Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “The FAA policy, for exercising discretion in determining whether to take enforcement action for drone operators found in breach of the Remote ID Rule, ended on March 16, 2024.” Drone operators in the US “now face fines and suspension or revocation of their drone pilot certificate” if it is determined they are not in compliance with the FAA’s Remote ID Rule.
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
Tag: drones
FAA Approves BVLOS Flights for Zipline Cargo Drones
Aviation Week reports that the FAA “has authorized Zipline International to perform beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights of its cargo drones.” The company, which “is a Part 135 operator, is now authorized by the regulator to deliver commercial packages using its UAV and a parachute.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Rain Aero Has Developed Remote Operation Kits for Drones and Black Hawk Helicopters
Aviation Today reports that “Rain Aero, a California-based company using advanced aviation technologies to fight wildfires, has successfully equipped both a small rotorcraft drone and a full-sized Black Hawk helicopter with a kit that allows remote operation.” Rain Aero CEO Maxwell Brodie said that the company has “plans to outfit a fleet of drones, based strategically where fires most often erupt around California, where they can be automatically alerted and remotely deployed to dispense fire retardant ahead of advancing flames.” During a webinar hosted by the Helicopter Association International, Brodie said, “We are building this technology as an integration kit to bring to existing aircraft and existing platforms. … We want to be able for our fire agency customers to be able to bring their own aircraft to us and for us to be able to upgrade them as it relates to the broader community here. This technology is of course able to help in the interim between now and when it’s deployed in increasing safety.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Treggon Owens: UAS Set to Transform Aerospace and the World
Speaker: Treggon Owens, founding partner and CEO, Aerial MOB
by Lawrence Garrett, AIAA Web Editor
Unmanned aerial systems – drones – soon will transform the aerospace industry and the world, and will one day be everywhere, predicted Treggon Owens, founding partner and CEO of Aerial MOB, an unmanned aerial services company.
While Aerial MOB is best known for making movies with drones through its unique ability to connect many elements in 3-D space in one continuous shot, Owens explained, the company has recently been expanding beyond film and tv productions.
In 2015, he said Aerial MOB participated in an unmanned military training exercise at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that demonstrated the capturing of a forward operating base.
As Owens explained, a drone was used for initial reconnaissance, and that data was used to make a 3-D model of the target area in real-time. Then, another ground-based robot was sent in to look for bombs, and a bomb-diffusion robot was sent in to disarm all explosives so that people could go in and take the base.
Owens said this is the direction his company is headed.
“I think that’s the future of aerospace … a collaboration between ground, air, sea [and] humans,” he said. “We’re all going to be coming together [from different disciplines], and that’s what’s going to create the beauty with drones.”
We’re sure to see other aspects of life affected by UAS, Owens said. Since drones allow for closer data collection, they could do power station inspections and power line surveys. Drones also could perform delivery services and aid in construction planning.
“I don’t think that you’ll see the hub and spoke model that everyone’s conceptualizing out there, of delivery drones, but it’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen quickly,” he said. “You’re going to see mail trucks that have drones coming out of them.”
The fastest-growing segment in the drone world and where most of the innovation is happening, according to Owens, is drone racing. In these races, drones can reach speeds up to 90 mph. He said this segment of the industry needs help and that there’s huge market opportunities for aerospace companies.
“There’s continuous need and a beautiful new opportunity for all of you guys to break out of the big aerospace and go and start your companies,” he said. “I highly encourage you guys to go take giant risks and have a lot more fun.”
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Convergence of Existing Technologies Propelling New Era of Aviation
Speaker: Rafael A. Garcia, director, Propulsion Directorate, Air Force Materiel Command
By Lawrence Garrett, AIAA Web Editor
The convergence of existing and rapidly advancing technologies has set the stage for a 21st century industrial revolution and a new era in aviation, said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
During the “New Era of Aviation” session July 11 at the 2017 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum in Atlanta, Shin noted the 20th century was host to three industrial revolutions: steam power and electrical power; the division of labor and mass production; and the digital revolution. He said all brought and continue to bring tremendous societal benefits.
The major difference with 21st century innovation, Shin said, is that many of the disruptive innovations today are not the result of one leading technology but rather the result of the convergence of existing, disparate technologies. One such example is drones.
“If you look at [drones], there was no new invention,” Shin said. “All of those technologies existed before drones came to the world, so that’s the very big distinction and unique characteristic in the 21st century innovation.”
Shin cited the smartphone as another example of 21st century innovation.
“Some smart people started pulling these disparate technologies together, and voila, you have a smartphone,” he said.
Shin said it’s important for members of the aviation industry to really start thinking about this concept of the convergence of technologies, noting that although the aviation industry has always served as “the pinnacle of modern engineering and science,” it could benefit by capitalizing on what other industries are doing.
Tesla is one example of a 21st century innovative company, Shin said, because it works in multiple sectors and has a clear mission involving sustainable energy. Shin said that in looking to the future, innovative organizations will succeed not necessarily with products but, like Tesla, with a clear mission and core technology.
Manufacturing is also important, Shin said, especially with the emergence of artificial intelligence and automation and the potential impact of those innovations.
“A lot of people are talking about AI and robots and so on,” he said. “Well, who’s going to make robots, and who’s going to make chips going into all that?”
Shin maintained that sustainable and profitable innovation requires manufacturing, adding that additive manufacturing is going to make it that much easier to manufacture a multitude of designs.
Ultimately, the convergence of technologies and learning from different industries is critically important, he said.
“There is enough innovation using convergence of technologies, and that’s what I’m presenting that we should in the aviation industry as well — not just dwelling in what we have and holding onto what we have, but building upon what we have and moving into the next phase of aviation,” Shin said.
But, he cautioned, the industry needs to be leading the charge.
“The aviation industry needs to be in the driver’s seat to open up this possibility,” Shin said. “We don’t want to be in the passenger seat, or worse yet, in the backseat, and watching IT-based companies opening up this world. Our industry should be leading the pack to bring this revolution in aviation.”
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US, India to Collaborate on Autonomous Systems
Defense One reports, “The U.S. and India are launching a new alliance for autonomous systems, which builds on bipartisan groundwork laid by previous administrations and could be a stabilizing force for the democracies’ future tech exchanges. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 13 to discuss tariffs, technology, and energy and defense initiatives.”
Full Story (Defense One)
FAA Study Led by Embry-Riddle Warns of Drone Flights above 400 Feet
Aviation International News reports, “An FAA-funded nationwide study led by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has found that small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) are frequently flying above the 400-foot ceiling established for drones, raising concerns about potential mid-air conflicts with crewed aircraft. The report used Remote ID signals collected from sensors across the U.S. to analyze flight activity at 43 aerodromes, including airports and heliports.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Drones Could Supplant Large US Army Units in Europe According to Expert
Defense News reports, “What do you with an Army designed for Europe when Europe isn’t the focus anymore? The answer is drones, says one U.S. expert. An expeditionary force of drone units — stationed in Europe or dispatched as needed — would be an economical alternative to maintaining large garrisons overseas.”
Full Story (Defense News)
US Army Plans to Buy One Million Drones Over Next Two to Three Years
Breaking Defense reports, “The Army is planning a massive overhaul on how it acquires unmanned aerial systems, setting the ambitious goal of buying one million drones over the next two to three years, an Army spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense. Reuters first reported on the drone buy, which could lead to the Army buying half a million to millions of drones annually after the initial acquisition. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the outlet in an interview: “It is a big lift. But it is a lift we’re very capable of doing.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)