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UAV
Falx Air unveils new Hybrid Coaxial UAV helicopter design
By David Greig
01:00 May 28, 2009 PDT
UK based Falx Air has just released the final design overview of its Hybrid Electric Coaxial Helicopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Sharing the same eco-friendly and fuel-saving goals as the company's previous hybrid designs - most notably its solar-hybrid tilt rotor aircraft - the new UAV platform is based on the latest fast charge battery systems developed in the USA and could be configured as a logistical transport for light cargo up to 70kg as well as for long endurance surveillance. Read More
Boeing to develop fighter-sized UAV based on X-45C
18:49 May 8, 2009 PDT
Boeing plans to have a new unmanned platform based on the X-45C in the air by December 2010. Dubbed Phantom Ray, the internally funded venture will build on the knowledge gained in the shelved X-45 project, which saw the X-45A unmanned aircraft complete 64 flights between 2002 and 2005, achieving a number of milestones including the first precision weapons demonstration by an unmanned combat system and the first autonomous multivehicle flight under the control of a single pilot. Phantom Ray will be based on the larger, fighter-sized, X-45C which appeared at airshows as a full-scale mock-up during 2004. Read More
Entecho's Hoverpod: the 3-seat, skirt-steered, 75mph VTOL flying saucer
By Loz Blain
07:35 May 4, 2009 PDT
We continue to be optimistic about the future of personal flight - and from flying cars to coaxial flying platforms, ion-powered jetpacks and more recreational solutions, plenty of innovative designs are striving for viability. We haven't seen anything like this one before though - Entecho has come up with an operating prototype of a sort of cylindrical fan-forced flying saucer, steered by directing the downward airflow through a flexible skirt that allows easy directional control. The blades are not exposed and move reasonably slowly, it's stable in flight and the system is remarkably simple from a mechanical point of view. It's also quite simple to fly using a joystick controller. Totally VTOL and with a small footprint, perhaps the Entecho Hoverpod might deliver as a practical and affordable personal flight solution. Read More
Lockheed Martin to develop geostationary Solar Powered Airship
By Paul Evans
22:12 April 30, 2009 PDT
May 1, 2009 The idea of replacing very expensive space based satellites and Aircraft mounted Airborne Warning And Control Systems (AWACS) with stationary platforms inside Earth's atmosphere has been floated for decades. Despite the fact that lighter-than-air vehicles or airships that could fulfill this role have been flying for over 300 years, the idea is only now getting off the ground. Lockheed Martin has been chosen by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for a US$400 million contract to to design, build, test and fly a 1:3 scale model of an airship surveillance and telecommunications platform called the High Altitude Airship (HAA). The full scale HAA would measure 240 ft long by 70 ft in diameter, run entirely on solar power and be able to stay aloft for up to 10 years. Read More
Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System packs .338-caliber rifle controlled by Xbox 360 pad
By Paul Evans
00:43 April 29, 2009 PDT
Late last year reports surfaced of a modified radio controlled helicopter equipped with a .45 caliber hand gun, including a video of the RC copter doing target practice with live ammunition (see below). It seems the US Army have been thinking along the same lines, except this version carries a .338 caliber sniper rifle. Read More
Raven UAV demonstrates 30-hour persistent surveillance
06:35 April 2, 2009 PDT
AeroVironment's Raven UAV system has been used to demonstrate the viability of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as a low-cost surveillance alternative in a continuous 30-hour persistent surveillance test flight. Conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Army Product Manager for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), the demonstration involved unbroken surveillance of a target site using one standard production Raven RQ-11B baseline system (three aircraft and two ground control stations) operated by two-person crews working in eight-hour shifts. Read More
Airborne microbots to create wi-fi zones in disaster situations
By Kyle Sherer
17:24 March 9, 2009 PDT
Autonomous flying quadcopter robots, built from off-the-shelf parts in €300 kits (US$380) could be used to establish radio networks for phones and wireless Internet in disaster zones. Under development by researchers at the Ilmenau University of Technology, the bots are equipped with satellite navigation, GPS, and VIA Pico-ITX hardware. Read More
Solar Powered hybrid aircraft - Sunseeker II
By Paul Evans
