Unmanned Vehicles

The FAA has allowed a Massachusetts company to conduct the first truly autonomous beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operation in the National Airspace System (NAS), opening the door to a wide range of commercial applications. American Robotics is now allowed to fly drones weighing up to 20 pounds in rural areas without a […]

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced new appointments to the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) on Tuesday. According to the FAA, the twelve new DAC members represent unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) interests in areas such as industry, research, academia, retail, technology, and state and local government. Members will serve a two-year term. “As […]

The FAA is proposing a total of $182,000 in fines to an unlicensed drone pilot who was warned three times to stop making illegal flights around Philadelphia. After a warning letter was sent in October of 2019, the FAA contacted him twice more in November of 2019 to explain the ways in which he was […]

Unmanned aerial vehicles operating in FAA airspace will soon be required to have Remote ID identification capabilities. Initially proposed one year ago, the Remote ID rule will go into effect 60 days after its publishing in the Federal Register, which is expected to happen in January. Remote ID transmits the location and identity of the […]

Bell Textron has announced that its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) flew successfully with a payload of 110 pounds, completing an 8-mile route over the company’s testing site near Fort Worth, Texas, last week. According to Bell, it plans to begin demonstrating a series of military and commercial applications for the aircraft in 2021. The company […]

Boeing has successfully completed a series of test flights using five “high-performance surrogate jets” operating autonomously in a team. The flights, which took place over ten days, were designed to test Boeing’s advanced autonomy technology including onboard command and control and data sharing capabilities. The 3.4-meter (11-foot) test aircraft reached speeds of up to 270 […]

The FAA announced on Monday that it has published airworthiness criteria for the proposed certification of ten unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) models. Calling the move a “a crucial step to enabling more complex drone operations,” the agency emphasized that applicants still need to demonstrate that they have met the posted requirements prior to certification. Separate […]

VerdeGo Aero and XTI Aircraft Company have announced that they will work together on XTI’s autonomous hybrid-electric TriFan 200 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. As part of the partnership, VerdeGo will be providing its diesel-electric hybrid powertrain for the cargo-oriented TriFan 200. XTI is also developing the larger six-seat TriFan 600. “The TriFan 200 […]

The FAA announced on Tuesday that it has finished the second phase of its Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS/drone) Traffic Management Pilot Program (UPP). UPP Phase 2 objectives included “testing of Remote Identification (RID) technologies and operations with increasing volumes and density.” According to the agency, program results will be used as a proof of concept […]

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has announced the completion of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS/drone) Integration Pilot Program (IPP), a three-year initiative designed to test and evaluate the integration of drone operations into the national airspace system. IPP is followed by the BEYOND program, which officially launched last week. BEYOND is expected to […]