Tag Archives: UAS

The Federal Aviation Administration has collaborated with NASA and unmanned aircraft system testing partners to conduct three safety demonstrations of drone operations at an altitude of below 400 feet. FAA said Wednesday that the field tests demonstrated the possibility of conducting UAS flights beyond visual line-of-sight in airspace without air traffic services.

Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, who leads the U.S. Marine Corps' Combat Development Command, said the service branch seeks more unmanned systems for surface, underwater and air operations, National Defense Magazine reported Wednesday. 

The Commercial Drone Alliance is calling on the U.S. chief technology officer and the Federal Aviation Adinistration to “provide regulatory certainty” for operating large unmanned aerial systems. The industry group wrote to USCTO and 2019 Wash100 Award winner Michael Kratsios as well as FAA Administrator Stephen Dickinson and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao seeking a "clear regulatory roadmap” for drones that weigh more than 55 pounds.

The U.S. Army plans to work with the U.S. Navy to integrate a drone-defeating laser into the former’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, Military.com reported Tuesday. Previously, the Army developed a High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator platform that includes a 100-kilowatt laser designed to target swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The U.S. Air Force is planning to acquire XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aircraft from Kratos Defense and Security Solutions to conduct further drone prototyping and experimentation activities, Defense News reported Monday.

The U.S.Army issued a new roadmap outlining plans to modernize its air-and-missile defense through 2028 to deter emerging weapons of adversaries, National Defense Magazine reported Monday. The roadmap focuses on the development of air-and-missile defense technologies, new capabilities for multi-domain operations, training of forces and maintaining forward presence and partnerships. 

The U.S. Marine Corps wants to make the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial systems permanent in its inventory through President Trump’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal, National Defense Magazine reported Friday. The service requested $117 million in funding to buy three Reapers in the coming year and additional three for fiscal year 2021.

Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 3rd Brigade Combat Team began using a new unmanned aerial system designed to provide near-real time video access for reconnaissance missions, DVIDS reported Thursday. Program Executive Office Soldier had troops hold, inventorize and train to use the new system at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from April 29 to May 3.

The U.S. Coast Guard plans to deploy small drones developed by Boeing's Insitu subsidiary onto four more National Security Cutters by the end of 2019, Flight Global reported Wednesday. The Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicles will contain payloads including sensor systems, communications relay platforms and a laser pointer to support various USCG missions including search-and-rescue, ice-breaking and anti-drug trafficking. 

Air Force Research Laboratory stood up a new unmanned aircraft system test facility near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for trials that require beyond-line-of-sight flight. The site is equipped with SkyVision, a technology designed to manage UAS air traffic, the U.S. Air Force said Wednesday.