July 27, 2006

UAVs get smaller: the Micro Air Vehicle nears readiness

'As the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have unfolded, one of the new stars in the theatre of battle has been the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). As each new conflict redefines war based on the technologies coming of age...
Posted by Darren

Officials talk UAVs - Grand Forks Air Force Base Expansion

'A congressional delegation met with Air Force officials Tuesday in Washington to talk about Pentagon plans to expedite and expand Grand Forks Air Force Base's emerging unmanned aerial vehicle mission. Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl...
Posted by Darren

Air Force Loses Contact With Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Over Fort Drum

'A search is underway at Fort Drum, because shortly after 1 PM today, the Rome Air Force Research Lab lost contact with an unmanned aerial vehicle flying over the base. A Fort Drum spokesperson says fort personnel are searching...
Posted by Darren

Denmark To Sell Grounded UAVs to Canada

'Denmark’s Ministry of Defense has reached a preliminary agreement to sell its fleet of disused Kestrel unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Canadian Air Force. The Danish Defense Forces grounded the 10 UAVs, built by France’s Sagem, in December,...
Posted by Darren

Unmanned Aircraft Give Military Added Capability

'The instant feedback of information supplied by unmanned aerial vehicles is bringing immediate "value added" to U.S. military operations, the Joint Staff's director for strategic plans and policy explained yesterday. "UAVs have become such an important tool for our...
Posted by Darren

July 26, 2006

Israeli UAV Fires Upon Own Troops

'The IAF revealed on Tuesday that it had prevented a severe disaster on the previous day when it had halted the fire that a UAV was shooting at Israeli troops. A senior Air Force officer said that the UAV...
Posted by Darren

July 25, 2006

Dassault eyes MALE UAV

'Dassault is proposing using the Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) programme as the basis for a common European medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV development effort to replace the former Euromale project. The industrial partnership would effectively take on a...
Posted by Darren

Canadian Defence eyeing aerial drones ditched by Danes

'The Department of National Defence wants to buy 10 used unarmed aerial drones that Denmark found problematic and mothballed last year. Canada has a mixed history when it comes to buying used military equipment in Europe. In 2004, the...
Posted by Darren

Saab reviews successful year-to-date for UAV team

'Saab’s UAV operations now cover a broad spectrum of activities, from demonstrating autonomous flight with Sharc, proving stealth performance with Filur and taking part in discussions of rules and regulations for integrating UAVs in controlled air space, to the...
Posted by Darren

Test Pilot Not Included - Skunk Works Flies High With Experimental UAV

'Last week at Farnborough, one of the unidentified flying objects plaguing the California desert got identified. Lockheed's Skunk Works revealed a high altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is a technology demonstrator for new technologies. These have the potential...
Posted by Darren

Disaster averted: UAV fires at IDF, IAF halts fire

'The IAF revealed on Tuesday that it had prevented a severe disaster on the previous day when it had halted the fire that a UAV was shooting at Israeli troops. A senior Air Force officer said that the UAV...
Posted by Darren

QinetiQ’s Observer UAV flies again following return to the military register

'QinetiQ’s Observer UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) has successfully completed its first flight following its return to the military flying register, allowing it to be flown once again on UK military ranges. QinetiQ will offer the aircraft as a demonstration...
Posted by Darren

BAE looks at arming its Herti UAV

'BAE Systems is studying options for arming its Herti advanced unmanned air vehicle, including the Northrop Grumman Viper Strike guided munition. The company says it is still at an early stage of defining an armed weapons configuration, but is...
Posted by Darren

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works reveals secret UAV - Polecat

'Jane's Defense Weekly reports from the Farnborough Air Show that Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (Palmdale, Calif.) revealed on July 19 a secretly-built large, high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that has been designed to test a range of new technologies...
Posted by Darren

July 24, 2006

Lockheed Martin to design nano spy

'Designing a surveillance device to look and act like a maple tree seed is Lockheed Martin’s task under its latest Department of Defense contract. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded aerospace and systems giant Lockheed Martin of Bethesda...
Posted by Darren

A plane you can print

'An unmanned aircraft made from "printed" parts rather than traditional machine-tooled components has been unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show, UK. Developed at Lockheed Martin's top-secret "Skunk Works" research facility in Palmdale, California, US, the Polecat unmanned aerial vehicle...
Posted by Darren

Pilotless aircraft aid in fighting Alaska's wildfires

'That buzzing sound you hear high above your head may be an unmanned aerial vehicle, according to Alaska Sens. Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski, who recently announced that UAVs are being used in Alaska. According to Stevens and Murkowski,...
Posted by Darren

July 21, 2006

BAE spyplane eyes commercial sector

'Almost fifty years ago, Britain's then defence minister, Duncan Sandys, famously predicted the end of the manned fighter aircraft. It did not happen. At the Farnborough air show this week, pilots are still putting the latest aircraft through their...
Posted by Darren

