– General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) collaborated with BAE Systems to demonstrate unique electronic warfare (EW) capabilities remotely controlled via a secure, jam-resistant Link 16 network on an MQ-20 Avenger unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The Avenger is a jet-powered platform used extensively as a test bed for autonomous UAS development and the Collaborative Combat […]
A successful collaboration project between EAFIT University in Colombia, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and Saab has resulted in a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) able to collect data for climate monitoring. The project was officially launched in the framework of COP16, by Romina Pourmokhtari, Minister for Climate and the Environment of Sweden, Yesenia […]
The Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems (AAUS) and the Australian Certified UAV Operators (ACUO) have announced an exciting new chapter for the uncrewed systems industry in Australia, uniting under a single banner to better represent and advocate for the sector. Effective immediately, AAUS will serve as the peak body for the uncrewed systems industry, while […]
New Integrated Solution Combines RF and Radar Technologies for Advanced Airspace Security SkySafe and Fortem Technologies have announced a partnership to deliver a fully integrated drone detection and mitigation solution, designed to combat the growing risk of unauthorized drone incursions. This solution combines SkySafe’s radio frequency (RF)-based detection technology with Fortem’s radar-based tracking and mitigation […]
U.S. Manufacturer Plans to Bolster Supply Chain Amid Ongoing Industry Tensions In response to recently announced Chinese sanctions against them, U.S.-based drone manufacturer Skydio informed its customers of a plan to ration battery supplies temporarily. The sanctions, which affect Skydio’s ability to source batteries, stem from the company’s sale of drones to Taiwan’s National Fire […]
US Drone Manufacturer PDW on the Drone Radio Show: democratizing air support! Dylan Hamm, Chief Technology Office at PDW, shares insights into PDW’s mission, the ways small drones are changing the battlefield, and the innovative tactics and technologies being developed to counter drone threats. Listen here: Drone Radio Show · Revolutionizing Warfare: How Small UAS […]
Forget spooky decorations on front lawns. For Halloween 2024, the real magic is happening in the air. From drone light shows to spooky, goofy pranks involving individual drones, here are some of the best ways people are using drones for Halloween 2024:
1. A spooky drone light show west of Dallas
About an hour west of Dallas in the town of Weatherford, Texas, residents were treated to a spooky drone light show that even included pyro drones.
Sky Elements, the U.S. leader in drone shows, put 1,200 drones in the skies of Weatherford. They flew in spooky shapes including skeletons and spiders, in what was an 11-minute drone show.
And these weren’t just any drones. 60 of them were pyro drones, which are capable of launching fireworks directly from the drone. Sky Elements uses drones from UVify, including its model called the UVify IFO-P. The IFO-P is capable of carrying up to 12 pyrotechnics devices. Watch a condensed version of the show here:
The folks over at Nova Lux Studios, which is primarily a tutorial-oriented YouTube channel used their DJI Air 3 for a fun, Halloween prank. In it, they turned their DJI Air 3 into a DIY ghost — and they share how to make your own.
You’ll need a DJI Air 3 (plus a trip to the craft store for supplies including spray paint) to make it happen. But you could make your own using most other cheap, DJI drones too. Watch the Nova Lux Studios ghost prank (and tutorial) below:
3. Spraying a corn maze
Halloween and corn mazes go together like peanut butter and chocolate. But you know what else goes with corn mazes? Drones!
Given their vast size and consistency of crop, drones are an ideal tool to spray corn maze to give it pesticides or fertilizers. Over at Vesperman Farms in Lancaster, Wisconsin, a particularly-rainy season has oversaturated the corn crops, throwing off its nutrient balance. With that, the team at How Farms Work took a DJI Agras T50 drone, which is a spraying drone, to give the corn a dusting of nutrients including nitrogen, sulfur and potassium from overhead.
The DJI Agras T50 drone costs about $25,000 in its ready-to-fly kit form, or $18,000 as the drone only. The drone was designed for spraying, with a coaxial twin-rotor propulsion system and a split-type torque resistant structure. It can carry up to 40 kg spraying or 50 kg spreading payloads.
Watch a detailed study of exactly how they did it below:
4. A Halloween drone show at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris typically runs its drone show, called Disney Electrical Sky Parade, nightly. You definitely have to check it out for yourself, just like I did.
But if you’re there now (or through Nov. 3), the drone show gets a seasonal redo. Its a mostly similar show to the usual version, but with a bonus twist, which Disney says is “chilling.” After all, the show incorporates Disney villains who “take it in turns to hijack the hijinks with their own thrilling projections and drone displays.”
The Halloween version of the Disneyland Paris drone show. (Image courtesy of Disney)
The Disneyland Paris drone show is actually the opening act of the traditional nighttime fireworks spectacular, Disney Illuminations. But, it’s arguably better (whether or not you see the Halloween version).
– Raytheon, an RTX business, in partnership with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office, and the U.S. Navy, demonstrated the multi-mission GhostEye MR advanced medium-range sensor during a joint test event called Gray Flag 2024. GhostEye MR tracked targets over water, […]
– Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, a supplier of ultra-long endurance Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technology, has announced the award of $20 million through the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program. This contract marks one of the largest awards since APFIT’s inception in 2022. This contract will support […]
– General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) collaborated with BAE Systems to demonstrate unique electronic warfare (EW) capabilities remotely controlled via a secure, jam-resistant Link 16 network on an MQ-20 Avenger unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The Avenger is a jet-powered platform used extensively as a test bed for autonomous UAS development and the Collaborative Combat […]
