Tag Archives: remote identification

317 Proposal to Type Certify UAS

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The FAA proposal to type-certify UAS, autonomous EA-18G Growlers, surveillance with drones in China, no Remote ID NPRM extension, DoD counter-UAS contract, an unmanned kit for the K-Max, delivering ice cream, and an arrest for busting the Super Bowl TFR.

UAV News

How Does the FAA Aircraft Certification Process Affect UAVs?

The FAA proposes to type certify unmanned aircraft the same way they certify manned aircraft. Criticism has arisen because of the long, complicated, and expensive process can only be met by large companies. Type Certification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems is the rule proposed by the FAA to type certify certain UAS as a special class of aircraft under current regulations. (Docket No. FAA-2019-1038.) Comments must be received on or before March 4, 2020.

EA-18 Growlers Can Be Controlled Autonomously

Boeing has announced they and the U.S. Navy have successfully flown two unmanned and autonomously controlled EA-18G Growlers. A third Growler acted as the mission controller for the other two. This showed that F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers can perform combat missions with unmanned systems.

All the Invasive Ways China Is Using Drones to Address the Coronavirus

Drones with loudspeakers are calling out pedestrians in China who are not wearing a mask. They are also being used to monitor traffic infractions, students taking exams, illegal border crossings, and hospital disposal of waste.

FAA denies requests to extend drone remote ID comment period

A number of organizations requested that the comment period for the Remote ID NPRM be extended due to the complication of the rule and the number of people impacted. The FAA denied the request. Comments will be accepted until March 2, 2020, at Regulations.gov.

The Pentagon is spending millions to scoop drones out of the sky with nets,

Fortem Technologies Wins Contract From Department of Defense for Advanced Airspace Security and Defense System

Fortem Technologies announced it was awarded a contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). DoD purchased various solutions from Fortem including its SkyDome®, DroneHunter®, DroneHangar, and TrueView radar for a layered C-UAS solution.

Kaman K-Max advances civil and military autonomous flight programs

The Kaman Air Vehicles division of Kaman Corporation is developing the K-Max UAS kit that will convert the helicopter for unmanned operation. First flight scheduled in Q3 2020. Launch customers are Helicopter Express Inc. of Chamblee, Georgia, and Swanson Group Aviation of Glendale, Oregon.

Terra Drone Europe and British-Dutch transnational consumer goods giant Unilever collaborate to deliver ice cream in New York

Delivery of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in New York is being explored by Terra Drone and Unilever. A demonstration flight was conducted at a recent Unilever annual investor event where a multi-copter drone was fitted with a delivery box designed to carry three Ben & Jerry’s mini cups.

Pilot faces a year in federal prison for flying a drone during Super Bowl week

The FBI announced that a 46-year-old man was arrested for flying a drone through the TFR during Super Bowl week in Miami. Authorities say he faces up to one year in federal prison if he is convicted. The man told the FBI that he just wanted to capture images of the Super Bowl-related festivities in South Beach.

Mentioned

Omniscient season 1 is on Netflix. The series is about a city that has chosen to ensure safety by assigning drones to watch each individual and report any crimes.

Video of the Week

An even brighter future is on the horizon. This television commercial from Florida Power and Light includes the NASC Teros Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAS.

https://youtu.be/La0gef3LAzs

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.

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.

303 Ehang Autonomous Aerial Vehicle

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EHang is flying its urban air mobility vehicle contender. Remote identification of drones is moving forward. Also, using drones to measure methane emissions, find standing water where mosquitoes breed, assess hurricane damage, explore Titan, and plant trees.

UAV News

EHang completes first passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle demonstration flight

The EHang 216 passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle (or AAV) was flown at the 2019 Northeast Asia Expo in August. Ehang has been demonstrating the aircraft at several cities in China as well as in Austria, the Netherlands, and Qatar. Ehang says, “This is a critical step towards making our dream [a] reality and to make urban air mobility broadly available and affordable as a safe, fast, and eco-friendly transportation alternative.”

Video: EHang AAV Trial Flights Across Cities in China

Electronic License Plates for Drones May Come Soon

A draft of the proposed ASTM standard for electronic identification of drones is available as ASTM WK65041, “New Specification for UAS Remote ID and Tracking.” During operation, a drone would transmit a unique ID, location, and vector. The chairman of ASTM International’s Committee F38 on Unmanned Aircraft Systems said, “You can just take a phone, point it up at a drone and get its electronic ID if you see it doing something dangerous. [And you can report it] just like reporting a car’s license plate number.” Old drones can be retrofitted with ID chips that would plug into their USB ports and might cost $7 to $12.

