Tag Archives: Archer

426 ADS-B Spoofing

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uAvionix detects ADS-B spoofing, racing drones are delivering explosives, an aerial tanker that autonomously guides and controls multiple drones, self-flying F-16s that test loyal wingmen, the Condor heavy-lift UAV wins its first customer, a new mini light tactical UAS, and Archer Aviation and United Airlines plan air taxi service in Chicago.

UAV News

uAvionix Announces truSky ADS-B Spoofing Detection for SkyLine UAS BVLOS Operations

uAvionix offers its SkyLine UAS BVLOS service to manage the command and control infrastructure and assets across diverse frequency and radio types. Now the company is introducing truSky ADS-B spoofing detection for Skyline. It validates that a particular ADS-B signal is actually coming from an aircraft, and not being broadcast to spoof the signal.

ADS-B spoofing can be used for nefarious purposes and interferes with ATC and detect and avoid systems. It compromises airspace awareness and risks airspace safety and security.

uAvionix truSky works with a network of low-cost dual-frequency ADS-B ground receivers. The aircraft’s signal is confirmed to come from the aircraft’s position. With multiple sensors, truSky backward calculates the aircraft’s position and compares it to the position stated in the ADS-B transmission. When used with the uAvionix SkyLine platform, aircraft are color-coded based on confidence scores.

How racing drones are used as improvised missiles in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine seems to be demonstrating the use of drones in a conflict like never before. Ukraine is even using racing drones as loitering munitions. In a video released last year, a racing drone dives through an open doorway into a building occupied by Russian troops and explodes. There is even a Ukrainian military drone team called Angry Birds. They say they carry out half a dozen racing-drone attacks a day.

Airbus tanker plane takes autonomous control of multiple drones

Airbus Defence and Space has autonomously guided and controlled drones using an A310 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) flying testbed. The technology is called Auto’Mate, which cuts down on crew fatigue, human error, and training costs. This is seen as a milestone on the way to fully Autonomous Formation Flight and Autonomous Air-to-Air Refueling (A4R).

US Air Force plans self-flying F-16s to test drone wingmen tech

The Air Force plans a fleet of at least 1,000 collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA. But you can’t have loyal wingmen without trusted autonomy, so the service has asked for $50 million to start Project Venom (Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model). The project would let the Air Force experiment with six F-16s to test and refine the autonomous software.

Drone Delivery Canada sells its first Condor heavy-lift UAV

Drone Delivery Canada sold their first Condor heavy-lift UAV to the Transport Canada agency. The sale was valued at CAD $1.2 million ($880,000) and the company will provide operating and testing support. Air Canada was the sales agent brokering the deal. The Condor is 22 feet long, five feet wide, and seven feet tall with a cargo capacity of 400 pounds. The range is just over 124 miles and the operating speed is nearly 75 mph.

The Drone Delivery Canada Condor hovering. — The Condor, courtesy Drone Delivery Canada.

SURVEY Copter Unveils ‘CAPA-X’ Modular VTOL UAV

At the SOFINS Special Forces exhibition, SURVEY Copter presented a new light tactical UAS called the CAPA-X [PDF]. It features a modular design: Propulsion can be configured for VTOL or HTOL and the payload bay can integrate different types of sensors. Either short or long wings can be configured for hovering at high cruising speeds, or for increased flight autonomy. SURVEY Copter has been an Airbus subsidiary since 2011. They design, produce, and provide operational support for light tactical UAS.

The SURVEY Copter CAPA-X drone in flight. — The CAPA-X, courtesy SURVEY Copter.

Archer Aviation and United Airways Establish Air Taxi Route in Chicago

The companies announced their plans to launch an air taxi service in Chicago in 2025. Passengers will fly a 10-minute trip between O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Vertiport Chicago. Archer Aviation has flown its prototype, the “Maker” and the production aircraft is the “Midnight.” Archer plans to deploy 6000 aircraft By 2030.

