After deploying its aircraft in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Eagle View Technologies, which provides property intelligence for government, insurance and commercial sectors, has received its first post-event images following the deadly storm.
Launched less than 18 hours after the storm made landfall on the Florida Panhandle, EagleView’s fixed-wing aircraft captured ultra-high-resolution Reveal aerial imagery captured at .75-inches ground sample distance (GSD).
With EagleView’s high-resolution aerial imagery, first responders, insurance carriers, and electric utility customers are provided with “rapid access to crucial post-event property information,” including roof damage, and the locations of fallen trees, flooding and other emergency conditions.
Fixed Wing
Fixed Wing
Lockheed Martin and KAUST to collaborate on UAS research
Lockheed Martin recently signed its first international Master Research Agreement with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, Lockheed Martin and KAUST announced their initial collaboration in the field of flexible electronics. This collaboration will include the integration of KAUST developed flexible solar cells on fixed-wing UAS to enhance their operational endurance, and support applications across a variety of sectors.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to help play a defining role in promoting the Kingdom's thriving R&D efforts as a committed partner to KAUST,” says Lockheed Martin Chief Technology Officer Keoki Jackson.
UAVOS completes series of test flights with its new Sitaria UAS
UAVOS Inc. has announced that it has completed a series of test flights with Sitaria, its new fixed-wing UAS.
The UAS is designed to carry out a variety of tasks, including patrol and observation missions, and aerial photography of terrain area with a radius of up to 120 kilometers. The UAS is also “purposely designed” to work with the LIDAR airborne laser scanning equipment as payload.
With a wide range of speeds—a stall speed of 65 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour—Sitaria can conduct missions at minimum flight speeds close to 70 kilometers per hour.
U.S. Department of the Interior adding up to 50 VTOL fixed wing UAS to its fleet
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced that it will soon have the use of up to 50 Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) fixed wing UAS.
The new UAS are a result of an extended process to develop mission performance requirements and select the most useful type of aircraft to meet the needs. Andover, New Hampshire-based startup company Birdseyeview Aerobotics was awarded a contract to produce and train on the new UAS.
The new UAS weigh less than 10 pounds and are capable of carrying a variety of modular sensors. They have a service ceiling of 12,000 feet, and are operable in winds up to 25 knots.
Leptron UAS to manufacture Black Swift S1 UAS as a result of strategic alliance
Black Swift Technologies (BST) and Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems have formed a strategic alliance that will result in Leptron UAS manufacturing the Black Swift S1 UAS integrated with BST’s SwiftCore Flight Management System.
Leptron and Geotech Environmental Equipment, Inc.—which Leptron is a subsidiary of—will market the resulting aircraft as the GeoSwift Mapper.
Michael Baker International purchases Altavian Nova UAS
A global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, Michael Baker International has announced that it has expanded its growing UAS fleet with the purchase of an Altavian Nova fixed-wing UAS.
The company says that the UAS, which can fly up to 90 minutes and cover 600-800 acres in a single flight, will be used to conduct “aerial inspections and mapping of large sites or during inclement weather conditions.”
U.S. Marine develops low-cost 3D-printed UAS
In 2015, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Next Generation Logistics innovation group, known as NexLog, was established to “advocate for the future of emerging technologies on the front lines and for equipping Marines with the ability to make solutions for their own environment.”
With this in mind, Rhet McNeal, a 26 year-old Corporal from Griffin, Georgia, developed a 3D-printed UAS nicknamed “Scout” that is a cheaper alternative to the hand-launched, fixed-wing RQ-11 Raven and RQ-12 Wasp III UAS that the Marines currently use.
Department of the Interior uses UAS to fly over active wildfire
After being granted permission by the FAA, the Department of the Interior recently used a fixed-wing UAS to fly over an active wildfire, according to KOBI5.com.
According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), this was the first time that the FAA allowed a UAS fly over a fire, beyond the visual line of sight of the pilot.
A Department of the Interior (DOI) UAS Pilot, Technician, and Wildland Firefighter, Steven Stroud, flew the UAS in the Modoc National Forest in northeastern California over a Parker 2 Fire. The UAS flew over 19 miles and covered more than 500 acres as it flew in a pre-programmed grid pattern.
ULC Robotics develops VTOL UAS for commercial applications in utility industry
ULC Robotics, Inc. has completed successful flight testing of a newly developed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAS.
As a robotics, energy services and research and development company with a focus on the energy and utility industries, UCL Robotics has developed this commercial-grade VTOL UAS to “meet the inspection needs of electric and gas utilities.”
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