drones

DARPA says that air-recovery of three X-61A Gremlins missed success by just inches during recent tests. Nine attempts to capture the combat drones as they flew behind a C-130 transport plane failed, and they had to parachute to earth.

No matter how good we humans have made something, chances are nature did it better. Rather than compete, scientists have now tapped into a natural sensor with the Smellicopter, a drone that uses an antenna from a live moth to sniff out its targets.

Looking to make its mark in the world of space launches is US-based firm Aevum, which has just unveiled a massive drone called the Ravn X that is designed to act as an autonomous, airborne launch system for small satellites.

Florida's XTI Aircraft has ben working on its TriFan eVTOL concept for at least five years, and while a passenger version is still the key focus, the company has now put forward a long-range, autonomous diesel-hybrid cargo variant.

Florida's Undefined Technologies claims it has managed to increase the thrust levels of ion propulsion systems to "unprecedented levels" with its "Air Tantrum" technology, enabling very quiet drones with no moving parts in the propulsion system, that look like flying pallets.

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a tiny new sensor that can be carried around on a small drone or even the back of an insect – and then dropped on demand to track the environment for years at a time.

AeroVironment has unveiled its latest loitering missile unmanned aircraft system. Based on the Switchblade 300, which was deployed with US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011, the Switchblade 600 is larger with increased capabilities.

The age of the unmanned combat jet is a step closer after Boeing Australia announced that its Loyal Wingman aircraft has fired up its commercial turbofan engine for the first time in anticipation of its first test flight.

While we hear a great deal about the huge patches of garbage that are floating on the world's oceans, there's even more trash lying on the seabed. The European Union-funded SeaClear project aims to gather much of it up, using autonomous robots.

It can be hard enough for search parties to find human remains on open ground, but in dense forests, it's even more difficult. That's why scientists are now proposing the use of aerial drones, which would look for telltale changes in trees' leaves.

DARPA has announced that its unmanned Gremlins X-61A air vehicle has completed a second round of aerial tests at the US Army’s Dugway Proving Ground, a step closer to the program's goal of air-launching and air-recovering up to four unmanned drones.

An international team of scientists has turned to swifts for inspiration to produce a bird-inspired drone with flapping wings that can hover, dart, glide and dive, all while weighing the same as two tablespoons of flour.