You have to love Australians, the caption behind the newsreader, Lead Balloon, love it.
Gary Mortimer's Posts (323)
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This is interesting...
Instead of calling the Coast Guard in Mobile, Ala. -- which is what the Air Force recommends when people see such objects in the Gulf -- the fisherman towed the drone ashore to Madeira Beach.
The BQM-167 belongs to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, a tenant unit at Tyndall, and was lost March 10 due to an engine flameout during a routine training exercise, the Air Force said in a news release.
MacDill's Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians secured the drone and a team from the 82nd is expected to retrieve it this week, the Air Force said.
Now it makes me wonder how many more are down in the depths, if only I could find some sort of cheap open source based boat with a sonar on it so I could look.
Reading a little more I see they are water recoverable, so I guess the airforce was looking for it.
While the Boeing 787 and747-8 appear set to be the commercial showpiece of July’s Farnborough Air Show, military eyes are likely to be drawn to the Italian unmanned formation display team intending to debut at this year’s event.
Farnborough 2010 organisers have yet to give final authorisation for the Foggia-based ‘Squadriglia Tranquilla’ (‘Quiet Squadron’) to participate, but Flightglobalunderstands that approval is likely to be granted this month.
The nine Alenia Aeronautica Sky-X UAVs have been heavily modified, mainly to reduce fuel and maintenance costs. All of the expensive surveillance equipment used during military operations has been removed, leaving relatively simple pre-programmed on-board guidance. Each Sky-X has also been fitted with a smoke canister.
I will be at Farnborough so will enjoy watching that from the beer tent.
Airservices Australia has taken the extraordinary step of banning model airplanes from entering Canberra airspace during next week’s planned visit of President Obama, Crikey has learned.
http://www.fpvhobby.com/25-us-army-fpv-airplane.html
Or their other one
Interesting site
From POPSCI the new wings for drone types.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-03/new-era-military-aviation-gets-new-set-wings
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 8, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced it has begun offering a new, compact, energy-efficient camera that provides three-dimensional images for military and commercial applications.
Boeing Directed Energy Systems and wholly owned Boeing subsidiary Spectrolab have jointly developed the camera using their own research and development funding, and successfully tested it over the past two years by attaching it to mobile ground platforms and a Boeing AH-6 Little Bird helicopter. Equipped with advanced sensors that were developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory and transferred to Boeing under a teaming arrangement, the cube-shaped camera is one-third the size and uses one-tenth the power of most comparable 3-D imaging cameras.
"Our three-dimensional camera fits a lot of capability into a small package," said Nasser Karam, vice president of Advanced Technology Products at Spectrolab. "Its compact design and modest power needs will allow it to be deployed on a wide range of platforms, including unmanned aerial and ground vehicles that don't have much room or power to spare."
The camera, which Boeing can customize for each customer, has many potential uses, including mapping terrain, tracking targets and seeing through foliage. To create a 3-D image, the camera fires a short pulse of laser light, then measures the pulse's flight time to determine how far away each part of the camera's field of view is.
"The camera combines cutting-edge sensor technology with Boeing's advanced pointing and tracking solutions and real-time processing to provide our customers with highly integrated 3-D imaging payloads for ground, airborne or space-based applications," said Joseph Paranto, Growth lead for Directed Energy Systems in Albuquerque.
Boeing is currently integrating the camera into compact 3-D imaging payloads on unmanned aerial vehicles and will be testing that capability this spring. The team will also add 3-D video capability to the camera soon to complement its existing still-image capability.
Good for having on GCS google earth screens, if its accurate mind! The South African version is not very comprehensive.
Still you all have a sectional for the areas you fly so you would be able to check.
I thought this was very interesting
http://rcaircraft.blogspot.com/2010/03/wwii-uav-flies-again.html
Thread happening at RCG http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1198153
I wonder what exactly it is.
http://www.feiyudz.cn/en/Products/2009/12/08/92/
As Chris says, looks a bit like that Thai one, would there be any ground in doing a Chinese job in reverse and getting some and finding a better way of using them?? Maybe they are perfect??
