There's a long and good profile in the LA Times of the UAV industry in San Diego (General Atomics) and Los Angeles (AeroEnvironment), which now employs an estimated 10,000 people. Read it here.
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There's a long and good profile in the LA Times of the UAV industry in San Diego (General Atomics) and Los Angeles (AeroEnvironment), which now employs an estimated 10,000 people. Read it here.
You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!
Comments
RE: JackCrossfire
Yes, Shanzhai practices are not limited to consumer electronics. They've had some success reproducing aircraft for non-US customers - most recently the J-15: http://gizmodo.com/5590796/this-new-shiny-chinese-combat-jet-is-act...
As for US defense spending, I don't anticipate we'll be buying any sophisticated military equipment (aside from basic components) from China anytime soon. There are too many complications with intellectual property/security regulations. Not to mention the defense industry's built in outsourcing safeguard i.e. the good ol' boy network.
excerpt from another article:
"Sneak peaks of Chinese UAV models and displays at the biennial Zhuhai Airshow illustrate a growing interest in UAVs and an obvious effort to copy U.S. designs.
China's copycat tradition goes back to the 1960s. Recovered U.S. AQM-34N Firebee drones lost over China and North Vietnam led to the production of the WZ-5 Chang Hong, which ironically may have seen service during China's 1979 invasion of Vietnam.
Fisher said China's UAV sector is now developing reciprocal and turbine engine-powered UAVs in three configurations: high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE); medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE); and unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)."
from: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4227221
Lord Dark Helmet and "Ludicrous speed, NOW!" Gotta love it.