Security fears keep spy plane from show

'A SMALL remote-controlled spy plane has been withdrawn from next week's Royal Welsh Show amid "security concerns" in the wake of escalating Middle Eastern violence. The aircraft was to have formed the centrepiece of a display highlighting how Welsh...
Posted by Darren

GKN Aerospace to provide Korean ‘Smart UAV’ fuel system

'FPT Industries has been selected as the fuel system supplier for the Korean Smart Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) development programme. The FPT Industries ultra-lightweight fuel system for the Korean Smart UAV will enhance critical performance factors such as the...
Posted by Darren

Falco Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Obtains Permission to Fly in the UK

'SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems, a Finmeccanica company, formed by SELEX S&AS in the UK and Galileo Avionica in Italy, announces that the FALCO Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is now ready to fly at ParcAberporth, Wales. Galileo Avionica has...
Posted by Darren

July 20, 2006

Unmanned aerial vehicle training on hold

'The Del Rio City Council has put plans for an unmanned aerial vehicle training facility on hold. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Group, Incorporated made a proposal to city council under the name of King’s Eye, Incorporated, Tuesday that would...
Posted by Darren

High Altitude Broadband Is The Platform For The Future

'A three-year project led by the University of York, which aims to revolutionise broadband communications, reaches its climax later this year. The CAPANINA project, which uses balloons, airships or unmanned solar-powered planes as high-altitude platforms (HAPs) to relay wireless...
Posted by Darren

Unmanned Surveillance Balloon To Hit the Skies

'The next wave in unmanned aerial systems may hark back to the dawn of human flight more than a century ago. Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd., based in Israel, which produces tactical UAVs with sophisticated navigation and control technologies, has...
Posted by Darren

Lockheed reveals new research UAV

'Lockheed Martin announced Wednesday its famed "Skunk Works" research team was developing a high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle called "Polecat." Also known as the P-175, the UAV was produced in about 18 months using Lockheed internal funding as a means...
Posted by Darren

July 19, 2006

Investment in unmanned air flights

'A national programme of unmanned flights is on the Government's radar. Unmanned aerial vehicle Investment of £16 million aims to ensure the safe operation of unmanned aviation vehicles (UAV) in civil airspace without the need for restrictive or specialised...
Posted by Darren

Silver Fox sly eye in the sky for 15th MEU

'From its runway the aircraft takes off into the sky for an aerial reconnaissance mission. It climbs to a lofty 10,000 feet and travels to its destination several miles away. From its vantage point it has a bird’s eye...
Posted by Darren

July 18, 2006

QinetiQ’s Observer UAV flies again following return to the military register

'QinetiQ’s Observer UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) has successfully completed its first flight following its return to the military flying register, allowing it to be flown once again on UK military ranges. QinetiQ will offer the aircraft as a demonstration...
Posted by Darren

Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk UAV Ideal for Australian Surveillance

'Recent maritime surveillance demonstrations in the United States by Northrop Grumman Corporation for its Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) proved the system’s unmatched suitability to protect Australia’s vast sea and land territory. The Australian government has outlined plans...
Posted by Darren

Protonex wins 2nd unmanned aerial vehicle power contract from US Air Force

'Protonex Technology Corp has been awarded a second contract by the US Air Force Research Laboratory to continue development of power systems for long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles. The contract has a total program value of 749,247 usd.' Read more...
Posted by Darren

July 17, 2006

24th MEU ‘eyes’ UAV capabilities

'Marines serving with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), trained with the X-63 “Dragon-Eye” unmanned aerial vehicle July 11, as part of a training exercise in the Central Command theater...
Posted by Darren

Germany, Italy and Sweden hold project talks on 'Agile' advanced UAV in bid to beat French-led Neuron

'Germany is discussing with Italy and Sweden the possible launch of a multinational advanced unmanned air vehicle effort that could demonstrate many capabilities years ahead of the French-led Neuron, which is not expected to enter flight testing until 2011....
Posted by Darren

Hezbollah drone report not true, says Israel

'Reports a remote-controlled drone was used to bomb an Israeli Sea Corps ship 16 kilometres off the Beirut coast on Friday night have been denied by the Israeli military. An IDF spokesman said a missile fired from Lebanon was...
Posted by Darren

Senate votes to patrol Canadian border with remote-controlled aircraft

'Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, rancher Gloria Fey has gotten used to the idea that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents could be watching her every move. Fey said she and her husband, Albert, often joke about giving...
Posted by Darren

July 14, 2006

Shephard London UAV Conference

'Over three hundred delegates gathered here for a two say Shephard confernce “Tactical to strategic UAV technology: network-enabled capability and the warfighter” Speakers gathered to discuss and examine mainly European issues, with a theme emphasis on the increasingly important...
Posted by Darren

