS, more commonly called drones — in the San Luis Valley. A consortium led by non-profit industry advocate UAS Colorado, the University of Colorado and representatives from six counties got the FAA…

by BY DAVID MORGAN Internet giant Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), the new holding company for Google, expects to begin delivering packages to consumers via drones sometime in 2017, the executive in charge of its drone effort said on Monday. David Vos, the leader for Alphabet’s Project Wing, said his company is in talks with the Federal…

by Shenzhen, 2 November 2015 – DJI, the world leader in creative aerial technology, today announced the launch of the DJI Manifold, a high-performance embedded computer designed specifically to fly. Utilizing DJI’s Onboard SDK (Software Development Kit), the Manifold is a user-friendly system enabling developers to create more powerful professional applications for use with aerial…

by Lifting a Scaneagle with an octocopter is impressive, dropping it cool, catching it crikey! The forces on the trailing line must have been immense. Very impressive. FLARES – Flying Launch and Recovery System from Insitu on Vimeo. Very clever stuff from, I can’t help thinking they are just trying to catch up…

by Date: 20 Apr 2015 Time: 1010Z Position: 5324N 00211W Location: 4nm NE Manchester Airport THE B757 PILOT reports climbing straight ahead on the Standard Instrument Departure from Manchester, passing 2300ft during flap clean-up, when a drone passed down the left side of the aircraft at approximately 200m at the same level. The incident was…

by Date: 11 Apr 2015 Time: 1525Z Position: 5118N 00007W Location: West abeam Kenley (Saturday) THE EC130 PILOT reports tracking to the Isle of Dogs for a London sightseeing tour. West abeam Kenley gliding site at 1600ft QNH, he saw what he believed to be a helium party balloon about 20° off the port side…

by What the heck is ADS-B and why should I care? I asked myself that question a year-and-a-half ago, because I kept seeing the term ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) come up in discussions and articles on unmanned aircraft traffic management (UTM). You may have seen it yourself in the UTM solutions proposed by…

by Cyberhawk Innovations, the world leader in aerial inspection using Remotely Operated Aerial Vehicles (ROAV), has completed its first ever ROAV inspection of a cargo oil tank on an operational FPSO. After significant research and development, this successful project launches this new service to the global oil and gas and shipping industry. The world-first took…

by Congratulations to Cape Town-based FlyH2 Aerospace who have won first prize at the first Avi Awards for their prototype unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The prototype aircraft, developed by Mark van Wyk – a private pilot and entrepreneur from CapeTown – walked away with the first prize at the first AVI Awards (Afrique Aviation Innovation)…

by (One of the most level headed articles I have read ed) by Terry Dunn As the popularity of personal drones continues down a path of exponential growth, so too does the amount of controversy attached to their use. Most arguments boil down to a “pro-drone vs. anti-drone” debate, but even within the pro-drone community…

by Become part of the drone revolution that is changing film production with a four-day workshop taught by the Society Of Aerial Cinematography and the Roswell Flight Test Crew. The first in a series of ongoing classes, it is being taught by a team of professionals with more than 75 years of combined experience in…

by By Jessica Hinchliffe A Brisbane academic believes within twelve months drones could deliver parcels in rural and remote locations of Queensland. Australia Post has recently announced it will begin trialling drones to deliver parcels across the country within 12 months. Parcels, weighing up to 2 kilograms, could be flown up to 25 kilometres to…

by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center engineers located in Edwards, California, are working on an increasingly complex aircraft called the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Lower Drag, or Prandtl-D. Resembling a boomerang, the aircraft features a new method for determining the shape of the wing with a twist that could lead to an 11-percent reduction…

by Today’s guest is JD Claridge from Shark Tank funded xCraft UAV. We get the inside scoop about what it is like to be on Shark Tank and get funded. We’ll also find out more about PhoneDrone, the smartphone drone. Listen to Patrick and Gene at 10 AM PST http://www.blogtalkradio.com/suasnews/2015/10/30/the-shark-tank-report Since their inception, smartphones have…

by By Holly Kellogg NAWCAD Director of STEM and Education Outreach The NAWCAD unmanned aerial systems (UAS) Educational Program (USEP) is looking for volunteers to mentor local high school quadcopter teams in the tri-county area. The USEP is specifically interested in individuals with unmanned systems experience in engineering and programming. Additionally, each team will require…

