The Hunter Unmanned Aircraft System was thought to be nearing the end of its life last year when the Department of Defense awarded Northrop Grumman a $37.2 million contract modification to supply logistics and engineering support through Jan. 14, 2014 (today). Now it seems the stay of execution has been extended another year, as the
After months of anticipation, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration today revealed the locations of six unmanned aircraft systems research and test sites. Congress directed the FAA to establish the sites as part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 in preparation for integration of UAS into the national airspace system by 2015. Back
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Defense release its latest roadmap for the future of unmanned systems, which covers the next 25 years. The report to Congress, which is updated biannually, is intended to offer a vision for the continued integration of unmanned systems into the DoD. The report covers air, ground and maritime
Right now, the best place to get permission to fly an unmanned aircraft system seems to be the Arctic, a fact that was once again proven recently when Northrop Grumman and NASA flew a Global Hawk UAS in Canadian airspace for the first time to study the Canadian Arctic. The two groups, along with a team
All unmanned aerial vehicles have a futuristic feel to them, but if you want something that looks like it came straight out of a science fiction film, you can’t beat a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The AirMule, an unmanned VTOL developed by Israeli company Tactical Robotics, certainly fits that bill, and it recently achieved
AeroVironment yesterday reported second quarter revenue of $64.9 million, down 19 percent from $80.3 million during the same period last year. However, the company also noted that its funded backlog — or unfilled orders for which funding has been appropriated to the company under contract — was $133.8 million, a big jump from $59.4 million as of April 30.
Prioria Robotics reported today that it has been awarded several contracts totaling $4.5 million by the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force. The company also noted that as part of the multi-system order, its Maveric unmanned aircraft system completed certification by the Army Test and Evaluation Command. “The U.S. Army has shifted its focus to smaller,
The Federal Aviation Administration today released its first annual “roadmap” outlining efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the nation’s airspace. The document is available for download here: Integration of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Roadmap The FAA says its main goal for integration is to establish requirements that
The commercial marketplace for unmanned aircraft systems remains relatively untapped in the U.S., and at this point the holdup is more regulatory than technological. However, as the Congressional deadline for integrating UAS into the National Airspace System approaches, companies are betting that will change very quickly. One such company — Modern Technology Solutions Inc., which
CyPhy Works today reported the close of a $7 million financing round, which it will use to expand its surveying- and situational awareness-focused unmanned aerial vehicles into various commercial sectors. The round was led by Lux Capital and featured participation from General Catalyst Partners, Felicis Ventures and several undisclosed angel investors. CyPhy (pronounced “Sci-Fi”) Works is