Video: United and Archer Announce Next UAM Route: Chicago

409 Court Ruling on Drone Remote ID

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D.C. court rules on drone Remote ID case, reconnaissance drones for Ukraine, more drones going to Mars, fried chicken coming by drone, lifeguard drones meet U.S. resistance, mapping a mountain with a UAV, NASA and Zipline partnership, and United Airlines sends a pre-delivery payment to Archer.

UAV News

D.C. Circuit Upholds Drone Remote ID Rule

Court Upholds Remote ID For Drones

RaceDayQuads and drone operator Tyler Brennan sued to vacate the FAA’s drone Remote ID rule saying the rule amounted to “constant, warrantless governmental surveillance in violation of the Fourth Amendment.” The D.C. Circuit’s U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled and upheld the constitutionality of the FAA’s Remote ID requirement saying “drone pilots generally lack any reasonable expectation of privacy in the location of their drone systems during flight.” Also that the rule was properly developed.

Ukrainian defenders will receive 20 Fly Eye reconnaissance drones from the Drone Army

Included in the purchase are two control stations and 20 Fly Eye drones, 78 Matrice multicopters, and two ground systems for 20 Warmate kamikaze attack drones. The Fly Eye drones are designed and built by WB Electronics in Poland, can fly up to 160 kilometers per hour, have fully autonomous take-off and landing capability but can be launched by hand.

Video: NASA plans to send 2 more drones to Mars

Indian multinational English news channel WION says NASA is not going to scrap their original plan of sending another rover to Mars and instead send two new helicopter drones to would retrieve the samples from the Perseverance rover, then transport them to a rocket that will return them to Earth.

Lifeguard drones can save lives. But U.S. beaches might not buy them.

Drones are being used by lifeguards at some European beaches with 22 of them in Spain using the General Drones Auxdron LFG, which costs 40,000 euros. A monthly fee of 15,000 euros pays for a trained pilot. In the US, there is a lifeguard shortage as younger Americans found other, higher-paying jobs during the pandemic. US lifeguard officials recognize the value of these drones but say widespread adoption is limited by their high cost.

KFC takes to the sky with drone-delivered fried chicken

KFC is partnering with Wing in Queensland in a trial to deliver fried chicken. The drone can carry up to 1.5 kilograms, not enough for the full bucket of chicken. But it can carry smaller orders.

Drone deliveries consume 94% less energy per parcel than diesel trucks

A new study by Carnegie Mellon University says drones carrying small packages emit 84% less greenhouse gas emissions than a diesel truck and use 94% less energy. Researchers used small quadcopter drones carrying packages weighing no more than half a kilogram to a single destination. Data from almost 200 flights were used to measure drone energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Conquering Elbrus: Mapping Europe’s Highest Peak with a UAV

A FIXAR 007 drone is being used to inspect a cable car route and to map the area for the potential future cable car extension The FIXAR 007 is a fully autonomous, VTOL fixed-wing drone for commercial and industrial applications. At 18,510 feet, Mount Elbrus poses some environmental challenges that were not met by previous systems.

Video: FIXAR conquered Elbrus!

NASA and Zipline Sign Space Act Agreement to Pursue m:N Drone Operations

NASA announced it signed a Space Act Agreement with Zipline “to pursue a future vision of U.S. aviation that includes delivery drones and air taxis.” m:N operations refers to the ratio of multiple operators (m) controlling multiple vehicles (N). The Zipline m:N operations model for medical drone delivery is already being used at scale in Africa. As well as operations in the U.S., Japan, Ghana, and Rwanda.

A Space Act Agreement (SAA) is a legal instrument that formulates partnerships with NASA. In March 2021, NASA formed the Multi-Vehicle (m:N) Working Group “…to bring together a broad collective of interested stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to identify and reduce barriers to m:N operations…”

Archer Receives $10 million Pre-Delivery Payment From United Airlines for 100 eVTOL Aircraft; Advances Path to Commercialization

In 2021, United Airlines conditionally ordered 100 Archer eVTOL aircraft. Now United has made a $10 million cash pre-delivery payment which signals that the airline is serious. The Archer production aircraft Preliminary Design Review (PDR) has been completed and establishes aircraft specifications and manufacturing requirements.