BP deploys continuous methane measurement for new major oil and gas projects

BP said it is going to monitor its methane emissions around the world using a technology called gas cloud imaging and drones. Inspections would take 30 minutes instead of seven days. The sensor technology was originally designed by NASA for the Mars Curiosity Rover. This is a key part of BP’s strategy to deploy a suite of complementary methane detecting techniques across new and existing facilities.

Anthropology professor deploys drone to fight disease in Africa

Mosquitoes are the main transmitters of malaria, and they breed in standing water. Agricultural irrigation can create standing water which is difficult to detect with satellite imagery. In the East African nation of Malawi, Professor Jon Carroll and other researchers from Oakland University spent nine days collecting data on the effectiveness of drone imagery to detect standing water.

AIRT uses UAS to perform damage assessment operations in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian

Two organizations have formed a joint-reconnaissance team to survey the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian: the Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) and the Southeast Florida Region 7 All-Hazards Incident Management Team (SEFL-R7 AHIMT). Disaster scenes were mapped by UAS with high-resolution camera systems.

Meet The Nuclear-Powered Self-Driving Drone NASA Is Sending To A Moon Of Saturn

The Dragonfly is a dual-rotor quadcopter, about the size of a compact car, autonomous, and nuclear powered. Expected to launch from Earth in 2026 and arrive on Titan in 2034, Dragonfly will explore Titan’s dunes, mountains, gullies, and rivers and lakes of liquid methane.

NASA Video: New Dragonfly Mission Flying Landing Sequence Animation.

Middle East drones signal end to era of fast jet air supremacy

Air superiority has been key to winning wars since airplanes were invented. But compared to the world’s major air forces, drones are small, low cost, and they don’t put a pilot into the war-zone.

This startup lets you subscribe to support an army of drones that’s planting millions of trees

A new startup called Now wants to “mobilize humanity to reverse the climate crisis.” The organization was created by 19-year-old activist and musical artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez who says that if a trillion trees are planted, they could capture two-thirds of the carbon that humans have emitted since the industrial revolution. The subscription concept of Now would fund planting trees with drones. See also 19-Year-Old Xiuhtezcatl Martinez Isn’t Waiting For Permission to Solve the Climate Crisis: “The Time Is NOW.”

Conference

Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2019, October 28-30, 2019 in Las Vegas. Video: Commercial UAV Expo 2018 in a minute.

290 FAA UAS Symposium 2019

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Highlights of the FAA UAS Symposium held June 3-5, 2019 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Presented by the Federa l Aviation Administration and AUVSI.

FAA UAS Symposium 2019

Over 1000 attendees from industry, the government, and academia gathered for three days of keynotes, breakout sessions, and “how to” sessions.

We discuss some highlights of the Symposium, including industry/government collaboration, drone remote identification, education and outreach, urban air mobility, drone delivery, public agency use of drones, counter-UAV issues, UAS traffic management, and more.

Mentioned

Alliance for Drone Innovation

Blue Ribbon Task Force on UAS Mitigation at Airports

Flight Plan 2030 white paper on Urban Air Traffic Management from Embraer.

Innovations in Flight Family Day and Aviation Display at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, Saturday, June 15, 2019, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

289 UAS Threat to Critical Infrastructure

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DHS resources for the threat of UAS to critical infrastructure, urban testing of drone flights in Reno, using drone images as evidence, a delay for the remote ID NPRM, and a drone used by the Army Corps of Engineers.

UAV News

‘We’re Not Being Paranoid’: U.S. Warns Of Spy Dangers Of Chinese-Made Drones

NPR references the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) – Critical Infrastructure. It contains a video describing the UAS threat to critical infrastructure, as well as a description of what the threat is, why the threat is important to critical infrastructure, actions critical infrastructure organizations can take, available DHS UAS resources, and contact information.

