Monthly Archives: January 2020

316 DJI Responds to US Government Restrictions

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DJI takes off the gloves and issues a statement of displeasure, Japan Airlines looks at the drone delivery business, why we need standards, drones shut down the airspace over a fatal crash, the Army launches a new counter-drone office, stalking with a drone, and were mystery drones really mass hysteria?

UAV News

DJI Statement On U.S. Department Of Interior Drone Order

DJI says they are “extremely disappointed by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) order… which inappropriately treats a technology’s country of origin as a litmus test for its performance, security and reliability.” Further, “This decision makes clear that the U.S. government’s concerns about DJI drones, which make up a small portion of the DOI fleet, have little to do with security and are instead part of a politically-motivated agenda to reduce market competition and support domestically produced drone technology, regardless of its merits.”

Japan Airlines and Yabu City in Japan to trial UAV delivery trials

Japan Airlines wants to offer a medical supply delivery service to remote areas using UAVs. Meanwhile, Yabu City has been using drones for agriculture applications and they want to expand into other fields, like disaster, logistics, and medical care assistance. Starting in the Spring of 2020, Japan Airlines and Yabu City will collaborate on UAV trials using Terra Drone Corporation UAV technology.

Developing Drone Standards Is Key to Successful Growth in the UAV Industry

The potential UAV market is recognized as huge, but growth depends on having public standards, frameworks, and certifications. Last April, the Drone Advisory Council of CompTIA released Drone Standards and Best Practices which is targeted to companies who want to implement UAS operations internally or through outsourcing. There is still much to be done and CompTIA’s chief technology evangelist will represent CompTIA’s members and work with the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). The AIA wants to have a completed standards protocol by Q2 or Q3 2020.

So many drones and aircraft swarmed the site of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash that the FAA was forced to close the airspace

A recent crash of a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter in California killed 9 people, including Kobe Bryant. So many drones showed up that the FAA had to issue a temporary airspace restriction for 5 nautical miles from the crash site, up to 5,000 feet.

Defense Department to Stand Up New Counter-Drone Office

The military is concerned about small weaponized drones. The Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said, “We see that small UAS are becoming a more popular weapon of choice … [and] we need to be agile and pivot to that challenge.” A new counter-unmanned aerial system office will be created under the Army.

Untangling Maine’s Drone Stalking Mystery

A woman in Gorham, Maine says a drone has been following her over the course of several days. When responding to her call, law enforcement also observed the drone.

What happened to the mysterious Colorado drones?

NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver says those mysterious drone sightings have significantly dropped off. Are the drone gone? Were there ever any drones? The Colorado Department of Public Safety issued a news release that calls into question the credibility of the sightings. See also, The Colorado Mystery Drones Weren’t Real.

315 PrecisionHawk Leadership Change

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PrecisionHawk appoints a new CEO, a plan to deliver cannabis in Seattle with drones, flying medical specimens to the lab with UAS, a Chinese 3-engine MALE drone, taking down small drones with an F-16, a Gremlins maiden flight, and a drone solution to parasitic disease in humans.

UAV News

We’re Welcoming James Norrod as CEO of PrecisionHawk

James Norrod has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of PrecisionHawk. Norrod has 25 years of experience leading companies and “specializes in forming strategic partnerships, optimizing domestic and international operations, establishing new sales distribution channels, and developing management teams.” Previous CEO Michael Chasen will lead PrecisionHawk’s advisory board and continue to act as chair of the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee.

Deloitte, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine Announce Project to Accelerate Medical Sample Delivery Via Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Genomic test results for acutely ill babies and children would get back to the medical team more quickly if the specimens were flown to the lab in a UAS, instead of using slower ground transportation. Deloitte Consulting principal Josh Nelson says, “This UAS project is an innovation to speed transport and delivery of samples to their lab. Together with [the Children’s Institute], we plan to go from strategy to testing to operational and develop a blueprint for other health care organizations to use.”

Three-engined variant of China’s Tengden TB001 UAV makes maiden flight

China showed images said to be of the first flight of the Sichuan Tengden Technology Company TW328/TB001 UAV. The strike-capable, reconnaissance MALE UAV is a new three-engined variant with an overall wingspan of 20 m and an 11 m length. The maximum take-off weight is 3.2 tons with an endurance of 35 hours.

Air Weapons: The Little Little UAV Killer

The U.S. Air Force tested a system where an F-16 fighter shoots down a small UAV with a laser-guided missile. The APKWS II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System) uses a targeting pod that spots and identifies small flying objects. It enables the pilot to launch an AGR-20A missile that can hit slow-moving targets, UAV of all sizes, and cruise missiles.

Dynetics’ X-61A Gremlins air vehicle performs its maiden flight

The Dynetics X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle has flown for the first time. This is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Gremlins program. The flight was carried out in November 2019 at Dugway Proving Ground near Salt Lake City, Utah. One captive-carry X-61A flew a TBM, Inc. C-130A which was then air-launched and flew for one hour and 41 minutes.