July 13, 2006

New Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Law Enforcement, Homeland Defense, and First Responders

'FARSIGHT Intelligence Systems announces its new product line of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for law enforcement, homeland defense, border security, and search-and-rescue operations. FARSIGHT UAV and Mobile Ground Station systems offer persistent surveillance, enhanced situational awareness, and actionable...
Posted by Darren

UAVs Continue To Dominate The News

'Since publication of the cover story on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) last issue (HPC May 2006, p. 48), UAV-related announcements have continued unabated. In the U.S., Northrop Grumman announced in mid-April the opening of its Unmanned Systems Center production...
Posted by Darren

Little Bird helicopter flies unmanned for first time

'Just three months ago we wrote about the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter demonstrating the ability to control an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weapon payload using the Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) UAV technology demonstrator as the remote vehicle. Now the...
Posted by Darren

Northrop unveils Skyguard laser system

'Northrop Grumman Wednesday unveiled Skyguard, a laser-based air defense system that protects ground forces against incoming projectiles ranging from missiles to mortars. The system is based on the Tactical High-Energy Laser, or THEL, developed for the U.S. and Israeli...
Posted by Darren

Global Hawk Assembly Begins at New Production Facility

Just two years after breaking ground on its Unmanned Systems Center, Northrop Grumman installed Global Hawk tooling just in time for the facility's grand opening in April this year. Despite destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, construction remained on schedule...
Posted by Darren

July 12, 2006

Unmanned aircraft will be tested at base bombing range

'Perched on the front lawn of the Clovis Community College, the spy plane looked strikingly similar to a praying mantis. Produced by Boeing, the unmanned aerial vehicle known as the ScanEagle stalks a much more dangerous prey than its...
Posted by Darren

July 11, 2006

Compositesworld.com - Boeing to train ScanEagle operators at new UAV site in New Mexico - June 2006

'The Boeing Co. will begin ScanEagle training on July 11 at its new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training site in Clovis, N.M. The site was selected to help meet the increasing demand from U.S. military forces for the Boeing/Insitu...
Posted by Darren

Australian I-View UAV deal ‘still on’

'The Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) says it will continue contract negotiations with Boeing Australia and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) for the Australian Army’s Joint Project 129 tactical unmanned air vehicle requirement, despite having asked second-placed contender ADI, teamed...
Posted by Darren

Pilotless aircraft flies into reality

'UNMANNED aircraft fly from the realms of science fiction into reality at the ParcAberporth technology park in West Wales. The Assembly Government is sponsoring a drive to harness a military technology for civilian use. Yesterday, Selex Sensors and Airborne...
Posted by Darren

RQ-1 Predator UAV Video

Here's a video of the Predator UAV in action: It shows just how impressive the Predator UAV is. Great little video....
Posted by Darren

GoldenEye to build jet technology in UAVs

'When the defense contracts started rolling in to the tune of eight figures, Aurora Flight Sciences Corp. CEO John Langford knew it was time for expansion. Aurora, a Virginia manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that had landed those...
Posted by Darren

Drones reshaping Iraq's battlefields

'The use of unmanned surveillance planes over Iraq has soared, revolutionizing the way U.S. troops wage war and crowding the skies above Iraq. The Army says that before the Iraq war started in March 2003, it had 14 unmanned...
Posted by Darren

Trio hold advanced UAV project talks

'Germany is discussing with Italy and Sweden the possible launch of a multinational advanced unmanned air vehicle effort that could demonstrate many capabilities years ahead of the French-led Neuron, which is not expected to enter flight testing until 2011....
Posted by Darren

Welsh UAV Center Lands Major Aerospace Partners

'Civilian applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) received a major boost today from investment projects by major aerospace and defense contractors in a new center in Wales. EADS, Thales, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, and Flight Refuelling Ltd. will house their...
Posted by Darren

Modelling study to accelerate UAV projects

'Use of software and hardware simulation modelling to shorten time to market is the focus of the three-year, $19.2 million European Union Sixth Framework research project, Speculative and Exploratory Design in Systems Engineering (SPEEDS). The modelling will be aimed...
Posted by Darren

July 04, 2006

Boeing working on new large UAV

'Boeing and a team of partners have been working for more than two years on a large, hydrogen-fuelled, high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to George Muellner, president of advanced systems for the company's Integrated Defense Systems...
Posted by Darren

July 03, 2006

Unexpected Consequences of UAVs

'While the U.S. Army has come to use its growing number of UAVs with great success, there have been negatives as well. For one thing, there are so many UAVs in the air, that the U.S. Air Force, which...
Posted by Darren

UAVs Victory for North Dakota

'After much speculation about the future of the unmanned aerial vehicle mission to be split between the Grand Forks and Fargo bases, the Pentagon has set the record straight. The Air Force and National Guard agreed on additional details...
Posted by Darren