Canada’s Advanced Tactical Training Search & Rescue Division (ATTSAR) is using drones from SkyX Systems for long-range search missions.
UAS have proven to be extremely beneficial for search and rescue missions, as a recent announcement cited by ATTSAR and SkyX Systems says that UAS-operated missions have led to 133 people being rescued across the world from 2017 through the first half of 2018.
Quadcopter UAS are typically used for these missions, but according to ATTSAR and SkyX Systems, these UAS have limitations such as endurance, the range that they can operate without a controller, and the weather conditions that they can operate in.
VTOL
VTOL
Schiebel demonstrates Camcopter S-100 UAS during trials in Nigeria
Schiebel has announced that during trials in Rivers State, Nigeria from January 27 to 30, its Camcopter S-100 UAS demonstrated its capabilities to a large European oil and gas corporation.
According to Schiebel, the international oil and gas industry has shown increasing interest in using UAS to effectively monitor and control oil and gas infrastructure, both onshore and offshore.
With this in mind, the flight trials in Nigeria were designed to further investigate the implementation and potential advantages of UAS technology, as Schiebel says that its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Camcopter S-100 UAS offers a “substantial enhancement” for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions in an oil and gas production environment.
Elroy Air optimistic that its autonomous VTOL air cargo system will unlock the logistics potential of the sky
A company called Elroy Air that is developing an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air cargo system has closed a $9.2 million seed round of funding, according to VentureBeat.
The company says that it is developing its autonomous VTOL air cargo system for three primary reasons. First, it believes “access to express shipping improves quality of life and economic opportunities for people, and should be available to everyone.”
Second, it believes that “now is the moment in history when autonomous VTOL aircraft can be developed to expand the reach of air cargo at scale.”
Boeing completes first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle prototype
On Tuesday, Jan. 22, Boeing successfully completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in Manassas, Virginia.
During the flight, the PAV prototype, which is 30-feet long and 28-feet wide, completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing, which tested its autonomous functions and ground control systems.
Boeing says that future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes—a phase that is usually the most important engineering challenge for any high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, according to Boeing.
PAE ISR selects Persistent Systems' MPU5 Wave Relay MANET tech for its Resolute Eagle UAS
PAE ISR recently chose Persistent Systems’ MPU5 Wave Relay mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) technology for its Resolute Eagle UAS.
Capable of running live voice-over-internet-protocols, video, and other high demand applications, the system augments the capacity of a wireless network using existing infrastructure.
Additionally, users can incorporate a variety of meshed devices into the network—thanks to the radio's algorithm—in which the devices themselves form the communication infrastructure.
“We're excited about the capability of the MPU5 radio,” says Joe Sartiano, PAE ISR chief operating officer.
Schiebel awarded maritime surveillance service provision contract for its Camcopter S-100 UAS
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has awarded the maritime surveillance service provision contract to Schiebel for its Camcopter S-100 UAS.
Schiebel says that a number of factors led to the Camcopter being selected for this contract, including the Camcopter's service record in the maritime domain, and its maritime surveillance expertise. The Camcopter’s payload capabilities and VTOL abilities from shore and from vessels were also contributing factors for its selection, Schiebel notes.
ALTI UAS launches new UAS for search and rescue operations
UAS developer and manufacturing company ALTI UAS has launched the ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’, which is a search and rescue version of the company’s ALTI Transition VTOL UAS.
Based in the coastal town of Knysna, South Africa, ALTI UAS notes that the ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is being launched following some of the worst fires in South African history, which recently effected the area.
Designed for search and rescue missions, the new ALTI Transition SAR ‘Orange’ is a specific version of the ALTI Transition UAS, the company explains. Described as compact, rapid, smart, and advanced, the UAS includes a unique vibration damping mount for the combustion engine, allowing it to fly up to 12 hours per flight, with a range of 900 kilometers.
PAE ISR's Resolute Eagle UAS receives Group 3 Interim Flight Clearance
PAE ISR has announced that on Nov. 13, it received a Group 3 Interim Flight Clearance for its Resolute Eagle vertical takeoff and landing UAS from the Naval Air System Command in Maryland.
PAE ISR was one of four prime awards on the five-year, $1.73 billion NAVAIR indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support services for land and maritime-based UAS.
The company notes that the IFC verifies the Resolute Eagle's airworthiness in accordance with the NAVAIR IDIQ requirements.
PAE ISR and NASA to conduct UAS demo in National Airspace System in 2020
PAE ISR has signed a cooperative agreement with NASA to conduct a UAS demonstration in the National Airspace System (NAS) in 2020, and work toward the full integration of this technology into the NAS.
“NASA's Systems Integration and Operationalization Demo program is a great opportunity to validate integration of larger UAS in the NAS,” says Beth Beach, vice president of business development.
Bell and Yamato seek to transform on-demand delivery service by integrating autonomous UAS and package handling systems
Textron Inc. company Bell and Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. have announced a strategic collaboration for the “future of civilian aerial logistics.”
With aspirations of being a global leader in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) logistics, Bell and Yamato plan to achieve this by working together to integrate innovative autonomous UAS and package handling systems in an effort to create an exceptional customer experience for on-demand logistics services.
The companies expect to introduce their initial product into service by mid-2020s.