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Toll Aviation has signed a deal to bring a new AI-based uncrewed aerial system (UAS) to Australia. V-BAT, made by US-based company Shield AI, is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS that its manufacturer says can meet “a broad array of civil and defence mission requirements” through its capacity for multi-mission payload sets.

A new fleet of shark-monitoring drones will be sent to New York coastlines in response to a frightening spate of bites and sightings near Long Island this week, state officials said Friday. The state is fighting shark attacks with dozens more of the battery-powered devices — which track the man-eaters from above — after five people reported being bitten in waters off Long Island during a two-day period, state park officials said. “We are now more vigilant than ever,” said George Gorman, the state’s park director in Long Island. “We have drones in the sky that watch over the waters....

Executive Order on Protecting The United States From Certain Unmanned Aircraft Systems National Security & Defense Issued on: January 18, 2021 Share: All News By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that additional actions are necessary to ensure the security of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) owned, operated, and controlled by the Federal Government; to secure the integrity of American infrastructure, including America’s National Airspace System (NAS); to protect our law enforcement and warfighters; and to maintain...

The Air Force's 89th Airlift Wing is reviewing a report after people traveling aboard Air Force One on Sunday saw an object that appeared to be a drone as the plane was landing at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. "We were making the approach, but not yet in the final landing run. I saw a thing with a kind of X shape and part of it was yellow. That's all I can say," a witness told CNN. "This was a brief moment, obviously, but not flashing by," the witness said. "I had long enough to do a double take, then...

Drone technology offers the potential to change our world... But the technology also has a dark side. It can be used to spy on us, to threaten our critical infrastructure, or to attack crowds and public places. For years, the Department of Homeland Security has worried about the dangers of unmanned aerial systems, and we have sought the legal authority to protect Americans against corrupted aerial devices. Today I have a pressing message for Congress: Time is running out. As secretary of homeland security, I can tell you that threat is outpacing our ability to respond. Without congressional action, the...

FORT HUACHUCA — A new major will take command of the Marine Corps detachment on Fort Huachuca Friday. When Maj. Daniel E. Lindblom hands over command to Maj. Michael B. Manna, it will mark another milestone: He is retiring after 20 years of service. Lindblom said he’s enjoyed his time at Fort Huachuca. “It's difficult to identify a particular high point. What I have enjoyed most is the support that our detachment has received from both the base and the city of Sierra Vista. Whether it was our relocation to our new barracks, fundraising for our annual birthday ball or...

Save PHOENIX — An Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) used for public safety flew above the capitol grounds in Phoenix on Wednesday, Jan. 17, during the 13th annual Aerospace Days at the Capitol. Hosted by the Aerospace States Association and Aerospace Arizona, the goal of the event was to educate legislators on the commercial uses of UAS, including agriculture, ranching, mining operations, inspecting large aircraft, and real estate. Demonstrations and displays regarding UAS uses, legislation, regulation, safety and technical issues, adorned the capitol lawn as legislators and citizens learned about the uses and economic impact of the aerospace industry, specifically as...

The world's best-selling drone-maker is adding a privacy mode to its aircraft to prevent flight data being shared to the internet. The announcement comes a fortnight after it emerged that the US Army had prohibited its troops from using the Chinese firm's equipment because of unspecified cyber-security concerns. DJI told the BBC that it had already been working on the new facility, but had speeded up development after the ban. The mode should be launched next month. DJI previously faced security fears in 2016 after a member of its staff told reporters that the firm had repeatedly shared customer data...

The Pentagon has given US military bases permission to shoot down or otherwise destroy consumer drones flying overhead and nearby. A spokesman revealed that guidance was issued on 4 August. He said the exact terms of the policy were classified. The move comes days after the US Army ordered its own troops to stop using drones made by Chinese manufacturer DJI because of alleged "cyber-vulnerabilities". It became illegal to fly personal drones within 400ft (122m) of the US's 133 military facilities in April. The Federal Aviation Administration announced at the time that those who disobeyed the order would face financial...