This one does not have the pots for gains, but maybe its from the same place.
Detailed Product Description
Features
·Itegrated GPS receiver, three-axis MEMS gyroscope, pressure altimeter.
·16-channel GPS receiver, 4Hz output, 35 seconds fast positioning time and accuracy of 2.5 meters CEP.
·33HZ attitude inner loop control, 4HZ outer navigation controls.
·Mltiple-channel hybrid control output can be easily adjust the mixture control. Ajust neutral position just in time
·Three control modes: augmentation remote control, smart remote control and automatic navigation control.
·Three kinds of automatic navigation control modes: fixed flight mode, the mouse pointing flight patterns and route navigation mode.
·The ground station contains electronic map function software that can change the route and tasks online, real-time semi-autonomous remote control and can be real-time flight data recording and offline playback.
·Automatic and manual remote control integration, higher reliability and practicality, can compatible with all common facilities of RC remote control, and improve the fuction of servo output checking and remote protection.
·Available online to adjust and save all the control parameters, with stand-alone parameter adjustment software which is easy to use.
·Real-time telemetry flight data and records all telemetry data.
·Contains the control voltage monitoring, electric aircraft power voltage monitoring, GPS accuracy of detection, autopilot temperature detection and so on.
·Support RS-232 interface levels.
·Volume is 100 × 43 × 25mm, weight is 75 grams, power is .
Application
·Automatic navigate and pilot small and medium aircraft of non-layout form such as Regular, V tail, lifting flaps, ailerons and others.
·A variety of automatic navigation and driving.
·High-precision real-time data acquisition, image location of synchronization in the process of flying.
Technology Specifications
All refering value is at room temperature 25
http://glxinying.en.alibaba.com/productshowimg/283638321-209605532/XY_3_Autopilot.html
Some interesting looking airframes as well, some new and some we have seen before.
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The Quanum telemetry system gives real-time, accurate voltage display and low voltage warnings via a robust 2.4Ghz DSSS connection.
The receiver pannel is a large 132x64 LCD and attaches directly to your existing radios antenna for convenient at-a-glance in-flight voltage checks.
The Quanum Telemetry system will also warn you when your battery pack is approaching 3v per cell with a variable audio tone. No more deadstick landings!
And because its 2.4Ghz DSSS it wont interfere with your existing system, no matter what channel youre on!
The Quanum Telemetry system transmits a narrow, lightweight signal 4 times a second and uses DSSS technology to ensure no conflicts with other systems close by. Included is an inbuilt 450mAh Li-ion power source and a convenient in-car and PC USB charge jack!
The receiver pannel is a large 132x64 LCD and attaches directly to your existing radios antenna for convenient at-a-glance in-flight voltage checks.
The Quanum Telemetry system will also warn you when your battery pack is approaching 3v per cell with a variable audio tone. No more deadstick landings!
And because its 2.4Ghz DSSS it wont interfere with your existing system, no matter what channel youre on!
The Quanum Telemetry system transmits a narrow, lightweight signal 4 times a second and uses DSSS technology to ensure no conflicts with other systems close by. Included is an inbuilt 450mAh Li-ion power source and a convenient in-car and PC USB charge jack!
Specification;
Tx Weight: 16g
Tx Size: 50x17.5mm
Tx Output: 20dBm <100mW 2.4Ghz DSSS
FCC ID: XR9V003
Tx Weight: 16g
Tx Size: 50x17.5mm
Tx Output: 20dBm <100mW 2.4Ghz DSSS
FCC ID: XR9V003
Included;
Large high contrast 132x64 pixel LCD 2.4Ghz Receiver.
1km Range 1~6S Transmitter
Receiver mount (universal type)
Large high contrast 132x64 pixel LCD 2.4Ghz Receiver.
1km Range 1~6S Transmitter
Receiver mount (universal type)
Cigarette lighter 5v out USB charger
USB cable. (Charge in car or on a PC)
CE, FCC, RoHS
I wonder if this could be hacked to tell us a little more on the ground, not in colour or hi-res obviously
Signs of things to come. Just thinking its probably useful in itself as a backup battery monitor on the ground.
