On April 17, Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 UAS and Airbus Helicopters’ manned H145 successfully completed a series of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) flights.
The user onboard the manned aircraft was provided full command and control over the UAS and its payload — including launch and recovery — allowing Level 5 interoperability to be achieved.
The demonstration took place as part of a technology partnership between the Austrian Armaments and Defense Technology Agency and Schiebel. The purpose of the demonstration was to look into the benefits and challenges of delivering MUM-T flight operations, especially those with “highly valuable, mission-enhancing advantages for army aviation.”
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Liberty County Sheriff's Office establishing aviation unit to utilize UAS
In Liberty, Texas, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office has announced that it is establishing an aviation unit and utilizing small UAS for a variety of operations.
Using funds secured through court-awarded confiscated drug money, the agency purchased a Phantom 4 Pro Plus small UAS. The UAS was put into full operation the week of April 16, and has been placed under the command of the Special Operation Division of the Sheriff’s Office.
In a press release published on KFDM.com, Sheriff Bobby Rader explains the process that went into launching this program.
Colorado’s energy, attributes attract unmanned systems industry
When Canada’s Aeryon Labs decided to set up a separate defense-focused company so it could work with the U.S. military on unmanned systems programs, it quickly settled on Colorado — and specifically Denver — as home for the new Aeryon Defense, which just launched on Feb. 1.
Tom Jackson, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and AH-1W Super Cobra pilot who is the company’s vice president and general manager, was already in the area, as were other employees who formed the nucleus of the new venture.
Beyond that, however, the state and city offered some unique attributes. Colorado is very centrally located, so it’s easier for the company to support multiple time zones and for company officials to travel to defense facilities around the country.
GA-ASI's Predator-series family of RPAs reaches five million flight hour mark
On April 4, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.’s (GA‑ASI) Predator-series family of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)—made up of Predator, Predator B, Gray Eagle, and Avenger lines—reached the five million flight hour mark.
At the time of the achievement, a total of 360,311 missions had been completed, with more than 90 percent of all missions flown in combat.
“Five million flight hours is a testament to the reliability of our RPA systems that are designed, built, and maintained by a dedicated group of skilled and innovative professionals for operations around the world,” says Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI.
Lehigh Valley Drone providing UAS for broadcasts of Minor League Baseball team
Service Electric TV2, which is considered the leader in local sports broadcasting in Lehigh Valley, has partnered with a company called Lehigh Valley Drone to add a UAS to its broadcasts of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs games.
The Lehigh Valley Ironpigs are a Minor League Baseball team, and the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies.
This will be the first time that a UAS is used to provide a live video feed to a professional sports team in Lehigh Valley.
“We are adding a new dimension to an already excellent production,” says John Fries, Co-founder of Lehigh Valley Drone.
“I’m super excited by our test shots and I think the viewers at home will be in for a special treat too.”
Maritime leadership pushing for unmanned systems, speakers say
Senior leadership at the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are pushing to get unmanned and autonomous technology into the field quickly, panelists said Wednesday at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference in Maryland.
“We have an imperative from our senior leadership to move quickly,” said Brig. Gen. Christian Wortman, the vice chief of naval research and commander of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.
Rear Adm. Mark Darrah, program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, agreed, noting the Navy is flying the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter alongside manned aircraft every day at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
“At the upper levels, we have that covered,” he said.
University of Hawai'i hosts first-ever drone boot camp
The University of Hawaiʻi Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) and the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation hosted their first-ever drone boot camp at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 30.
Approximately 100 people attended the boot camp.
Many of the people who attended the event were UAS owners, but realized that they were afraid to fly—and crash—their aircraft. So they went to the boot camp to receive expert instruction about piloting a UAS. Margo Edwards, director of ARL, says that many of the attendees told her that the boot camp was exactly what they needed.
Leavenworth Police Department purchases two UAS
The Leavenworth Police Department in Leavenworth, Kansas has purchased two UAS.
Equipped with video cameras but absent of infrared technology—that technology can be purchased, though—the UAS can be used for a variety of tasks, including providing aerial perspectives of large crime scenes or accident scenes, and helping search for children and disabled adults who have wandered off.
The UAS, which were purchased for a total of $4,467, can also be used for tactical purposes, Nicodemus says, as they can provide an additional set of eyes and vantage that officers otherwise would not have during tactical situations.
Kongsberg Geospatial and Survae announce partnership to help UAS operators manage multiple UAS simultaneously
Ottawa-based Kongsberg Geospatial and Wilmington, North Carolina-based Survae have announced the integration of the Kongsberg Geospatial IRIS UAS Ground Control Station (GCS) with Survae’s digital asset management platform for geolocated video, imagery and data.
With this integration, a single operator will be able to seamlessly manage the real-time display and storage of multiple video streams from the multiple UAS being managed by the IRIS GCS.
In addition, videos will be meta-tagged and stored for “near real-time analysis or for post-mission archival search of missions flown.”
PACI receives Part 107 waiver to operate UAS BVLOS
Praxis Aerospace Concepts International (PACI) has announced that it has received a Part 107 waiver from the FAA to operate UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
According to PACI, which is based in Southern Nevada, it is now one of the few companies in the United States allowed to offer BVLOS operations for professional aerial work.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be the first Nevada company to receive permission to fly commercial BVLOS,” says Jonathan Daniels, CEO of PACI.
“This is a major step over the hurdle for the commercial UAS industry. This will open up many opportunities for businesses already anchored here and those corporations who want to start-up here at our Searchlight Airpark facility.”