by The University of Leeds is ready to launch a research project on the potential to use robots and drones in public services. It has won £4.2 million in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to investigate how the technology can be used in maintaining public infrastructure such as utlility pipes,…

by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta today announced the membership of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Registration Task Force. Earl Lawrence, Director of the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, and Dave Vos of Google X will co-chair the group. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx and Administrator Huerta announced the formation of the…

by As commercial services using drones take off and their recreational use becomes ever more popular, it must be ensured that they pose no threat to public safety or personal privacy, said MEPs in a resolution passed on Thursday at the initiative of theTransport Committee. “The key here is in the title – to ensure…

by The Aeromappers are the ONLY UAVs with Pixhawk autopilot + parachute landing + long range communications + Multisensor capabilities + delivered flight tested + hand-launchable + no training required + automatic lens cover door + dual sensor options + the most comptetive price on the market. There isn`t a better combination! The New Pixhawk…

by TEKEVER is attending The European Maritime Safety Agency’s Workshop about Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for maritime surveillance (today) in Lisbon. Their AR5 Evolution is, literally, right in the middle of the room! One of the topics in agenda is the Rapsody project for European maritime surveillance. Tekever’s AR5 Life Ray Evolution unmanned air…

by Not sure why GoPro would release footage from its drone in development and not show us the quad. Its much like the recent shark tank frenzy. Seemingly all mouth and no trousers. The bang wagon is getting jolly full. We know its a quad because they tell us so in the video blurb. That’s…

by KING 5’s Josh Green SEATTLE — City attorney Pete Holmes has charged a man with reckless endangerment after his drone crashed during the Seattle Pride Parade in June and knocked a woman unconscious. “Charging reckless endangerment is not new territory; however…this is the first charge of reckless endangerment regarding a drone that we’ve charged…

by Parsippany, New Jersey – Numerous businesses today are choosing to outsource their drone operations to professional operators. This is one of the significant observations in a new white paper, “Contracting With and Between UAS Operators” published this week by Global Aerospace, a leading international aviation and aerospace insurance provider, and Dentons, an international law…

by by Shawn Musgrave A breach-of-contract squabble has spiraled into broader allegations of misconduct against a drone manufacturer with millions in US military contracts. A motion filed last week in Florida civil court claims that Prioria Robotics misrepresented specs for its flagship “microdrone”, and also sold refurbished units to the Army as if they were…

by Strat Aero plc (LON:AERO), the AIM listed international aerospace company focused on the rapidly emerging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (“UAV”) sector, have today announced that Geocurve Holdings Limited (‘Geocurve’), its UAV inspection and surveying division, has been notified of the intention of Barhale PLC, a leading UK infrastructure focused civil engineer, to enter into a…

by Aeryon Labs, the leading provider of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) for military, public safety and commercial operators worldwide, today announced a technology partnership with Microsoft® to include Aeryon SkyRanger within the new Microsoft® Advanced Patrol Platform (MAPP) vehicle. MAPP will connect its drivers to an unprecedented amount of helpful and easy-to-navigate information. Currently,…

by By Ciara Byrne Commercial drones are starting to be used for tasks like inspecting oil rigs and crops. But they still require a highly skilled human pilot, and even those that are semi-autonomous usually use prebuilt maps or access the data over a wireless link. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in…

by The Ellis County district attorney Patrick Wilson turned to twitter when a hobby RPA arrived at his door on Monday. Speaking to Sebastian Robertson , of WFAA the DA Wilson said, it’s more than “not cool.” Under the Texas Privacy Act, this aborted flight could be illegal. Passed in 2015, the statute states that flying…

by Aerial Photography and Videography Using Drones is a much-needed field guide that includes everything a new pilot needs to know to safely and proficiently capture still images and video from the air, including equipment advice, pilot training, tips about flying and shooting, sample aerial images and the stories behind them, and navigating complex regulatory environment…

by Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) continues its successful shipboard trials when demonstrating its outstanding capabilities to the South African Navy from 20 to 23 October 2015 at False Bay, Western Cape, South Africa. The maritime environment holds unique demands for situational awareness and timely communications. The CAMCOPTER® S-100 is a much needed…