UAV Video of the Week

Watch how Amazon is preparing for safe drone delivery

408 Archer Aviation Maker

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Archer Aviation planning full transition flights of their Maker aircraft, drone shuts down Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, protecting sporting events with drones, using lasers for drone communications, RQ-4 Global Hawk end-of-life, alligator attacks drone, a Remote ID device from Aerobits, and the Zephyr UAS flies for 26 days.

UAV News

Archer Flight Testing Gains Momentum, On Pace to Achieve Transition Flight By Year End

Archer Aviation Inc. announced it is confident it will achieve its goal of flying full transition flights with its Maker aircraft by year-end. Flight tests of the full-scale 12-motor eVTOL demonstrator aircraft with a Tilt Propeller System (TPS) have been successful.

Maker successfully completed its first hover test flight in December 2021 and since then the engineering team has focused on the development and testing of the systems needed for a full transition to horizontal flight.

Errant drone briefly shuts down D.C. airport

Air traffic was shut down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for 45 minutes. There is no information about who was operating the drone, if it was taken down, or if it was retrieved.

The DHS told Congress that TSA has reported nearly 2,000 drone sightings near U.S. airports since 2021. Pilots had to take “65 evasive actions” after drones came too close or disturbed aircraft.

World Cup to use drones to help protect stadiums

Utah-based Fortem Technologies has reached an agreement with Qatar’s interior ministry to provide the interceptor drones at this winter’s Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Fortem’s “DroneHunters” that shoot nets will be able to bring down small rogue drones. These are autonomous, radar-guided drones.

Laser-Controlled Drones Can Evade Signal-Jamming Countermeasures

The counter-drone technology that physically attacks rogue drones with a net or a projectile requires that you track the drone’s movement. On the other hand, signal jamming doesn’t require such precise tracking. But now British company QinetiQ has a way to remotely operate drones without the communication signals that can be jammed. The new system uses lasers or Free-Space Optical Communications (FSO, or FSOC) signals.

Air Force’s RQ-4 Global Hawk drones headed for retirement in FY27

The US Air Force plans to phase out all remaining RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance drones by fiscal 2027. Northrop Grumman was informed they should expect that the fleet will reach its end of life by that date. In a statement, an Air Force spokeswoman said, “Our ability to win future high-end conflicts requires accelerating investment in connected, survivable platforms and accepting short-term risks by divesting legacy ISR assets that offer limited capability against peer and near-peer threats.”

What a snap! Moment alligator leaps out of Brazilian river and devours nosy fisherman’s drone in mid-flight

A Brazilian man was testing his new drone and had seen some alligators, so he flew back to the spot. The drone hovered over one of the alligators who eyed the drone for a few seconds. The gator then lept out of the water, grabbed the drone, and swam away.

Video: Alligator leaps out of Brazilian river and snatches drone in mid flight

The most advanced Remote ID with WI-FI and BLE technology

Aerobits has launched an advanced version of the idME PRO device that can broadcast on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It provides enhanced identification and tracking for UAS and works with MAVLINK devices. The Wi-Fi can connect to the Pixhawk drone controller via a JST connector. The Bluetooth Low Energy (or BLE) provides surveillance and drone operator identification capability via smartphones or tablets.

US Army conducts high-altitude experiments with Zephyr UAS

The U.S. Army wants to implement ultra-long endurance stratospheric UAS capabilities. During a June 2022 test flight, the Airbus-developed Zephyr UAS flew for 26 days, breaking its own record set in 2018. The Zepher achieved a number of firsts, including the first flight into international airspace, first flight over water, longest continuous flight utilizing satellite communication controls, and the farthest demonstration from its launch point while carrying a commercial, off-the-shelf payload.

