AirMule by Tactical Robotics Completes Major Milestone during Testing   



By Ashley Addington



Tactical Robotics' AirMule, a vertical takeoff and landing UAS, has been undergoing testing and demonstrations to prepare it for missions starting next year. Tactical Robotics is a subsidiary of Israel's Urban Aeronautics.  



The aircraft has completed several fully automatic test flights in which it took off, flew to and from a specified location and landed back at its original point.



The one-ton system has no exposed rotors, allowing it to fly in airspace that is not allowed for other systems, the company says. It uses accurate positioning technology through GPS signals, INS data and optical reference markers that are located on the ground. 



More test flights are planned for 2014, and a second AirMule prototype will join the test program, the company says.