When Teledyne FLIR unveiled its “new” Rogue 1 loitering munition system (LMS) on May 7, it was the first glimpse the public got of the design. But quietly, US Special Operations Command has been testing the vertical take-off/landing capability system for over two years. The company has been under a training and evaluation contract with […]
Applications & Testing & Experience
Airbus Achieves Eurodrone’s Preliminary Design Review
The Eurodrone programme has successfully performed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). Led by Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor, this major programme milestone has been completed with OCCAR and representatives of the four customer nations (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) in the presence of the three Major Sub-Contractors (MSC), Airbus Defence and Space Spain, […]
US Air Force Deploys $8M Secret ULTRA Unmanned Aircraft in United Arab Emirates.
On May 7, 2024, the U.S. Air Force deployed an Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) for an early morning mission at Al Dhafra Air Base, a hub for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and previously used for RQ-4 Global Hawk ISR drones, located in the United Arab Emirates. Each ULTRA aircraft is said to […]
Leidos and Elroy Air to Demonstrate Autonomous Aerial Resupply Drone for US Marine Corps
Leidos, a FORTUNE 500 innovation company, and Elroy Air, an autonomous aircraft systems and software development company, have been approved to demonstrate an autonomous Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) prototype for the Navy and Marine Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program office (PMA-263). The flight test activities are scheduled for July 2024. […]
US Army Tests UAV Resupply During Live-Fire Exercises in Hawaii
The US Army has successfully tested an autonomous uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) for battlefield resupply during live-fire exercises in the Hawaiian Islands. The aircraft was a vertical take-off and landing platform called the G1 Gabriel – a multi-rotor type designed by California start-up Soaring, which describes itself as a developer of autonomous heavy-lift cargo drones. […]
Boeing Validates Software for Future Manned Unmanned Refueling Missions
Boeing has advanced its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) technology using a digital F/A-18 Super Hornet and MQ-25 Stingray. The testing shows the software is maturing for future U.S. Navy use and a potential to deploy the teaming capability on both F/A-18 Block II and III Super Hornets. In a simulator lab, a Boeing-led team virtually demonstrated […]
DARPA’s Manta Ray UUV Prototype Completes In-Water Testing
The Manta Ray prototype uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) built by performer Northrop Grumman completed full-scale, in-water testing off the coast of Southern California in February and March 2024. Testing demonstrated at-sea hydrodynamic performance, including submerged operations using all the vehicle’s modes of propulsion and steering: buoyancy, propellers, and control surfaces. “Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates […]
Kaman Corporation Celebrates Successful First Flight of Autonomous KARGO UAV
Kaman Corporation has announced the significant achievement of the first flight of the full-scale KARGO UAV, a purpose-built, autonomous, expeditionary resupply vehicle. This milestone, which took place in December of 2023, signifies a major accomplishment in the ongoing flight test progression. The development of this medium-lift UAS, initiated in 2021 to address logistics needs for […]
QinetiQ Achieves UK’s First Jet-to-Jet Teaming of an Aircraft and an Autonomous Drone
QinetiQ has successfully trialled the UK’s first Crewed-Uncrewed-Teaming demonstration between a crewed aircraft and an autonomous jet drone. The trial – which took place in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Royal Navy and the Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC) – saw a QinetiQ jet aircraft take off from Ministry […]
GA-ASI Mojave Excels in Yuma Desert Live-Fire Demonstration
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) confirms that its Mojave Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) destroyed static targets in live-fire tests on April 13, 2024, validating the system’s battlefield relevance and recording another milestone for the demonstrator aircraft. GA-ASI partnered with Dillon Aero to mount two of Dillon’s DAP-6 Gun Pod Systems onto the Mojave aircraft. […]