Flight test video: Gremlins X-61A Maiden Test Flight

Identifying aquatic plants with drones could be the key to reducing a parasitic infection in people

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by worms in the human circulatory system. The parasitic worms incubate in snails and people become infected through contact with contaminated water. More than 200 million people are affected, worldwide. There is no vaccine. Now a University of Washington lab found that snail clusters favor certain types of aquatic vegetation, which can be identified through drone images. The snails can then be targeted.

Cannabis delivery drones are likely to fly above Seattle this year

GRN Holding Corporation announced in December that it was signing a non-binding letter of intent to purchase Squad Drone. The drones would be used for a business-to-business marijuana delivery service. Squad Drone will license its drones and technology to state-registered hemp and cannabis companies. Press release: Cannabis Delivery Drones Could be in Seattle Skies by March.

314 Remote ID Reactions

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Initial reactions to the FAA Remote ID NPRM, a high-accuracy photogrammetry solution, Apple hires a familiar face to lobby in Washington, an anti-drone system for Heathrow, a stealthy new target drone, and a fixed-wing eVTOL personal ultralight aircraft.

UAV News

Proposed FAA Drone Rules Prompt Industry Pushback

Engineering News-Record reports on some of the statements that are being made about the Remote-ID NPRM that is currently in the public comment period.

Frank J. Segarra, president and CEO of drone photography firm Connexicore said, “It is my personal opinion that drone operators or services should not bear the cost of carrying a specific type of remote identification system that broadcasts over the internet. This should be the responsibility of all drone manufacturers, not the pilots.”

Lloyd Garden, a commercial drone photographer, says the proposed rules only make sense in controlled airspace where connectivity exists. “I think people need to know where drones are. But [these rules] are a little restricting for me.”

Mike Winn, CEO of drone-imaging and software firm DroneDeploy commented, “In the long term, if we’re going have a drone on every construction site, we’re going to need these kinds of regulations on the technology.” He notes that by the time any regulations are in place, a lot of drone technology will have changed.

DJI supports Remote ID but warns against FAA’s “deeply flawed” NPRM

DJI vice president for policy and legal affairs Brendan Schulman posted an article titled, We Strongly Support Drone Remote ID. But Not Like This. Schulman says “DJI wants governments to require Remote ID for drones, but the FAA has proposed a complex, expensive, and intrusive system that would make it harder to use drones in America, and that jeopardizes the success of the Remote ID initiative. Instead, we support a simpler, easier, and free version of Remote ID that doesn’t need a cellular connection or a service subscription.”

The Leica Aibot AX20 Promises High Precision, High Accuracy Photogrammetry

Leica Geosystems offers “a complete UAV solution at the very top end of the photogrammetry use case.” It’s called the Aibot AX20 (pronounced “i-bot”), “a complete UAV solution for land surveying, civil engineering and construction.” Leica says the customized DJI Matrice 600 Aibot features high resolution and high precision photogrammetry, better than one-centimeter accuracy, a high-end survey-grade GN-18 T GNSS receiver, Gimbal-mounted sensors, a Sony aR7ii 42.4 megapixel CMOS and a Sony a6300 mirrorless camera.

Apple Taps Drone Specialist to Lobby Washington on Aviation

Apple has hired Lisa Ellman, a partner at Hogan Lovells, as a Washington lobbyist. Ellman is a co-founder of the Commercial Drone Alliance. Representatives for Apple and Ellman declined to comment.

Heathrow Airport installs anti-drone system that can locate UAV pilots

London’s Heathrow Airport has installed a counter-drone system that will detect and track unauthorized drones. The system will also locate the drone pilots. Designed by Operational Solutions Ltd. (OSL), the system employs a holographic radar system. The Operational Solutions press release [PDF] states:

“This one-of-a-kind Counter Drone system works by detecting and tracking drones in surrounding airspace and alerting airports of unauthorised drone use quickly and efficiently. This new and innovative system also works to locate the drone pilots themselves and can be used to identify their location.

“This technology has been specifically designed for Heathrow Airport by Operational Solutions Ltd, integrating for the first time a variety of leading counter drone technologies from different manufacturers.”

Stealthy UAS Unveiled For USAF Target, Loyal Wingman Needs

Sierra Technical Services has shown photos of its Fifth Generation Aerial Target (5GAT) prototype. 5GAT components cannibalized from other aircraft include engines (the GE J85) and metallic components from the Northrop T-38 trainer and F-5 fighter, and aileron actuators from the Boeing F/A-18. Sierra Technical Services was founded by retired Lockheed Martin Skunk Works engineers.

EVTOL drone developer launches BlackFly with new CEO

Opener calls its BlackFly the world’s first fixed-wing, all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) personal ultralight aircraft. Ben Diachun was announced the new CEO. He was president of Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. Founder and former CEO, Marcus Leng, will oversee next-generation manufacturing and international operations as Chairman of the Board. 

