ARES Security and MatrixSpace announced a technology partnership that combines the AI collaborative sensing capability of MatrixSpace Radar™ with ARES Security’s AVERT Mission Planning and Operations (MPO) software for autonomous systems.
A Gray Eagle Extended Range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) showcased several new capabilities, including the integration of an Expeditionary Cyber Chassis for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and Modular Open Suite of Standards with Communications Intelligence and Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) radios from Silvus Technologies.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer and Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries, attended the 18th annual Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Summit and Expo in Grand Forks, with hundreds of UAS industry leaders and policymakers from across the country gathering in North Dakota. They discussed how policymakers can break through tradition to unleash the potential of private sector and startups like Anduril while encouraging the government to match the speed of business.
Anduril is unveiling the Bolt family of man-packable, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Autonomous Air Vehicles (AAVs) that delivers simple and flexible capability for a variety of missions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a formal agreement with the state of North Dakota, through the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS), a state agency, to use federal radar data to advance the integration of beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) UAS operations into the National Airspace System (NAS).
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) completed a major milestone with the full-scale fatigue testing of an MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). The team completed the “second lifetime” of fatigue testing, which is equivalent to 80,000 operating hours and represents an important step in validating the design of the airframe system.
Thales, a global technology leader in Aerospace, Defense, Digital Identity & Security, has joined the North Dakota Unmanned Autonomous Systems (ND UAS) Council, further bolstering North Dakota's leadership in the UAS industry.
AXELERA Technologies announced the release of its revolutionary 3D-4X Omnidirectional Joystick, a state-of-the-art control system designed for the growing air mobility market, including eVTOL aircraft, as well as law enforcement and defense applications.
BRINC announced a partnership with OMADA Group. BRINC will now equip public safety agencies across the US and Canada with drone-deployable Restube equipment for OMADA Group. This collaboration aims to enhance water rescue operations through BRINC's Drone as First Responder (DFR) solution, making it possible to deliver life-saving flotation devices in seconds.
ANRA Technologies announced the launch of SORA-Mate, an innovative automated risk assessment tool for drone operators in Australia, New Zealand, and the wider APAC region. By streamlining submissions and ensuring compliance, SORA-Mate simplifies the regulatory journey for both operators and regulators. This automation improves application accuracy, reduces delays, and makes it easier for operators to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights.
Pierce Aerospace announced the launch of its YR1 Remote ID Sensor this week. The YR1 Remote ID Sensor provides commercial and government stakeholders with affordable airspace awareness. The YR1 is the physical layer of the company's Flight Portal ID Remote ID Services and has been in use with early adopters and US Government customers since early 2024.
Teledyne Geospatial and Inertial Labs announced the launch of EchoONE, a collaborative innovation that combines Teledyne’s lidar and camera technology, with the Remote Sensing Payload Instrument (RESEPI), leveraging Inertial Labs’ IMU and INS technology.
The United States Army announced that Anduril’s Ghost-X UAS has been selected for the Company Level Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Directed Requirement (DR). Anduril will deliver Ghost-X aircraft later this year to deployed units, leveraging rapid and responsive production to field the first aircraft delivered for the DR.
Skydweller Aero has successfully completed the uncrewed autonomous flight test campaign of its Skydweller Unmanned Aerial System. A series of uncrewed flight tests – with the two longest being 16 hours and 22 ½ hours – were launched from the company’s facility at Stennis International Airport in Kiln, Mississippi.
The National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC), a component program within the Defense Innovation Unit awarded a follow-on $2M in non-dilutive funding to Parallel Flight Technologies, a California-based heavy-lift drone and hybrid propulsion technology company. This contract continues support and backing for the operational testing of the Firefly UAS, in advance of its targeted commercial deployment to the DoD and private sectors.
UAS Magazine announced a General Session Fireside Discussion featuring Senator John Hoeven for the UAS Summit & Expo, scheduled for October 8-9 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Other panelists include: Katie Thomson, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Major General David Stewart, United States Army; Dr. William LaPlante, U.S. Department of Defense.
Assessing the State of UAVs Today: Implications for the U.S. Military
Commercial Drone Operations for Enterprise Professionals
The Air and Marine Operations MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)
As the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry rapidly expands and pushes the boundaries of new technology, it has become crucial that we foster a collaborative and innovative ecosystem for our industry’s future success.
The ability to provide seamless communication across crew members and support personnel is at the heart of both manned and unmanned flight operations.
Increased availability of drone hardware at many price points makes the collection of geotagged images from a UAS one of the more accessible methods of field data collection for creating a digital twin.
Draganfly Inc. and Nightingale Security have been selected by a major oil and gas company to develop a fully automated UAS solution for infrastructure monitoring. This project marks a significant step in leveraging advanced UAS remote sensing technology to enhance operational efficiency and safety in the oil and gas sector.
Honeywell announced it is launching a new Stationary And Mobile UAS Reveal And Intercept system to counter swarm drones. By combining beyond-visual-line-of-sight communication with command-and-control capabilities, the multi-layered system is able to detect, track and then counter drone swarms.
uAvionix announced its significant role in advancing the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Surface Awareness Initiative. After successfully delivering its FlightLine capability to the first two airports this past summer in under 90 days, uAvionix and its partner Capital Sciences have been awarded contracts to equip six more major U.S. airports with the innovative FlightLine surface situational awareness system.
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) announced that it has granted Green UAS certification to Hoverfly Technologies’ Spectre Uncrewed Aircraft System. The platform is the first tethered drone to be verified as meeting the highest levels of cybersecurity and the supply chain requirements in the National Defense Authorization Act on either AUVSI’s Green UAS list or the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS list.
As a part of the 24.2 Technical Concept Experiment, Parallel Flight Technologies (PFT) showcased its heavy-lift expeditionary platform, Firefly, for maritime surveillance. The demonstration highlighted the integration of PFT’s Firefly drone with Areté’s Pushbroom Imaging LiDAR for Littoral Surveillance (PILLS) system, aimed at enhancing the U.S. Navy’s capabilities in maritime operations.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems’ FAST Labs™ research and development organization a $4 million contract for Phase 1 of the Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program.
The U.S. Army recently achieved two major milestones in the development of the Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System Program, when the two competitors completed Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) conformance evaluations and flight demonstrations of their prototype aircraft.
Matternet announced that it has been granted a Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC) by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). This marks the first LUC issued by the Swiss FOCA for higher-risk "SAIL III" operations, including beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights over populated areas.
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