Droner Nation Blog
Skyports and Flock Partner for Fully-Insured Drone Deliveries
Flock has announced that it has become as the exclusive risk partner of Skyports for its drone insurance. The collaborative partnership will enable Skyports to further the development of their drone delivery services, starting with initial ‘Beyond Visible Line of Sight’ (BVLOS) test flights in the UK, Belgium, Sweden and
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Containerized Launcher for XQ-58A Valkyrie
Kratos has shown off a launcher for its low-cost XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) that fits inside a standard shipping container. There has been a growing trend toward containerized weapon systems around the world and combining this general concept with the Valkyrie could make these already very exciting
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Vigilant Aerospace Performs 18-Mile Autonomous Flight with Oklahoma State University
On October 8, 2019, Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Vigilant Aerospace Systems (Vigilant) conducted a demonstration flight utilizing OSU’s 13-mile beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) corridor east of Stillwater, Oklahoma. The demonstration was used to evaluate BVLOS capabilities and to demonstrate Vigilant’s latest FlightHorizon software which provided airspace situational awareness throughout
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Martin UAV Wins New Contracts
After advancing to the next round in the US Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS) development contest, Martin UAV has won several other contracts for its V-Bat, a vertical-takeoff-and-landing, tail-sitting unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The company is currently negotiating a research, development, test, and evaluation contract with the US Navy
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Indoor Drone with Customized Electronic Modules
Just how dependent unmanned flying is on high-quality and functioning printed circuit boards, components and solder joints is shown by flying in enclosed spaces. “Many UAS are equipped with standard components. But flying in enclosed spaces also requires good communication and navigation transmission as well as powerful, dimmable, small headlights,”
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No More Drone Rules – Drone Run
No More Drone Rules…Startup Develops a Clever Way to Revitalise Drone Flying Amidst Ongoing Concerns for Drone Safety The creators of startup Drone Run, brothers Alex and Toby Liew, are shaking up the consumer drone flying experience with an innovative flying game that keeps drone flying low to the ground
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Aerodyne Series B Funding
Aerodyne Group, the world leading drone-based managed solutions provider, announces a US$30 million Series B investment round. Present at the signing ceremony of the first closing were representatives of the Series B lead investor, InterVest/ Kejora Ventures, alongside VentureTECH and Gobi Partners as well as an existing investor from Axiata
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Asteria Aerospace’s A200 drone issued the first UIN in India by the DGCA
Asteria Aerospace’s A200 micro drone was issued the very first Unique Identification Number (UIN) in India, U0000001, by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The UIN was issued after a digital registration of the drone on India’s Digital Sky platform. This brings certified and compliant drone operations in the
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Skydio 2 Dock: Enabling persistent autonomous drone operations
Today we’re announcing the Skydio 2 Dock — a self-contained, weatherproof, charging base station for Skydio 2 that enables truly persistent operations for enterprise applications. The concept of a “drone in a box” has long offered the promise of fully automated data collection for myriad enterprise applications from a repeated
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DJI Welcomes FAA And Industry Reports On Improving Drone Safety
Key Recommendations From Drone Experts Mirror DJI’s Safety And Security Initiatives DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, welcomes today’s release of three U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) committee reports recommending how authorities can monitor airborne drones, protect against inadvertent or perceived misuse of drones
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Review: Eachine Twig 3″ Ultra-light Micro Quad
Review: Eachine Twig 3″ Ultra-light Micro Quad
The 3″ Eachine Twig is basically a slightly enlarged toothpick micro quad, featuring ultra light weight, super simple setup and awesome flight performance. Disclaimer: The frame design of the Eachine Twig is a copy of the Speed Racer Twig, and they even
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Airbus Completes 114 Flights of its New “Air Taxi” Drone
You’ve heard of drones delivering packages, but what about drones delivering people? That’s right, companies like Airbus that have been using drones in innovative ways and now are working on autonomous drone Taxis that can carry human passengers. These air taxis will be able to fly over traffic, and provide
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2019 Commercial UAV Expo
2019 Commercial UAV Expo Americas to Break Exhibitor & Attendance Records
200 + Exhibitors and 2,500+ drone professionals will come together Oct 28-30, 2019 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV – October 17, 2019 – When the doors open for the 5th annual Commercial UAV Expo Americas in Las Vegas on October
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Free Embry-Riddle Training for First Responders
Embry-Riddle Worldwide offers MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) to anyone with an Internet connection and a desire to learn about aviation. And they are free! Future MOOCs will be announced as scheduled. Public Safety Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Nov. 18 – Dec. 1, 2019 This two-week MOOC covers key
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Dozens of Drones Spotted Near Virginia Prisons
In late August, as security staff was leaving Buckingham Correctional Center, they found a small white drone sitting on the side of the road with a package attached to it. They were told by a shift commander to leave it alone since it was outside the prison’s perimeter and called
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RQ-7BV2 Shadow Crashes Near Fort Huachuca
An unmanned aircraft system flying in Fort Huachuca’s restricted military airspace crashed early this afternoon. The RQ-7BV2 Shadow UAS was on a training flight when it experienced an engine failure at around 2:40 p.m., according to a press release from Fort Huachuca. The UAS deployed its emergency parachute and crash
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XAG Drone Fleets Fly Large-scale Cotton Defoliation Operation in Xinjiang
As a global leading agriculture technology company, XAG has initiated its Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) spraying operation – “Take Off for Harvest Time” for the third consecutive year in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Since late August, over 1500 drone pilots and 1000 crop protection teams with approximately 3000 sets
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DroneDeploy Intregrates with Airbus UTM
Airbus UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) has announced that DroneDeploy, the drone software company, will integrate with Airbus UTM to offer airspace authorization and flight briefings for commercial drone pilots. The integration is an important milestone in Airbus UTM’s charter to provide digital traffic services for the evolving aviation ecosystem.
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Israel’s Elbit Systems sells $153M worth of mini-drones to unnamed country
Washington (UPI) Oct 11, 2019 –
Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems announced the sale of over 1,000 THOR mini-drones to an unnamed Southeast Asian country in a $153 million deal.
The contract for the unmanned aircraft systems, including other unmanned aircraft manufactured by the company, will be executed over a 22-month period,
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ImSAR LLC wins $$7.2M contract for work on RQ-21A unmanned aerial systems
Washington (UPI) Oct 11, 2019 –
ImSAR LLC was awarded a $7.2 million contract for work on payload systems and communications packages of the RQ-21 Blackjack unmanned aerial system.
The cost-plus-fixed fee delivery order against a previous ordering agreement calls for work to be executed by October 2020, the Defense Department announced
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Ford Patents Vehicle-Integrated Drone
Automaker Ford has patented a “vehicle-integrated drone” that is programmable and can automatically deploy from cars and trucks in emergencies and fly either autonomously or under pilot control to illuminate accident scenes with lights and sirens, stream photos and video, boost emergency communication, and enhance navigation. The law enforcement applications
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Simultaneous Multi-Drone Flight Functionality Added to eMotion 3.8.0 Release
senseFly, the global leader in fixed-wing drones, is excited to announce the release of the latest version of its popular flight-planning software, eMotion 3.8.0. With eMotion 3.8.0., senseFly drone operators can enjoy a host of improvements and added functionality, including the ability to fly up to four drones simultaneously from
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Actuating Enclosure for Deploying Drones from Moving Vehicles
A group of U.S. Army engineers have invented a mechanical box that can house a quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on top of a normal ground vehicle for instant deployment. The new invention, which can streamline military and commercial drone operations, was first made public through a patent application published
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