Unmanned Vehicles

Boeing’s Loyal Wingman unmanned military aircraft successfully completed its initial low-speed taxi test this week, marking the first time the aircraft has moved under its own power. During the test, the prototype reached a speed of 14 knots while the team verified systems integration and functions including steering, braking and engine controls. According to Boeing, […]

uAvionix has received a patent for its direct-broadcast remote identification (RID) device for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones). Calling its new patent “critical to the safe and secure integration of [UAS] into the National Airspace Systems (NAS),” the company says the device will address the “need for direct air-to-air transmission of UAS identification information without requiring […]

Bell Textron’s Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) 70 unmanned aircraft system (UAS/drone) successfully completed a demonstration flight on Monday as part of NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) activities. The objective of the ATP 70 demonstration was to simulate an urgent medical transport mission including beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight in an urban environment along with […]

The FAA announced on Thursday that it has added 133 additional air traffic facilities to its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system. The LAANC system, which automates the airspace authorization application and approval process for drone operators, is run as a partnership between the agency and private unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) service suppliers. […]

The Chinese government is trying to influence U.S. aviation policy but it’s not hiding behind fake websites or social media pseudonyms to do so. The People’s Republic of China is one of 66 individuals and organizations commenting on an FAA Federal Register Notice on the certification of some drones. As we reported earlier, the agency […]

Ground testing of Boeing’s Loyal Wingman prototype is underway with the first engine start on the autonomous unmanned aircraft successfully completed this month. The Loyal Wingman is designed to serve as the foundation for Boeing’s Airpower Teaming System, which uses “artificial intelligence to fly independently or in support of manned aircraft.” The aircraft is the […]

Although the eVTOL movement has focused on so-called urban mobility, one of the many contenders in the market is proposing using existing airports as hubs for its future service in Germany. Lilium, which hopes to launch service using five-seat passenger drones in 2025, has partnered with Dusseldorf and Cologne/Bonn Airports to investigate using them as […]

A Camcopter S-100 drone made the first commercial drone delivery to an offshore oil platform in late August and it might be the beginning of a major industry. The helicopter drone flew a 3-D printed part from Norway to a rig located about 60 miles off the coast. The flight was conducted without any special […]

The FAA has announced it is looking at technologies to clear “rogue drones” from the airspace near airports after a few collisions and some close calls, including one that might have involved Air Force One. The agency will evaluate at least 10 systems designed to disable or neutralize drones in trials that will initially be […]

An artificial intelligence algorithm beat an “experienced” F-16 pilot in five straight simulated dogfights in a project designed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Aug. 20. The pilot was up against an AI system named Heron and the two duked it out in a Second World War-style forward firing gun battle. The human […]