Video: UAS and Critical Infrastructure – Understanding the Risk

NASA’s First-Of-Kind Tests Look To Manage Drones In Cities

Tests in downtown Reno have included an autonomous drone flight from one rooftop of a five-story parking garage to a roof across the street. The drone adjusted itself for gusty winds. In another test, drones approached each other and avoided colliding. The drones have onboard software for landing, avoiding crashes, surveillance, detection, and identification. Ground system software communicates flight plans and positions to other software systems. The Nevada Institute of Autonomous Systems is conducting the Reno tests.

Man says neighbors used drone footage in court against him

A man in Indiana bought a 35-acre property in 1985, but his new neighbors didn’t like what he was doing on his own land. The neighbors complained to the county accusing him of violating county ordinances. Apparently, they flew a drone over the property taking pictures as evidence. The property owner says they had to be BVLOS to get those pictures.

Remote ID Regulations For Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Are Delayed Until September 2019

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Remote Identification of UAS was scheduled for July 2019. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs says the NPRM will instead be issued in September 2019. This comes from the May 22, 2019 OIRA publication of the Trump Administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions.

UAS adds cutting-edge capabilities for Corps projects

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has begun using a Microdrones quadcopter. The District’s 4-person UAS team has been trained by Microdrones. Two of them are Part 107-certified UAS pilots. Applications include video footage and photos for the Public Affairs Office, creating detailed site maps, and high-resolution 3-D images for team members and partner agencies.

Microdrones to Host GeoDays 2019, June 12 – 14

Microdrones is hosting GeoDays 2019 at their location in Germany. They’ll be conducting flight demonstrations and explaining how to integrate surveying, mapping, LiDAR, and inspection into your business.

Mentioned

Drones: Latest incidents around the world – A map highlighting the latest drones incidents around the world has been published as part of the Countering Drones Conference, taking place July 9-11, 2019 in London, UK.

Opinion piece: Risk, regulation and resilience in countering drones – A report you can download on risk and regulation around drones.

279 Drones for Disaster Relief, Search and Rescue

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Pentagon interest in cargo drones for disaster relief, thermal imaging for search and rescue, BVLOS UAS for medical deliveries, drones that act like sheepdogs, drone laws in Japan, “drone parenting,” and a UAS remote ID whitepaper.

UAV News

The Pentagon wants to know if a swarm of drones can swoop in to help with hurricane relief

In January 2019, the Defense Logistics Agency solicited a Request for Information (RFI) for Utilization of UAS for Disaster Relief. The RFI was only open for a few weeks with a purpose “…to conduct market research seeking to identify vendors who would be interested in offering on a forthcoming Request for Proposal (RFP) to utilize Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) to provide disaster relief support on the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States.”

Drones Helps Rescuers Search for Alabama Tornado Victims

Thermal imaging drones were used to locate victims in the rubble after Alabama’s devastating tornados. The drones are cheaper to operate than helicopters, they require less training, and they can get into tight spaces.

Flirtey, City of Reno Get FAA Approval for Drone Delivery Beyond Visual Line of Sight

The FAA has given Flirtey and the city of Reno approval to fly BVLOS to deliver Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA) chief operating officer J.W. Hodge said, “When our emergency medical dispatchers determine it’s a cardiac event, our system will automatically integrate with Flirtey’s system and launch a drone. That drone will then fly without having to deal with the impediment of streets.”

Barking drones used on farms instead of sheep dogs

Christchurch-based DJI Ferntech says farmers are embracing drone technology. Shepherd Corey Lambeth us using his drone to more efficiently to move stock and check water and feed levels. The DJI Mavic Enterprise can playback sounds over a speaker, like a dog’s bark.

Video: Barking drones used on farms instead of sheep dogs

Japan plans drone ban over U.S. military and SDF facilities, but media fear restrictions on reporting

A bill in Japan would prohibit flying drones within a 300-meter radius of U.S. military bases and Self-Defense Forces’ facilities. This is to prevent terrorist attacks using drones. It would also ban drones from flying over the Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Drones controlled by the media providing coverage would be exempt from that ban. News organizations are protesting the bill as they believe it could disrupt newsgathering.

Pros and cons of ‘drone parenting’

According to an expert on millennials and the so-called Generation Z, 83 percent of new mothers are millennials with a “high-tech and hyper-connected upbringing.” They are not “helicopter parents,” they tend to be “drone parents” who use technology to track and nurture their children.

