The Air Force’s effort to field a brand new tactical drone, known as MQ-X has effectively been cancelled the service’s top intelligence officer said today. Read more here. A new, reduced-signature, unmanned aircraft-the long-rumored, 20-hr.-endurance, pure-jet Predator C Avenger-has emerged from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ workshops after a 3½-year gestation period paced by massive growth […]
Skylark I-LE
Based on the operationally-proven Skylark® I system currently used by many coalition partners, the LE version increases the system’s operational range to 15 km and the endurance to approximately 3 hours. The system also features a unique gyroscopicstabilized gimbaled payload optimally integrated with algorithms derived from larger Hermes® 450 UAS to enable auto-tracking of dynamic […]
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a key element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). THAAD will provide rapidly deployable ground-based missile defense components that deepen, extend and complement the BMDS to any Combatant Commander to defeat ballistic missiles of all types and ranges while in all phases of flight.
Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation (MOIRE)
“Contrary to Hollywood’s ideas, today’s spy satellites that orbit the Earth at fast speeds and relatively lower altitudes can only snap photos for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Taking live video of a single location would require satellites to hover by matching the Earth’s rotation in geosynchronous orbit about 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) high […]
GBU-28: Guided Bomb Unit-28
Recent News: September 23, 2011- Obama Sold Israel Bunker-Buster Bombs President Obama has secretly authorized significant new aid to the Israeli military that includes the sale of 55 deep-penetrating bombs known as bunker busters.
UAV Swarms: Boeing Successfully Demonstrates ‘Swarm’ Technology
Source: Boeing WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2011— Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced the successful autonomous communications and operation of dissimilar unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in flight tests over the rugged terrain of eastern Oregon.
K-MAX Unmanned Aircraft System
Lockheed Martin Corporation and Kaman Aerospace Corporation have successfully transformed Kaman’s proven K-MAX® power lift helicopter into an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) capable of autonomous or remote controlled cargo delivery. Its mission: battlefield cargo resupply for the U.S. military.
High Altitude Airship (HAA)
Source: Lockheed Martin httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ZIGULlP7Q&feature=related The Lockheed Martin High Altitude Airship (HAA™) – and its sub-scale demonstrator, the High Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator (HALE-D) – is an un-tethered, unmanned lighter-than-air vehicle that will operate above the jet stream in a geostationary position to deliver persistent station keeping as a surveillance platform, telecommunications relay, or a weather observer. […]
Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) Program: The Nano Hummingbird
Source: DARPA httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8ZbtZqH6Io The Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program is developing an extremely small, ultra lightweight air vehicle system (less than 15 centimeters and less than 20 grams) with the potential to perform indoor and outdoor military missions. NAV is exploring novel, flapping wing and other configurations to provide warfighters with unprecedented capability during urban […]
MQ-8B Fire Scout
Northrop Grumman’s Transformational Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Source: Northrup Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Fire Scout vertical unmanned aircraft system (VUAS) will provide unprecedented situational awareness and precision targeting support for the Services of the future. The Fire Scout VUAS, based on the Schweizer Model 333 manned helicopter, can autonomously […]