The Army Futures Command is conducting stratospheric experimentation at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona by the Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space (APNT/Space) Cross-Functional Team (CFT), which is based in Huntsville, Alabama.

UAV Video of the Week

Inside look at Amazon’s top secret drone testing facility

NBC’s Erin McLaughlin reports for TODAY on when you could see them in your own backyard.

Video: Inside Look At Amazon’s Top Secret Drone Testing Facility

362 United eVTOL

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United Airlines plans to provide eVTOL service, hydrogen transportation for fuel cell UAVs, flying an uncrewed aircraft through a hurricane, drones meet law enforcement and privacy, and drones for STEM.

UAV News

United First Major Airline to Move on Electric Planes Starting with Uber-Like Service to Airports

United Airlines plans to have a role in the urban air mobility market with “last mile” transportation between airports and urban destinations using low-emission electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The United eVTOL will be developed by partner Archer and carry four passengers up to 60 miles at speeds up to 150 miles per hour. United and regional affiliate Mesa Airlines have committed to purchase up to 200 of the planes in a deal valued at $1 billion.

High-Pressure Valve Developed for UAV Hydrogen Transportation

Without a special rated valve, transportation of full UAV-compatible hydrogen cylinders is not permitted. In the EU, the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive (TPED) specifies the safety requirements for transportable pressure equipment used exclusively for the transport of dangerous goods (Class 2) within the Union. Transportable pressure equipment is required to bear the Pi marking to indicate compliance with the directive. The US DoT also has a similar requirement.

Intelligent Energy, which offers hydrogen fuel cell modules and accessories for UAVs, developed the rated Pressure Tech CV414 valve. With it, you can transport full cylinders of hydrogen for powering drones. Andy Kelly, Head of UAV Product Development at Intelligent Energy says, “Now full UAV compatible cylinders can be transported; the next logical step is to get them delivered directly to our customers. We want it to be as straightforward as ordering barbecue gas and getting empty cylinders collected.”
Promotional video: Fuel cell power for UAVs

Drones That Hunt Hurricanes – NOAA Puts Some To The Test

Last month, NOAA scientists launched a small research drone from a Hurricane Hunter plane to collect weather data used for hurricane forecasts. The Altius-600 uncrewed aircraft created by Area-I was adapted for sampling weather data, can fly up to four hours and up to 265 miles, and is not recoverable after being used in a storm.

*An Altius uncrewed research drone similar to those being tested by scientists aboard NOAA Hurricane Hunters. Courtesy of Area-I via NOAA.*

The Altius-600 is the first of three small uncrewed aircraft systems NOAA is testing. The research supports NOAA’s Uncrewed Systems Strategy to expand the use of uncrewed systems. The development and testing of the uncrewed systems is also supported by NOAA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program.

Florida Legislation Could Bolster Police Use of Drones

State Senate Bill 44 unanimously passed the Florida Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee. It expands the use of drones by law enforcement and government agencies. Under the bill, drones could be used to assist with traffic management (but not to issue a ticket based on images or video captured by a drone), assist in collecting evidence at a crime scene or traffic crash scene. assess damage after natural disasters, and assist fire department personnel. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has raised privacy concerns. The bill is under review by the Senate’s Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee.

Drones for Schools: The North Carolina Educator UAS Cohort is a Model that Works

The North Carolina Educators UAS Cohort (NCEUASC) provides educators with support and training so they can effectively adopt drones as a tool in a STEAM curriculum. The Cohort provided all members with a Tello EDU fly more kit, as well as a one-year membership to drone curriculum provider DroneBlocks. The UAS Cohort is a partnership between the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, the North Carolina DOT, Nine Ten Drones, STEMERALD City, and media partner, Dronelife. In May 2021, the NCEUASC will be hosting a virtual competition for North Carolina students.