Mentioned

A 16-page whitepaper from Kittyhawk: Remote ID & Commercial Drones

UAV239 Recreational Drones for Commercial Purposes

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Operators of recreational drones flying for commercial purposes, upset Google employees, arrests for illegal anti-drone systems, drone technology and the travel industry, UAS ID and tracking proposals, a business competition winner, mapping with a LIDAR-equipped drone, and an outdoor drone testing facility that is really indoors.

UAV News

NBAA Warns of Commercial UAS Violations

In UAS Operators Must Understand What Commercial Use Entails, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) expresses concern about “the unwelcome matter of recreational operators flying drones for compensation.” The organization is worried that some drone operators don’t understand what “commercial use” means.

3100 Google employees protest company’s involvement in Pentagon drone project

Google has been working with the United States Department of Defense under Project Maven, which applies machine-learning and AI to weapon systems. Google algorithms would analyze drone footage and identify objects. Some Google employees feel this violates the Google “don’t be evil” motto.

Swiss engineer arrested for illegal anti-drone system sales

Rome, Italy financial crime police arrested a Swiss engineer and an Italian entrepreneur for selling anti-drone systems. The systems can allegedly detect, track, and neutralize UAVs by jamming the communication signal as well as the global satellite navigation system.

Drones, phones changing way vacationers plan their trips

At the annual National Association of Broadcasters show (NAB), travel marketing experts envision the use of drones and VR technology to impact the $1 trillion travel industry.

FAA’s ARC Submits Recommendations On UAS ID and Tracking, Despite Lack of Consensus

While the UAS Identification and Tracking Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) lacked complete consensus in the recommendations they sent to the FAA, some options were provided for UAS ID and tracking requirements. Reviews at the Department of Transportation and the Office of Management and Budget are pending.

Drone maker Fotokite wins $1 million Genius NY competition

Swiss-based Fotokite won the grand prize in the Genius NY business competition. Their fully autonomous tethered drone can stay aloft almost indefinitely. Applications include firefighting, law enforcement, broadcasting, and sports events.

Mentioned

LIDAR map for fully self-driving cars

Toll-road operator EastLink used a LIDAR-equipped drone to create a map of the inside of the Mullum Mullum tunnel. Future self-driving cars will require this detailed data.

Drone captures 3D LIDAR data for fully self-driving car trials in EastLink tunnel

University of Michigan opens up its M-Air UAV testing facility to students

The University of Michigan has opened the M-Air outdoor drone testing facility. Students and companies can use the five-story, 80 by 120 foot netted enclosure to test experimental algorithms and aircraft.

Ella Atkins | Drone Policy or Not?

Data Crunch Podcast

Deep research into niche artificial intelligence and machine learning industries.

UAV234 2018 FAA UAS Symposium

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Observations from the FAA’s 3rd annual UAS Symposium.

2018 FAA UAS Symposium

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) co-sponsored the FAA’s 3rd annual Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium on March 6-8, 2018, at the Baltimore Convention Center. David attended the event and he gives us his observations.

Remote identification of unmanned aircraft was viewed as a key enabler to the goal of BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) flight. A consensus is building that remote identification is necessary for drones flying below 400 feet, as well as for those flying above.

FAA Symposium: Drones Seeing “Massive Adoption,” Safety Concerns are a Primary Issue

FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell said, “If you want to fly in the system, you have to be identifiable, and you have to follow the rules.” The rules would need to apply to hobbyist aircraft as well, because “one malicious act could put a hard stop on all the hard work we’ve done on drone integration.”

U.S. officials pushing for drone identification requirement, new powers for Homeland Security and Justice

What’s Next: Whose Drone Is That?

Angela Stubblefield, the FAA’s deputy associate administrator for security and hazardous materials safety said: “Anonymous operations in the system aren’t consistent with moving forward with integration and expansion of operations.”

Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI noted, “The FAA is not going to create future rules for expanded operation of drones until the remote identification framework is in place.”

FAA Announces Real-Time Airspace Authorizations at 500 Airports, Starting April 30

FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell announced that Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) will be expanded to 500 airports beginning April 30, 2018. LAANC provides real-time airspace authorizations through an FAA UAS Data Exchange.

When Is LAANC Going Live in My Area?

The airports will be added in six waves across U.S. regions. Skyward provides a list of the impacted facilities. Currently, there are four LAANC providers: AirMap, Project Wing, Rockwell Collins, and Skyward. Beginning April 16, 2018, the FAA will also consider LAANC service agreements with others.