Airbus seeks European OK

Airbus Defense and Space said it will now work with EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) to develop a certification process for civilian UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) based on the process normally used for manned aircraft.

The application, which Airbus described as the first in Europe, was filed for the company's Atlante UAV, which is intended for a number of civil missions, such as surveillance of oil pipes, power lines and railways, as well as for use during natural disasters.

The Atlante was developed by Airbus in Spain. It weighs nearly 1,257 pounds and has a wingspan of 26 feet. "The launch of the Atlante application will help EASA to secure a world-leading position in the establishment of the appropriate regulatory framework under which such systems will be designed, produced and maintained. And it will enable Airbus Defense and Space to maintain a leading industrial position in this new and challenging civil aviation sector. UAVs represent a rapidly growing activity in commercial aviation that will have a very significant economic impact in the near future," said Miguel Ángel Morell, head of Engineering for Military Aircraft at Airbus Defense and Space.

Boeing to explore assisting Sky-Watch

Boeing and Danish company Sky-Watch have signed an agreement that will enable Boeing to explore assisting the company in its development of a new type of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) under a project supported by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation.

Boeing and Sky-Watch signed the agreement at an event at UAS Denmark, the unmanned aerial systems industry group based at the Hans Christian Andersen Airport in Odense. Boeing joined the group in 2013 and learned about fellow member Sky-Watch through UAS Denmark. Founded in 2009 and located in Støvring in northern Denmark, Sky-Watch develops, produces and sells advanced UAV systems with state-of-the-art control technology. The company also provides contract-based research and development for the global defense and aerospace industry.

The company’s rugged and highly autonomous UAVs are designed to be used in places that are too inaccessible, widespread or dangerous for human access. Because of its UAV experience and HUGINN X1 quad-rotor vehicle, Sky-Watch received a grant from the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation in December of 2013 to pursue the Smart UAV project with the Technical University of Denmark. Such aircraft could be used for a wide range of missions, including environmental monitoring and geo-data research, in addition to maritime surveillance in Arctic regions. Boeing and Insitu have significant experience in both manned and unmanned maritime surveillance platforms to contribute to the project. 

US Army awards Aerovironment

The U.S. Army has awarded three firm fixed-price orders to AeroVironment, Inc. totaling $27,178,075 for RQ-11B Raven and RQ-20A Puma AE Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) spare parts.

The company received two orders on August 29, 2014 and one on September 18, 2014.  Delivery is anticipated within 12 months. “Recapitalizing the Army’s large fleet of Raven and Puma AE systems ensures that soldiers have the most effective and reliable small UAS available to support them, wherever and whenever required,” said Roy Minson, senior vice president and general manager of AeroVironment’s UAS business segment.  “With AeroVironment-original spare parts and upgrades, operators can continue to rely on our combat-proven solutions to deliver better information, on-demand, and help them operate more safely and effectively.” added.

The latest orders increase the total value of orders for Raven and Puma AE UAS spare parts and Raven upgrades received since May 2014 to $77.6 million.

3D Printed ABS for Mould Making

An introduction and overview for a series of videos showing how to use 3D printing for mould making.

The series will cover inspecting, repairing, joining, plastic welding and finishing FFF printed ABS parts for mould making.

The series would also be of interest for anyone interested in post print finishing.

DE vs UAV

The state of the art of DE (Directed Energy) technologies against UAVs (and many other targets) were exposed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), at the recent Air Force Association Conference in Washington, D.C. Let us see them briefly:

Microwave

• A single High Power Microwave (HPM) weapon could provide low-collateral damage of multiple targets.
• It is an alternative to the kinetic means of defeating an emitting/electronic target.
• The next step will be to design, develop and test a multi-shot, multi-target HPM cruise missile.

Laser: COIL vs HEL

• The Chemical-Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) technology demonstrated by the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed has effectively been superseded by solid-state high-energy lasers. 
• The next step, by 2022, will be to repackage a HEL (High Energy Laser) in the 10kW-class into a pod that could be carried by an F-15 fighter. Such an airborne HEL could engage and defeat enemy aircraft or air-to-air missiles at moderate range, or provide precise and selectable (power), low-collateral attack of ground targets.
• Later in the next decade, a sixth-generation fighter could carry an efficient, lightweight HEL in the 100kW class with a conformal aperture beam.

Underwater, aerial, land: Sony Z100 (4K), DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ DJI UAV, GoPro Hero3

Footages from the Sony PXW-Z100 (4K), the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ aerial quadcopter, and the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7e7FjYJBNE

Facebook to test internet beaming UAVs

A team at the Facebook Connectivity Lab is specifically working on policy, advising the technology and development teams on regulations that are in place.

Facebook plans to start testing its internet-carrying solar-powered drones in 2015, with the ultimate aim of getting two-thirds of the global population online. In words of Yael Maguire, engineering director at Facebook Connectivity Lab, "In order for us to fly these planes - unmanned planes that have to fly for months, or perhaps years at a time - we actually have to fly above the weather, above all airspace. That's between 60,000 and 90,000 feet. Routinely, planes don't fly there, and certainly not drones."