313 Uber-Hyundai Air Taxi Concept

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Uber and Hyundai team-up on an air taxi, mystery drones still flying in the U.S. midwest, UK investigations of drone crashes lead to safety recommendations, a drone that can see dead people, and a drone that brews beer.

UAV News

Uber and Hyundai team up to put flying taxis in the sky

At CES in Las Vegas, Uber and Hyundai showed a model of a four-seat electric flying vehicle. The actual prototype is to be ready in 2023. Ultimately, their air taxi is intended to be autonomous, but they will be manned at the beginning. Last year, Hyundai appointed a longtime NASA administrator to lead its air taxi division.

Amid drone mystery, state-owned plane flew over northeast Colorado for 5 hours Monday night

“Mystery drones” are still being spotted in several U.S. states. The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control is reportedly conducting night flights of manned aircraft to investigate the source of the drones. Colorado’s Multi-Mission Aircraft includes two Pilatus PC-12 airplanes, one of which was seen flying in circles at night in northeastern Colorado.

What to do if you spot multiple drones

The Nebraska Information Analysis Center is asking people to report sightings of clusters of four or more (not single sightings) UAS. The NIAC asks that suspicious activity be reported using the Nebraska Information Analysis Center reporting tool.

Are the mysterious drones actually planes? One local expert thinks so

The general manager of a Council Bluffs FBO watched a video of the “drones” and says the strobe lights and sound are that of an airplane, not a drone.

AAIB Report: Safe overflight of people by Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch published results from 8 UAS investigations. These are the first investigations that resulted in AAIB Safety Recommendations. One crash was a DJI Matrice 200 operated commercially to record video footage of an outdoor athletics event. It failed while operating in the rain. The AAIB made two Safety Recommendations.

A Drone’s-Eye View of the Quick and the Dead

We’ve seen drones being used to survey damage after a disaster. Taking it to the next level, researchers at the University of South Australia are applying machine learning to 30-second video clips of the human body. The system is able to distinguish between living people and dead people which could aid responders after a disaster.

A Philadelphia Brewery Is Releasing a Beer Brewed with a Drone

Philadelphia craft brewery Dock Street Brewing and local drone maker Exyn Technologies are producing what they say is “the first beer brewed by a drone.” It’s a “light, floral” pale ale called Swarm Intelligence. An Exyn drone drops hops into the kettle.

Video: The World’s First Beer-Brewing Drone

312 Drone Remote ID NPRM

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An NPRM for drone remote ID was published by the FAA, drones used by the NYPD for event security, public agencies contracting for UAS services, methanol-powered drones, a mystery swarm of drones, and delivery by UAS in the 2020s.

UAV News

U.S. Department of Transportation Issues Proposed Rule on Remote ID for Drones

The FAA published Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Federal Register. This Notice of Proposed Rule Making [PDF] describes the rules for inflight identification of recreational and commercial UAS and includes individual registration of all unmanned aircraft registered under part 48. Each registered UAS would have a unique serial number and identification data would be broadcast or transmitted over the Internet to government-contracted service providers. Comments from the public will be accepted through March 2, 2020, at the Regulations.gov website.

Everything we know about the drones watching over Times Square on New Year’s Eve

The New York City Police Department planned to fly drones over the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. Drone detection and interdiction units were planned to join bomb-sniffing dogs, radiation-detection teams, heavy-weapons squads, police helicopters, counterterrorism boats, and plainclothes officers. The NYPD has been working with “federal partners” on drone mitigation measures.

Connecticut Signs Participating Addendum with Avion Unmanned To Provide Drone Services to Public Agencies

Avion Unmanned has been chosen to provide UAS services throughout the US through the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint Cooperative Purchasing Organization. The company signed a Participating Addendum with the State of Connecticut and all its state agencies, political subdivisions, and institutions. With this contract, Avion Unmanned could provide UAS services to state and local government agencies in Connecticut.

This Methanol-Powered Drone Could Fly for a Straight 12 Hours

China-based drone-maker Feye UAV Technology claims to have developed a battery that can power a drone for 12 hours. The methanol-powered fuel cell powers the FY-36 flying prototype drone that weighs 15 kilograms with a top speed of 90km/hr. Feye UAV Technology plans to commercially launch the FY-36 after finetuning its performance.

Drones flying in rural Colorado and Nebraska have residents freaking out. No one knows who’s behind them

Multiple reports of drone swarms flying at night over rural Colorado and Nebraska. Even law enforcement has seen the objects. Authorities can’t figure out who’s behind the aircraft. Federal agencies are investigating.

From pizza to transplant organs: What drones will be delivering in the 2020s

During this decade, we may see delivery drones from Amazon Prime Air, Walmart, FedEx, and UPS. Applications may include pizza by drone, organs on-demand, and medical deliveries.