Unmanned Vehicles

Boeing announced the formation of a new division at the Farnborough International Airshow on Tuesday. The goal of the division, called Boeing NeXt, will be to “advance next-generation airspace management and evolve the transportation ecosystem.” According to the company, technologies NeXt will be exploring include artificial intelligence, airspace management for autonomous flight and advanced propulsion. […]

For today’s blog, I was about to write that hardly a week goes by that we don’t report on some new electric aircraft initiative. Then I was suddenly seized by the impulse to, you know, actually check to see if that statement is correct. As is so often true of generalities, it’s not correct. Actually, […]

The FAA issued a statement on Wednesday warning drone owners to steer clear of people and companies offering to help register their drones with the agency. According to the FAA, it “neither regulates these entities nor will speculate on their legitimacy” and cautions that some of the vendors offering these services have made attempts to […]

A recent test flight in the National Airspace System with a drone that was operated remotely showed that a chase aircraft is not needed for safety, NASA reported last week. During the June 12 flight, the Ikhana research aircraft used its own detect-and-avoid technology as an “alternate means of compliance,” NASA said. Previously, flying remotely […]

Facebook announced on Wednesday that it is ending its Aquila drone program after four years of development. Aquila was a high-altitude platform station (HAPS) system designed to deliver internet in remote locations. In part, the company points to increased industry interest in drone technologies as a reason for stepping away from Aquila. “… It’s been […]

In a test it says moves drones closer to being integrated into the National Airspace System, NASA on Tuesday flew its Ikhana remotely piloted aircraft without a chase plane for the first time. The flight took place at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. ‘This is a huge milestone for […]

Researchers in France have developed a drone that can reorient its arms in flight to alter its profile, enabling it to reduce its wingspan and navigate in tight spaces. The “quad-morphing” design comprises two rotating arms, each equipped with two propellers, for helicopter-like flight. A system of elastic and rigid wires allows the robot to […]

Uber will invest $23 million over the next five years to create a new Advanced Technologies Center in Paris that will focus on the company’s Elevate project, which aims to bring autonomous eVTOL taxis into urban areas, the company has announced. “France is a perfect home for our next step forward, with its strong history […]

While drone makers and would-be electric aircraft manufacturers are waiting for better batteries, hydrogen fuel cells are rapidly becoming a reality. In this news feature shot at the AUVSI Xponential in Denver, AVweb took a look at some of these technologies. view on YouTube

The U.S. Department of Transportation has chosen ten state, local and tribal governments to participate in the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP). The selected governments are located throughout the U.S and will work with private sector participants to collect information on drone operations. “Data gathered from these pilot projects will form […]