Iran UAVs range upgraded

A senior Iranian military official says domestically-manufactured UAVs are capable of operating within a range of 3,000 kilometers.

Commander of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said Saturday that Iran is today able to design and build different types of UAVs for various operations.

Earlier this month, Iran unveiled its latest state-of-the-art UAV, (named Ababil 3) which can be used in ISR operations. Not for nothing, in recent years Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems, including a variety of domestically-manufactured UAVs.

The Ababil 3 has a flight range of eight hours and effective operational radius of 250 kilometers. The UAV can fly at an altitude of 15,000 feet and transmit images simultaneously to GCS or any other platform. The Islamic Republic unveiled its first home-made long-range combat UAV (Named Karrar, meaning Striker) in August 2010. Since then the country has manufactured a variety of other high-tech ISR and combat UAVs.

¿What to do with a thug UAV?

The FAA is growing gravely concerned about the threat of personal unmanned aircraft, and the agency receives frequent reports of UAVs flying close to airplanes or helicopters near airports in violation of regulations. If the FAA has the authority to govern the skies, it is a part of its central safety mission to give rules relating to UAV flying in civil airspace: The public needs clear guidance on what and where they can fly remote controlled UAVs, and law enforcement officials need to know how they should react when they see a civil UAV over a city street or, worse, near the vicinity of an airport or heliport. 

More than 1 million UAVS still awaiting the parliamentary "Green Light"

Though UAVs have begun to enter the commercial space, the future for them still has significant uncertainty: Today, UAVs require skilled operators for actual use, and have a high crash rate, factors that will slow down acceptance in various end applications. UAVs also have technical obstacles due to issues like low electric range, lack of true autopilot, and basic airworthiness, but the authentic main obstacle is the chaotic current state of regulation: While countries such as Canada and Australia are ahead of the game, with regulations in place and commercial flight actively happening, many countries have little or no meaningful regulatory structure, putting the UAVs awaiting the parliamentary "green light" to take off.

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.