16:58 February 28, 2009 PST
A variety of solar powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have been setting world records for flight duration and altitude in recent times, there are even plans for solar powered craft that can remain aloft for years at a time. But it's not just aircraft of the unmanned variety that stand to benefit from solar technology, with planes that carry pilots now starting to take to the skies. Based on glider/sailplane construction methods, the Sunseeker II is the only manned solar airplane flying in the world, and according to SolarFlight, it has logged more time in the air than all other manned solar powered airplanes combined. Read More
Biomass eating robot makes its own electricity
By Kyle Sherer
20:56 February 15, 2009 PST
February 16, 2009 Expected to survive autonomously for extended periods of time in hostile conditions, Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) could be seen as decidedly unglamorous in comparison to their airborne cousins – and none more so than the proposed Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR) from Robotic Technology, which will suffer the indignity of ingesting and expelling biomass to fuel itself, presumably with no toilet paper. Scatalogical humor aside, it's a remarkable project which promises to greatly extend the capability of unmanned roving bots with researchers estimating that 150 pounds of vegetation could give it enough juice for 100 miles of driving. Read More
AeroVironment upgrades data system for Raven UAS
23:21 February 10, 2009 PST
AeroVironment, Inc. will produce 50 new Raven RQ-11B unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) equipped with enhanced communications following the announcement of a USD$16.8 Million order from the U.S. Army on January 22. The company's new Digital Data Link (DDL) replaces the original four-channel analog set-up, increasing communication channels by a factor of four and allowing more of the unmanned craft to be flown in one area simultaneously. Read More
Laser-equipped ground vehicle used to shoot down UAV
16:26 January 28, 2009 PST
January 29, 2009 Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are now a well established tool in modern warfare, having proved their worth in both in reconnaissance and increasingly, combat roles. As with all weapons however, this success might not be viewed so glowingly if you happen to be on the receiving end. In developing ways to combat the threat of UAV platforms, Boeing has demonstrated for the first time that a laser equipped Avenger ground combat vehicle can shoot down a UAV. Read More
Student team sets fuel-cell powered flight record
23:36 November 23, 2008 PST
Fuel-cell manufacturer Adaptive Materials and students from the University of Michigan have teamed up to set a new world record for the longest fuel-cell-powered flight of a radio-controlled aerial vehicle. The flight of 10 hours, 15 minutes and four seconds beats the previous mark of just over nine hours set by AeroVironment's Puma UAV earlier this year. Read More
Robo-Bat: mini spy-plane of the future?
21:44 November 6, 2008 PST
Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) undoubtedly have the potential to revolutionize both military and civilian surveillance operations, and the quest to find the most efficient design for these airborne spies of the future is leading to all kinds of radical platforms being investigated. Several are derived from nature, where evolution has produced designs that out-strip the performance and efficiency of humanity's aerial achievements on a proportional scale. Even extinct examples like the pterodactyl are not immune from this scrutiny, but in this case, the inspiration comes from the only mammal naturally capable of flight - the bat. Read More
Raytheon and US Navy demonstrate submarine-compatible UAS
By Kyle Sherer
17:30 October 30, 2008 PDT
Raytheon and the US Navy have demonstrated unmanned aircraft system capability for submarines. The Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities (SOTHOC) program is developing a specialized UAS designed for collection of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in a complex littoral environment. Read More
Autonomous unmanned helicopters designed for disaster relief
By Kyle Sherer
04:35 October 16, 2008 PDT
European researchers are developing a squadron of co-operating, unmanned helicopters for use in disaster management, civil security, and filmmaking. In addition to ferrying critical supplies, the helicopters can deploy sensor nodes to gather information and establish a communications network in places where the infrastructure is damaged or absent. Read More
Sky Warrior unmanned aircraft demonstrates automatic takeoff and landing
23:04 October 12, 2008 PDT
