InSitu Selected for STUAS UAV Program, Potential Future Orders: Over $0.5 Billion 

The U.S. Navy Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has selected the InSitu Integratorunmanned aircraft for the Small Tactical Unmanned Air System (STUAS)/Tier II system, and awarded the system developer Insitu Inc., – a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Company – a contract worth nearly $44 million for the development and fielding of the service’s next generation tactical UAS, this contract will support low-rate initial production of two systems, one each for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. (Read More...)

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Teamwork Demonstrated by Atlas Elektronik

Atlas Elektronik has demonstrated Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) at the company owned test site in Bincleaves, Dorset, UK. A select group of commercial customers was invited to witness the SeaWolf and SeaOtter MK II AUVs in action, demonstrating the feasibility of multiple AUVs simultaneously operating in the water, effectively surveying large areas of seabed, deployed from the convenience of sheltered facilities and harbours. (Read More...)

QinetiQ’s Zephyr solar powered unmanned aircraft soars to new world records

Zephyr, the solar-powered, high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned vehicle developed by QinetiQ has been flying for the past week, smashing a number of long-standing world records. The solar powered drone mission continues above the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, as part demonstrating the solar powered drone's capability to fly a two week mission. “By being able to remain over a location for weeks or months at a time, it can usefully deliver a host of practical and more affordable solutions to both civil and military customers” said Jon Saltmarsh, Zephyr Program Director at QinetiQ. (Read More...)

FireScout MQ-8B Completes Demonstration Flights in the UAE

The MQ-8B Fire-Scout Vertical take-off and landing Unmanned Aerial System (VUAS) completed a series of demonstration tests in desert conditions, conducted in the UAE in a period of 10 days in early July 2010. The next phase of the program is the Navy's upcoming Operational Evaluation of the FireScout, planned for late 2010 aboard the USS Halyburton (FFG-40). (Read More...)

Boeing Rolls Out the New Phantom Eye HALE Drone

Four months after beginning the construction of the first Phantom Eye technology demonstrator, the company rolled out the completed aircraft from the Phantom Works workshops at St. Louis. The unmanned, high altitude, long endurance (HALE) platform powered by two liquid-hydrogen engines. The twin-engine Phantom Eye demonstrator will have a 150-foot wingspan and be capable of flying for more than four days at altitudes up to 65,000 feet while carrying a payload of up to 450 pounds. (Read More...)

TARANIS UCAV Demonstrator Vehicle Rollout

The British Ministry of Defence (MOD) unveiled today the Taranis prototype, an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) at Warton, in Lancashire, U.K. Taranis, the concept demonstrator named after the Celtic god of thunder, will take to the air next year (2011), testing autonomous, stealthy UCAV technologies. These capabilities could be utilized in the development of future autonomous, uninhibited strike platforms capable of precisely striking targets at long range, even in another continent. (Read More...)

IAI/Elta receives Two Orders Worth $35 Million for UAV Payloads

IAI reported today that its Elta Systems subsidiary has received two new orders from international customers, worth about US$35 million. Elta develops and produces a range of payloads for UAVs, including maritime surveillance radar (MSR) and synthetic aperture radars (SAR), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Communications Intelligence (COMINT) payloads. Elta’s sensors can be integrated on a wide range of UAVs, but their most common uses are with IAI’s UAV platforms – such sensors can be carried separately on tactical UAVs, or as part of a multi-sensor packages, installed on a single platform such as the Heron or Heron TP. (Read More...)

Sky Warrior Moves into Production to Equip the U.S. Army ER/MP Program

The U.S. Army is planning to field upgraded, early production Sky Warrior unmanned systems in Afghanistan in the summer of 2010, to be equipped with improved software, hardware, new Hellfire missiles modified to better operate with unmanned systems. By the end of the year the Army plans to field the first production models of the Sky Warrior, as part of the ER/MP program. (Read More...)

Euro-Hawk Takes Off!