MERSEYSIDE police made the first ever arrest in the UK using a flying drone to catch a suspected car thief in thick fog.
It swooped into action in Litherland to find a suspect who was hiding at night in poor visibility.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acts as a flying CCTV and thermal imaging camera.
It was deployed on January 26 when it was reported that two men had stolen a Renault Clio in Bootle.
After a police car chase the suspects bailed out of the Clio.
Officers were able to detain one of the suspects, but struggled to find the second man in the dark.
But using the UAV's onboard thermal imaging technology, its operator was able to use live images of the suspect’s body-heat to direct patrols to the spot by the canal where he was lying.
The force became the first in the UK to trial the drones in 2007, and since then has used them to assist in search and rescue operations, search warrants and to crack down on anti-social behaviour.
They are operated by the force’s anti-social behaviour task force and directed from the ground by remote control, providing the force with a cheaper alternative to the police helicopter when aerial surveillance is needed.
Septentrio will start shipping its new AsteRx3 receiver in the first quarter of 2010. The AsteRx3 is, a compact multi-frequency GPS/GLONASS/Galileo, and Compass-ready receiver designed for integration in demanding precision positioning, navigation, and automation applications such as land and maritime survey, machine control, UAV payloads, and others.Providing simultaneous access to legacy and modernized GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo signals on L1, L2, L5, E5a, E5b, and E5 AltBOC, AsteRx3 is a compact and future-proof original equipment manufacture (OEM) receiver on the market, the company said. The receiver has a range of features, collectively known as GNSS+ . ATrack+, Septentrio’s patented Galileo AltBOC tracking, provides low noise tracking and multipath resistance for Galileo’s most advanced signal. LOCK+ tracking guarantees tracking stability under high vibration conditions.The advanced multipath mitigation algorithm APME has been extended for use with the modernized signals, and provides multipath mitigation especially for the predominant and harmful short-delay multipath. AIM+, Septentrio’s Advanced Interference Mitigation technology, protects receivers against in-band interference, and allows users to identify the interference in a “spectrum plot” view. These innovative tracking algorithms are complemented with RTK+ for extended RTK baselines over 50 kilometers as well as faster initialization.“With the evolution of GNSS systems, more and more users demand the possibility to prepare for the benefits these new signals and systems bring,” said Peter Grognard, managing director of Septentrio. “AsteRx3 exploits the capabilities of these signals with our latest ASIC technology. As AsteRx3 is one hundred percent plug-compatible with AsteRx2 and AsteRx2e, the AsteRx family is ideal for system integrators to build solutions which perform optimally with signals available today, which can be migrated to new signals and systems seamlessly tomorrow.”http://www.gpsworld.com/professional-oem/news/septentrio-release-asterx3-compact-gpsglonassgalileo-receiver-9467
UKAP/AV Meeting - 4th/5th July 2009 from David Hogg on Vimeo.
' />Check out the following thread in RCG for this year.http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1175889YellowPlane will be there with a couple of Atto flown wings and we will also have the Falcon 8 and a quad.Perhaps its just the place, even though date and time has not been sorted for a DIYdrones get together as well??Who knows, as regulations have changed so that fitting a camera makes your airframe a UAS in the UK we might manage the biggest get together of flying UAS the UK has seen. Won't be hard!Its an international meet, we had a Frenchman and somebody from Herefordshire, that's nearly Wales oh and of course Mike came down from Scotland, further than the Frenchman! He will be bringing the wine!Heres the place to look for images from last years event.http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1075238Lots of fun, so sign up on the RCG thread if your interested. Don't tell them I sent you, I might be in trouble.GBoomerang flying wing UAV parachute failsafe hatch test. from Gary Mortimer on Vimeo.
To be fired by the Millswood crashinator, and oh so close to an off the shelf OBC airframe!The first thing to be added whilst thinking about what actually might be allowed, the second thing is being added but now there's a new second thing so that might make it a third thing.All a bit of a secret.The crashinator can also control cameras!