General Atomics' Sky Warrior unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has for the first time demonstrated automatic takeoff and landing capabilities under control of the Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) One System® Ground Control Station (OSGCS). Three landings and three takeoffs took place during August and September at the El Mirage Flight Operations Center in Adelanto, California and represent another milestone for the system which is due to be fielded in mid 2009. Read More
Pterodactyl-based UAV design for urban combat scenarios
By Kyle Sherer
16:29 October 7, 2008 PDT
Scientists have designed a highly-maneuverable UAV modeled on a 228-million-year-old pterodactyl. The 30-inch robotic craft would alter its wing shape to “squeeze through confined spaces, dive between buildings, travel under overpasses, land on apartment balconies, and sail along the coastline.” Read More
Raytheon's KillerBee UAV tested in simulated combat
By Kyle Sherer
22:21 October 2, 2008 PDT
Raytheon’s KillerBee, a 10-foot wide UAV designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, has been successfully demonstrated in a simulated combat environment. A Raytheon flight operations crew delivered the 30 pound KillerBee system to a remote location using Humvees and achieved set up and launch within 45 minutes before executing the operational scenario and retrieving the aircraft with a net-recovery system. Read More
Northrop Grumman to build first new aircraft carrier class in 40 years
By Kyle Sherer
20:16 September 16, 2008 PDT
The Gerald R. Ford CVN 78 is the first ship in the first new aircraft carrier class in over 40 years and Northrop Grumman has received a $5.1 billion, seven-year contract for its construction, which is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015. Read More
QinetiQ's Zephyr breaks world record for longest unmanned flight
By Mike Hanlon
07:14 August 25, 2008 PDT
Qinetiq’s Zephyr solar powered high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has flown a world-beating three and a half day flight at the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The solar powered plane flew for 82 hours 37 minutes, exceeding the current official world record for unmanned flight which stands at 30 hours 24 minutes set by Global Hawk in 2001 and Zephyr's previous longest flight of 54 hours achieved last year. Read More
AeroVironment receives funding for perch-and-stare micro-UAV
10:46 August 20, 2008 PDT
AeroVironment has been awarded $4.6 million in funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a new generation small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) with "perch-and-stare" surveillance capabilities. The micro-air vehicle will be based on the company's smallest existing UAS platform - Wasp. Read More
Short-Wave Infrared capability for the ScanEagle UAV
By Mike Hanlon
00:18 August 7, 2008 PDT
August 8, 2008 The ScanEagle is a low-cost, long-endurance autonomous unmanned aircraft that has been one of the most significant new battlefield technologies to emerge during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, performing more than 100,000 combat hours in both theatres and delivering invaluable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) on a daily basis. The only trouble is that conventional electro-optical and long-wave infrared cameras are severely limited in fog or rain. Now they’ve managed to miniaturize a short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera to fit inside the diminutive ScanEagle, enabling clear vision in any circumstance. Read More
Reaper UAV deployed in Iraq
By Kyle Sherer
10:12 August 6, 2008 PDT
The MQ-9 Reaper, a hunter-killer UAV with long loitering capability, has completed its first operational mission in Iraq. The craft has been used in Afghanistan since 2007, clocking 3,800 hours and attacking 16 targets with 500-pound bombs and Hellfire missiles. Read More
The plasma-powered flying saucer
By Kyle Sherer
03:00 July 9, 2008 PDT
University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineering associate professor Subrata Roy has submitted a patent for a circular, spinning craft that can hover and take off vertically. The wingless electromagnetic air vehicle, or WEAV, is just six inches across, but has the potential to be scaled up to a much larger size. The WEAV is covered with electrodes that ionise the surrounding air into plasma, which functions as the conducting fluid. Passing a current through the plasma creates lift and momentum. Read More
GULL 36 Seaplane UAV begins English Channel flights
By Kyle Sherer
18:03 June 11, 2008 PDT
UK based marine aircraft developer Warrior (Aero-Marine) has commenced flying its GULL 36 amphibious UAV over the English Channel. Demonstrating the company's wave-piercing stepless hull, the 4-meter wide craft is designed to cleave through choppy water, handle large waves and overcome strong winds and high tow. Read More
Robert Ferry
- July 3, 2009 @ 15:42 UTC
