UAV

Astigan Ltd is developing its A3 High Altitude Pseudo Satellite​ (HAPS) with the goal of giving cartography a boost. The unmanned 149-kg (328 lb) solar-powered aircraft is designed to fly at an altitude of 67,000 ft for up to 90 days as a way to fill the gap between aerial and satellite surveys.

This fuel cell-powered coaxial octacopter just stayed aloft for 70 minutes of continuous flight, while carrying a 5kg (11-pound) weight. The record demonstrates the flight endurance capabilities of hydrogen-powered electric aircraft.

​A few years back, we heard about Mobile Recon Systems' KittyHawk, a large-ish quadcopter that could carry three GoPro cameras. Well, the Kentucky-based company has now announced the new Dauntless UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), which can lift and transport over 200 lb (90 kg).

​If you're trying to confuse an incoming missile, one way of doing it would be to place a swarm of radio frequency-emitting drones in its path. That's what the US Navy's tube-launched Nomad was designed to do, although commercial partners are now being invited to adapt the drone for their own needs.

After a decade of development Aurora Flight Sciences has finally unveiled Odysseus, its full-scale, solar-powered, autonomous aircraft designed to stay in the air for months. Odysseus is scheduled for its first test flight in 2019.

We’re a step closer to having high-altitude, long-endurance, autonomous aircraft soaring through the skies. UAVOS has now announced that a prototype of the company’s High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) ApusDuo aircraft has completed the first stage of flight tests.

Researchers from the University of California San Diego have created robotic gliders that literally fly like an eagle. They use reinforcement learning to determine how to exploit updrafts of warm air, soaring to altitudes of up to 2,300 ft.

Global Energy Transmission (GET) has pioneered a mid-air inductive recharging system that can charge up several drones at once without requiring them to land. Build enough of these stations, and you can have an army of drones in the air that never need to land.

​BShark has moved mountains to bring down the price of its long-range Narwhal 2 drone. Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, this 6.6-kg monster flies for up to two hours, transmits up to 30 km and costs US$6,800, making it an attractive option for industrial inspection and surveillance applications.

​Just a few months after its Sun Flyer 2 prototype completed its maiden flight, Bye Aerospace reports that another of its aircraft has completed its first test flights: the StratoAirNet medium altitude solar electric demonstrator.​

DARPA’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program has successfully wound up its Phase 2 flight tests, putting its drones and algorithms to the test in three primary scenarios – all without human assistance or control.

A SkyGuardian drone made history today by becoming the first Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to complete a transatlantic flight. The unmanned aircraft touched down at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England after a 24-hour flight from North Dakota.