The Euro Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS), built by Northrop Grumman Corporation and EADS Defence & Security, successfully completed its first flight June 29. The high-flying aircraft took off at approximately 10:32 a.m. PDT from Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility and climbed to 32,000 feet over Palmdale’s desert skies before landing nearly two hours later at 12:24 p.m. PDT at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (Read More...)

Global Hawk Prepares for an Aerial Refueling Demonstration

Northrop Grumman, National Air and Space Agency (NASA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are planning to demonstrate aerial refueling of a NASA  Global Hawk autonomous aerial vehicles by a sister ship.  The program will be designated KQ-X. (Read More...)

Thales Introduce Tactical, Multi Purpose Robots, UGVs

Thales is introducing three new unmanned systems at Eurosatory 2010 – the Spy Arrow mini-UAV, an autonomous, affordable and backpackable surveillance system comprising a delta-winded miniature aircraft; The company is also displaying the μTrooper Unmanned Ground Vehicle - a multi-role six-wheeled platform carrying a small EO payload, that can operate independently or as part of a pack. Thales is also developing a larger, electrically powered UGV called R-Trooper, equipped with a full UGV sensor suite as well as deploy smaller robots on specific missions. (Read more...)

IAI Introduces Tethered Hovering Surveillance Platform

Israel Aerospace Industries will display an innovative concept for lifting medium weight sensors employed for persistent surveillance missions. The platform, designated 'Electric Tethered Observation Platform' (ETOP) is a tethered unmanned hovering platform which can take off, hover in one place, and land without any additional landing and recovery systems. It can be deployed from a static or moving ground vehicle or station. ETOP is the pioneer of a broader line of hovering platforms being developed at IAI for military and civilian applications. (Read more... )

Controp Introduces New EO Payolads for UVS, Vehicular Applications

CONTROP Precision Technologies, an EO Payloads specialist from Israel is announcing new Electro Optical Infra-Red (EO/IR) payloads at the Eurosatory 2010 exhibition this week.

Among the new systems are surveillance sensors providing wide area panoramic coverage for perimeter defense, border control and battlefield intelligence, EO payloads designed for unmanned aerial and autonomous ground vehicles, as well as high performance sensors integrating laser designators for UAVs. (Read more... )

Northrop Grumman, Bell Helicopters Introduce the Fire-X VT-UAV

Northrop Grumman and Bell Helicopter have teamed to demonstrate a new medium-range vertical unmanned system called 'Fire-X'. This new UAV will be larger than the Fire-Scout currently produced by Northrop Grumman, utilizing the four-blade FAA-approved Bell-407 helicopter platform. The Fire-X will be capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 1.5 tons on missions extending over 14 hours. First flight of Fire-X is expected by the end of 2010. The development and demonstration program is being funded entirely by Northrop Grumman and Bell Helicopter. The new system also represents Northrop Grumman's entry in an anticipated U.S. Navy competition in 2011 to demonstrate a new medium-range UAS. (More on Fire-X...)

Farnborough Intl. to Launch a UAV Flight Display at This Year's Airshow

This year the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), will include flight demonstration of unmanned aerial vehicles, both indoor and outdoor, as a regular part of the flight display program. The organizers have secured an agreement, in principle, from the CAA and Airport authorities to allow Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to approve this initiative. To enable the flight of unmanned vehicles, a set of guidelines have been developed detailing the rules and regulations required to be approved for flying both indoor and outdoor UAS’s at the airshow this year. The organizers are planning to dedicate 30 minute for the UAS display prior to the start of the flying display. (Read more...)

Indra Develops Rotary-Wing UAV for Extended Battlefield Missions

Indra is developing the Pelican unmanned helicopter. Currently in development, the unmanned lhelicopter is scheduled to enter service in 2012. The Pelican will be capable of deploying on field operations for 30 days without service, operating 24 hours missionsIndra is also developing tactical UAV based on the Albatross fixed-wing aircraft and Mantis mini UAVs system.