The Trump administration is asking Congress to give the federal government sweeping powers to track, hack and destroy any type of drone over domestic soil with a new exception to laws governing surveillance, computer privacy and aircraft protection, according to a document obtained by The New York Times. The draft bill’s language would authorize the government to summarily track, seize control of and use force to destroy any unmanned aircraft it determines may pose a security threat to an area designated for special protection. The government would have to respect “privacy, civil rights and civil liberties” when exercising that power,...

http://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf

On Monday, the FAA will launch its online registry for drone operators with the aim of collecting personal information from the owners of these unmanned aircraft. But according to a report from Forbes, all those names and addresses will eventually be publicly available. Which seems... kinda scary? Over at Forbes, John Goglia says he’s been poking the FAA for answers ever since the FAQ about registration went up. Of particular concern are two contradictory statements from the FAA and DOT. The FAA says only their agency and a contractor will have access to the personal information collected. The DOT says...

If you own a drone, you must register it with the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry. A federal law effective December 21, 2015 requires unmanned aircraft registration, and you are subject to civil and criminal penalties if you do not register. More info and FAQ at the link

Sweat the small stuff. That’s the unofficial motto for this year’s edition of the military exercise Black Dart, a two-week test of tactics and technologies to combat hostile drones that begins Monday on the Point Mugu range at Naval Base Ventura County in California. The military categorizes Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) by size and capability, from Group 5 drones that weigh more than 1,320 pounds and can fly above 18,000 feet like the Reaper, down to Group 1, mini- and micro-drones less than 20 pounds that fly lower than 1,200 feet. Previous Black Darts have covered threats to troops overseas...

More than two decades of history and the memories of pilots who were instrumental in the development of unmanned aerial systems gathered at a small airstrip Friday morning to commemorate the last flight on Fort Huachuca of the Hunter. Developed in the early 1990s, the Hunter UAV was the first of its kind to be deployed in combat, with just 40 people trained in how to take off and land this large, two-propeller aircraft.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — University of Texas Police are investigating the use of a drone over Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium Saturday night during the Longhorns’ home opener. KXAN’s cameras spotted the drone flying above the stadium. The drone had red and green lights on it. It also had a camera. We weren’t the only ones who spotted it. Police did too. During the second half of the game, officers found the operator of the drone, made him land it and then took the man into custody. The department told KXAN the man was a UT student, and he...

Google has built and tested autonomous aerial vehicles, which it believes could be used for goods deliveries. Google said that its long-term goal was to develop drones that could be used for disaster relief by delivering aid to isolated areas. They could be used after earthquakes, floods, or extreme weather events, the company suggested, to take small items such as medicines or batteries to people in areas that conventional vehicles cannot reach. "Even just a few of these, being able to shuttle nearly continuously could service a very large number of people in an emergency situation," explained Astro Teller, Captain...

On the same day last month, airline pilots trying to land at two of the nation’s busiest airports got on their radios to report the unnerving sight of small rogue drones buzzing at high altitudes. In the first incident on May 29, the pilot of a commercial airliner descending toward LaGuardia Airport saw what appeared to be a black drone with a 10-to-15-foot wingspan about 5,500 feet above Lower Manhattan, according to a previously undisclosed report filed with the Federal Aviation Administration. In the second, two airliners separately approaching Los Angeles International Airport soared past what they described as a...

More than 400 large U.S. military drones have crashed in major accidents around the world since 2001, a record of calamity that exposes the potential dangers of throwing open American skies to drone traffic, according to a year-long Washington Post investigation. Since the outbreak of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, military drones have malfunctioned in myriad ways, plummeting from the sky because of mechanical breakdowns, human error, bad weather and other reasons, according to more than 50,000 pages of accident investigation reports and other records obtained by The Post under the Freedom of Information Act.

The maker of a drone that fires pepper spray bullets says it has received its first order for the machine. South Africa-based Desert Wolf told the BBC it had secured the sale of 25 units to a mining company after showing off the tech at a trade show in London. It is marketing the device as a "riot control copter" that can tackle crowds "without endangering the lives of security staff". But the International Trade Union Confederation is horrified by the idea. "This is a deeply disturbing and repugnant development and we are convinced that any reasonable government will move...