All Civil UAVs news – Page 87
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High endurance rotorcraft set to fly
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Frontier Systems this year plan to flight-test a revolutionary unmanned helicopter that can remain airborne for up to 48h and achieve an unrefuelled range of 5,550km (3,000nm). Neither DARPA nor Abraham Karem, Frontier president, will disclose details of the research ...
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UAVs may fly in display at Paris 2001
With more than 50 unmanned aerial vehicles present at this year's show, it has been a bumper year for what was once considered the poor relation of the aviation industry. At the 2001 show, the organiser has secured the agreement of the air traffic authorities to allow UAVs ...
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Quad TiltRotor under study
Graham Warwick/MONTREAL Bell Boeing is studying a four-proprotor tiltrotor aircraft as a potential replacement for both heavylift helicopters and tactical transports. The initial concept for the Quad TiltRotor (QTR) is to use the wing, nacelles, engines and proprotors from the Bell Boeing V-22, mating them to a modified ...
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Predator Feed
Boeing has tested combined operations with an E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar system (JSTARS) battlefield surveillance aircraft and a Predator unmanned air vehicle (UAV) using the company's Aviation Information Service antenna. The system fed the video information from the UAV via a satellite to the E-8 to enhance JSTARS ...
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Darkstar trials
The second Tier III Minus Dark Star unmanned air vehicle (UAV) has completed its first high altitude flight, to 25,000ft (7,600m). The 2h 37m flight, from Edwards AFB, California, included an automated take-off and landing using global positioning navigational data. The mission demonstrated the UAV's ability to update preplanned mission ...
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Global Hawk test
The eighth flight of Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical's Global Hawk long-endurance unmanned air vehicle, on 4 December, demonstrated wideband satellite communications between the aircraft and its ground station. The second flight of air vehicle number two, it lasted 3h 18min, reaching 50,000ft (15,250m). Source: Flight International
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General Atomics flies ELINT Predator
General Atomics has test flown a Predator unmanned air vehicle adapted to carry specialised Radio Frequency payloads for a wide range of applications, including electronic intelligence gathering (ELINT). The Predator carried a suite of antennas during the flight evaluation, including three mounted on each wing and a single antenna integrated ...
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NASA's Pathfinder solar-powered wing soars to 80,000ft
NASA's Pathfinder Plus solar-powered, remotely piloted flying wing reached an altitude of over 80,000ft (24,400m) on a 6 August test flight from Hawaii. The flight, which lasted for almost 15h, paves the way for testing the Pathfinder's successor, the Centurion, a solar-powered unmanned air vehicle which is designed to reach ...
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GM/Williams team up on microturbine generators
General Motors (GM) and Williams International have teamed up to develop microturbine generators for aerospace applications, primarily unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The powerplants, which will also be used for distributed power generation, will be produced from a 40kW microturbine generator that was developed for an advanced hybrid electric car, ...
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Aerospatiale continues work on long range UAV
Julian Moxon/Paris Aerospatiale is working on a follow-on to work on high altitude, long endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) in a programme, called SAROHALE. Delivery of the initial system is set for "around 2007-10", says project manager Philippe Matharan. The project aims to develop a fully automated twinjet-powered ...
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Supersonic rising sun
Paul Lewis/MITIKA Japanese engineers have long displayed a distinctive flair for futuristic transportation thinking. While there may be a tendency in the West to confine many such notions to the realms of science fiction, it is worth remembering that Japan is the home of the Shinkansen "bullet train" and the ...
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DARPA and Frontier develop long endurance UAV rotorcraft
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has teamed with Frontier Systems to flight test a revolutionary unmanned helicopter that can stay airborne for as long as 62h and achieve an unrefuelled maximum range of 8,550km (4,600nm). The newly revealed long endurance unmanned helicopter and the rival Boeing ...
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On the prowl
General Atomics flew the Prowler II unmanned air vehicle (UAV) for the first time on 4 June. Reaching an altitude of 7,500ft (2,300m), the UAV flew for over 30min at 80kt (150km/h). The improved Prowler tactical UAV has an endurance of up to 20h. Plans call for the Prowler II, ...
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Canada may replace Germany for NATO project
Technical problems that have dogged development of the Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Dasa) Seamos vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle (VTOL UAV) could force Project Group 35 of the NATO Naval Armaments Group to drop Germany from the Maritime UAV International Technology Demonstrator Programme (ITDP). Other nations involved include the ...
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Hydraulic loss spoils Global Hawk UAV test
Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical (TRA) is investigating a hydraulic failure which marred the otherwise successful third flight of the Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The aircraft lost hydraulic pressure on approach to the runway at Edwards AFB, California, after the 5h 22min flight on 30 May. The landing gear ...
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Silver arrow buy
Israel's El-Op confirms that it has taken over the 50%stake in the unmanned air vehicle (UAV)developer Silver Arrow, previously owned by its parent Federmann group. The UAV company, half owned by Elbit Systems, had sales of $15 million last year but that is due to double by 2000, says El-Op. ...
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Global Hawk flies second mission
THE Global Hawk reconnaissance unmanned air vehicle has flown for a second time at Edwards AFB, California, performing what the company describes as a "text book" mission lasting 2h 24min. The aircraft reached 41,000ft (12,500m) during the sortie, which also included the successful hand-off of command and control via ...
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Japan promotes unmanned helicopters for crop dusting
Paul Lewis/GIFU, JAPAN Two Japanese aerospace manufacturers have begun to promote the commercial use of unmanned helicopters for agricultural crop dusting and airborne surveillance missions. Kawada Industries has developed the RoboCopter 300 based on the Schweizer 300CB and had accumulated 40h of flight time by mid-April. The company hopes ...
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US Coast Guard starts replacement programme
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The USCoast Guard has launched a programme to replace its fleets of aircraft and surface vessels. A request for proposals for the Integrated Deepwater System programme was released in March, and up to three teams will be awarded concept development contracts in July. The Coast ...