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Get ready for drone soccer! Also, a heavy lift unmanned rotorcraft, David get’s to say “attritable” again, making a drone invisible, a drone ground station for the military, the sound of the Mars helicopter, drones and avigation easements, flinging drones off an aircraft carrier, and Chicago’s secret drone program.
UAV News
Colorado to host nation’s first ‘drone soccer’ tournaments
In this educational “e-sport” from United States Drone Soccer, participants learn to build, program, fly, and repair drones. The racing drones are surrounded by plastic exoskeletons and the game is played in a netted arena. Each team tries to fly their drones into the opponent’s hoop. They keep the other team from doing the same by blocking and bumping the drones. In March 2021, the Academy of Model Aeronautics recognized U.S. Drone Soccer as an authorized STE(A)M program.
Flight Testing Soon for Upgraded Marine Corps K-MAX UAS
First flight of the heavy-lift K-MAX Titan unmanned rotorcraft was conducted by Kaman Air Vehicles. Two Marine Corps K-MAX aircraft are being upgraded with the K-MAX Titan unmanned system and the sensor-based autonomy suite from Near Earth Autonomy.
Skyborg autonomy ‘brain’ flies for first time aboard Kratos UTAP-22 UAV
In a 2h 10min test flight April 29, 2021, the US Air Force’s Skyborg autonomy core system flew aboard a Kratos UTAP-22 Mako tactical UAV at Tyndall AFB in Florida. This was the first time the autonomy core has flown Kratos Mako UAV. This represented “Milestone 1” of the ongoing “Autonomous Attritable Aircraft Experimentation” campaign.
Another 360-degree ‘invisible’ drone hits the market
Current 360-degree cameras use two lenses to capture the entire world view but put one on a drone and you get the drone in the video. Now NewBeeDrone uses the Insta360 ONE R camera in its Invisi360 drone. You provide the camera and mate it with the Invisi360 and you’ve got 360-degree video without the drone.
Video: Introducing Invisi360
Portable drone hangar gets military certification
The Easy Aerial Easy Guard ground station was certified to MIL-STD 810G. The station looks like the familiar Pelican case and allows a drone system to take off, land, and charge in the field. The system is mobile and easily deployable. The Easy Guard has an automated roof opening and closing system, can be deployed from a pickup truck traveling up to 25 miles per hour, and has sensors and external cameras for situational awareness.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures First Video and Audio Clips Of Ingenuity Helicopter On Mars
NASA’s Perseverance Rover recorded the sound of the Ingenuity helicopter as it flew on Mars.
Video: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Hears Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in Flight
No “Drone Toll Lanes”: AUVSI Speaks Out Over Avigation Easements
According to USLegal.com, an avigation easement is a right of overflight in the airspace above or in the vicinity of a particular property. It includes the right to create noise or other effects as may result from the lawful operation of aircraft as well as the right to remove any obstructions to such overflight. AUVSI worries that avigation easements could be used to create “toll lanes” for drones.
Behold The Turkish Navy’s Drone Aircraft Carrier
The Turkish navy is modifying a new assault ship to include a winch-and-pulley system and a bow ramp. This would allow fixed-wing drones to easily launch from the ship. The illustration of the carrier shows Baykar TB-2/3 drones on the deck.
CPD launched secret drone program with off-the-books cash
The Sun-Times reports that last summer, the Chicago Police Department started a drone program without telling the public. The Electronic & Technical Support Unit (Counter-terrorism) funded this with off-budget cash. Training was underway in June 2020 and at the time the director of police research and development, wrote in an email, “Some of the Drone uses will be for missing persons, crime scene photos, and terrorist-related issues.” This comes to light because a transparency nonprofit called Distributed Denial of Secrets leaked hacked city emails.
UAV Video of the Week
Epic Footage From Drone Getting Wrecked By A Tornado
The drone didn’t survive, but some video did.
Video: 05-02-2021 Yazoo City, MS – Damaging Tornado Close Range Drone
Mentioned
FAA Safety Briefing – Sharing the Skies Safely | May/June 2021 [PDF]
Feature articles include:
- Sharing the Skies Safely: An Overview of Unmanned Traffic Management
- Rolling Out the Rules: New Drone Rules Advance the Vision
- Don’t Fear the Drone!: Let’s Reap the Benefits that Drones Have to Offer
- Engaging with Academia: How the FAA is Helping Prepare Tomorrow’s UAS Workforce
- You’re Not Alone with Your Drone: Building Safer Skies Through Education