Swift Engineering, which provides products, technologies and “fully integrated product development solutions from ideation to market,” recently flew its Swift020 UAS over densely forested areas within the Ishikawa prefecture in Japan.
Swift Engineering worked with a number of entities to complete the flights from July 23 to 25, including the local forest cooperative association, key forestry industry leaders and members of the Ishikawa Prefecture Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry.
Software
Software
Kentucky's Georgetown Police Department finds unique ways to utilize UAS
After purchasing a UAS from Atlanta-based Sky Fire Consulting in April 2017, the Georgetown Police Department (GPD) in Georgetown, Kentucky has found a number of unique use cases for its UAS.
Among those use cases, the UAS has been especially helpful in tracking lost citizens and locating fleeing suspects and stolen vehicles.
The UAS, which shows streets using satellite maps, and is equipped with a camera, was purchased after a large number of vehicle break-ins were being reported. Thus far, it has helped the department detect suspects involved in the crimes.
Airbus' Zephyr S HAPS UAS flies more than 25 days
Airbus Defence and Space has announced that its solar powered Zephyr S High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) UAS has landed after flying more than 25 days during its maiden flight.
The maiden flight, which began on July 11 and is the longest duration flight ever made according to Airbus, proved the system capabilities and achieved all the flight’s engineering objectives. Airbus says that an application has been made to establish this as a new world record.
RADA receives $4 million in radar orders; company's radars can be used for counter UAS tech
RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. has announced that during the second quarter, it received $4 million in radar orders.
The orders were for the company’s software-defined radars, and will be used in “today’s most advanced defense applications,” RADA says, including active protection systems (APS) for armored vehicles, counter rocket artillery and mortar (C-RAM), counter UAS and short range air defense (SHORAD).
According to RADA, a third of the orders were follow-on-sales from existing customers, while the remaining orders were from “new and highly strategic customers,” such as leading defense organizations. Additionally, these orders represent initial sales from which RADA expects further follow-on orders in the future.
U.S. Navy awards CACI contract to support deployment of counter UAS platforms
The U.S. Navy has awarded CACI International Inc. a $48.5 million single-award, “indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract” to provide integration, installation, sustainment, and engineering services to the Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) AIRWorks Rapid Development Capabilities Integrated Product team.
CACI develops, deploys, and integrates counter-UAS technologies with its SkyTracker product suite, providing “fixed site, on-the-move, and man-packable and small form factor technologies.”
ACAMP's autonomous security all-terrain vehicle to patrol Edmonton International Airport
The Alberta Centre for Advanced MNT (microprocessor and nanotechnology) Products (ACAMP) has developed an autonomous security all-terrain vehicle which will be used to patrol the perimeter security fence at Edmonton International Airport in Alberta, Canada.
The vehicle, which is unarmed, is controlled remotely by humans but is capable of driving autonomously, as it uses machine learning to perform its tasks.
Xwing developing software stack that enables pilotless flight of small passenger aircraft
An autonomous-aviation startup called Xwing recently secured $4 million in funding.
The company is reportedly focused on the software stack that will enable pilotless flight of small passenger aircraft.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Xwing’s CEO Marc Piette says that while he was pursuing his pilot’s license, he saw restraint when it comes to smaller aircraft, but he also saw potential.
“It became pretty apparent that there were major issues with the general aviation industry with smaller aircraft,” Piette said.
“And yet it had enormous potential to change the way people moved around.”
Textron businesses integrate, demonstrate manned-unmanned teaming capability
Textron Systems and Textron Aviation have announced the successful integration and demonstration of Textron’s manned-unmanned teaming capability via the Textron Systems' Synturian control and collaboration technology and Textron Aviation Defense Scorpion jet.
Synturian control and collaboration technologies empower situational awareness and informed action, while the Textron Aviation Defense Scorpion jet provides the warfighter with a technological advantage, while also delivering “exceptional mission readiness at unparalleled low acquisition, operating and training costs.”
Ford creates Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC to accelerate autonomous vehicle business
Ford Motor Company has created Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, which is a new organization designed to accelerate Ford’s autonomous vehicle (AV) business, in an effort to capitalize on market opportunities.
Ford is organizing its self-driving business into Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, which will include Ford’s self-driving systems integration, autonomous vehicle research and advanced engineering, AV transportation-as-a-service network development, user experience, business strategy and business development teams.
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
On July 13, Roborace’s Robocar became the first fully driverless race car to successfully complete the Hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Robocar’s run was the first in the history of Goodwood to be completed by a race car that didn’t have a human driver in the car. (Goodwood Festival of Speed)
