Tag Archives: Marines

420 Toroidal Propellers

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Toroidal Propellers offer a solution for multirotor noise, layoffs at Prime Air, Valkyrie drones for the US Marines, regulating advanced air mobility in Utah, mapping a radioactive environment with a collision-tolerant drone, and a cargo drone that can carry 100 pounds for 600 miles.

UAV News

Toroidal Propellers May Quietly Pave the Way to UAM Package Deliveries and More

MIT might have a solution for the noise produced by multi-rotor propellers. The Structural and Thermal-Fluids Engineering Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory is experimenting with toroidal propellers. [PDF] The toroidal propeller consists of two blades looping together so that the tip of one blade curves back into the other.

Key Features:

  • Decreases signals in the frequency range to which humans are most sensitive
  • Reduces noise without requiring supplementary components that add weight and increase power draw
  • Lessens the likelihood that the spinning propeller will cut, catch, or clip objects or surfaces in the drone’s path 
  • Achieves thrust comparable to that of a multirotor drone propeller
  • Allows reliable fabrication with additive manufacturing techniques that make it possible to customize the propeller for various multirotor models and types
Toroidal propellers on a quadcopter. MIT Lincoln Laboratory.
Toroidal propellers. Image copyright and courtesy MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Amazon’s drone delivery unit hit with layoffs just as 10-year-old project finally launches

It’s been a decade since Amazon’s Jeff Bezos unveiled the company’s drone project on 60 Minutes. Prime Air now has drone delivery operations in two small markets, but corporate cost-cutting is rampant in the tech industry. Amazon plans to cut 18,000 jobs and Prime Air is not immune. The company won’t say how many layoffs affect the program. Sources said employees in the design, maintenance, systems engineering, flight testing, and flight operations units were part of the layoffs.

Marine Corps buying Valkyrie drones to investigate ‘future autonomous platforms’

The Marines have a $15 million contract with Kratos for two XQ-58A Valkyrie drones. These large aircraft weigh about 6,000 pounds and have a 27-foot-wingspan. Likely missions include strike, intelligence gathering, and electronic warfare. Possible other applications are a “mothership” for small drones and the deployment of munitions.

What is ‘advanced air mobility,’ and why is the Utah Legislature looking to regulate it?

The Utah Legislature has been working on drone regulations and in 2022 a study group was formed to look at updating regulatory laws. A bill is now working through the state legislature that is described as a framework for regulation. Topics being discussed include tracking software for near-ground air traffic, noise concerns, and State supremacy over local jurisdictions

Inside the Department of Energy Project Using Drones to Map Radioactive Waste Storage Vaults

A Flyability Elios 3 drone has successfully completed a 3D LiDAR mapping operation of a storage vault holding radioactive waste. The vault is planned to be removed and the data collected by the drone will aid in planning the project. The operation was conducted last November at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center at the Idaho National Laboratory Site. A team of about 50 people was involved, the top of the vault was covered with a plastic tent (thus creating an “indoor mission), and a crane lifted the vault’s lid and hatch.  Flyability specializes in confined space inspections.

Flyability Elios 3 drone
Flyability Elios 3 drone

MightyFly’s new autonomous cargo drone carries 100 lb for 600 miles

The MightyFly Cento autonomous VTOL drone is a hybrid with electric propulsion and a hydrocarbon combustion engine that charges the battery in flight. The carbon-fiber airframe weighs 355 lb when fully loaded with a payload of up to 100 pounds. For vertical flight, eight props provide lift while a pusher prop on the back is used for cruise flight.

Video: MightyFly, the future of logistics, testimonials

UAV Video of the Week

Drone shows moose shedding antlers in forest

A wildlife enthusiast’s drone captured the moment a moose shed both its antlers in a forest in Canada.

387 Personal eVTOL

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Personal eVTOL, Navy and Marines resupply drones, an Army UAS, drones on construction sites, UAS support for hypersonic missile testing, weaponized drones, a contraband-carrying drone, and drone video evidence in a high-profile criminal case.

UAV News

Personal eVTOL Vehicles: AIR CEO Believes in the Flying Cars of the Future

AIR is a Tel Aviv-based company that has unveiled its first product offering, the AIR One two-seat personal eVTOL. Designed for recreation and short commutes, the AIR One is powered by a 60 Kw-hour lithium-ion battery and offers a range of up to 110 miles on a single charge at a speed up to 155 miles per hour.

AIR CEO and co-founder Rani Plaut believes that UAM composed of commercial eVTOL vehicles like air taxis has certification and regulatory challenges that will cause the industry to move forward very slowly. Instead, personal eVTOL products based on the automotive model will be more successful short-term. The company has flown unmanned test missions of its prototypes using its Fly by Intent software.

US Navy Trials Logistics Drones for Sea, Land Missions

UAS are being tested for front-line warfighter re-supply. Trials were held by the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program office and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD). The Marine-focused UAS is the TRUAS (Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System) for on-shore tactical resupply up to 150 pounds. The Navy-focused UAS is the BWUAS (Blue Water logistics UAS) with longer range but lower payload capacity (30-50 pounds).

The Army is testing drones that can deliver life-saving blood to the battlefield

Army researchers are working with Near Earth Autonomy and L3Harris Technologies to develop autonomous unmanned aircraft that can deliver blood to the battlefield. A demonstration flight of the L3Harris FVR-90 drone was conducted in Fort Pickett, Virginia. The drone maps the landing zone to identify a safe landing point. See: Near Earth Autonomy, L3Harris Demonstrate Blood Delivery via Drones.

Video: Project Crimson – Long Endurance Precision Delivery 8/21

Drones becoming ever more common on construction sites

The article provides general background information on drones and the industry, but contains some inaccuracies, as pointed out in a comment by a reader with MKE Drones, an aerial service provider in Milwaukee offering drone imagery.

Sky Range: Faster, Cheaper, Better

The military will use the Sky Range in North Dakota to test hypersonic vehicles. Range Hawk drones are repurposed Global Hawks that the Department of Defense’s Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) modifies with sensors. These then record test data from the hypersonic vehicle.

Weaponized Drones Are Likely Coming To The U.S.

Recently, three drones carrying explosives attempted to assassinate Iraq’s prime minister and drones have been used on U.S. forces in Syria. This has been mostly a threat in the Middle East but some say it’s only a matter of time until we see weaponized drones used in the U.S. for terrorism purposes.

Drones, catapults used to smuggle contraband into SC prisons

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) reported that a drone and catapult were recently used in attempts to smuggle contraband into prisons. The smartphones, tobacco, marijuana, and other items were confiscated by corrections officers. The drone operator hasn’t been identified.

Kyle Rittenhouse defense asks for mistrial over drone video evidence

This widely-watched trial involves Rittenhouse who shot and killed several people at a demonstration and riot. The prosecution obtained some drone video of the incident and provided a copy to the defense. After the evidence window had closed, it was determined that the prosecution provided a low-resolution version of the video to the defense.