The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk has been a staple of U.S. military operations going back more than 30 years, but the Pentagon is now closer than ever to ditching one of the iconic chopper’s most important components: the pilot. Continue reading
Category Archives: VTOL
Camcopter’s Successful Shipboard Trials in South Africa
Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) continues its successful shipboard trials when demonstrating its outstanding capabilities to the South African Navy from 20 to 23 October 2015 at False Bay, Western Cape, South Africa. Continue reading
Russia Will Test Unmanned Tiltrotor Aircraft By 2016
State testing of the Granat-5 unmanned tiltrotor aircraft designed for the Russian Navy will begin before the end of the year, a spokesman of the developing company, Izhmash Unmanned Systems announced. Continue reading
Korean Air Displays Armed Unmanned Little Bird
Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) has developed an armed and unmanned version of the MD 500 Little Bird light attack and observation helicopter that it showcased for the first time at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX) 2015. Continue reading
US Forest Service Explores Use of Unmanned Aircraft to Improve Firefighter Safety
Lockheed Martin and KAMAN Corporations demonstrated for federal officials how the remotely piloted K-MAX helicopter can be used to perform wildland firefighting scenarios, including cargo drops, single target water drops, and progressive line building with a bucket. The demonstration provided officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management the opportunity to evaluate the capabilities of the unmanned helicopter. Continue reading
Schiebel’s Camcopter Helps Rescue 8,800 Refugees in Mediterranean
In five months of operation, the NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) saved over 8.800 lives in the Mediterranean. By spotting and monitoring distressed vessels, Schiebel’s Unmanned Air System CAMCOPTER S-100 assisted in the rescue and contributed significantly to the success of the mission.
CNN Chooses New Zealand UAV for Safety Evaluations
CNN has acquired a Delta X8, a multi-rotor designed and manufactured by New Zealand-based Altus Unmanned Aerial Solutions, to advance its efforts to employ unmanned aircraft for their aerial news-gathering over public and property. Continue reading
Quadcopters Weave a Rope Bridge
Using quadrocopters and some rope, researchers have woven together a bridge strong enough to walk across. Made at the ETH Zurich Flying Machine Arena in Switzerland, the bridge joins two scaffolds, and is the first full-scale load-bearing structure autonomously built by flying machines. The feat represents one more step in the field of robotic aerial construction. Continue reading