395 Counter-UAS Contract

A $1B counter-UAS contract, Kittyhawk air mobility, sports game halted, no recreational drones in UAE, medical deliveries in the Navajo Nation, locating pets after a disaster, peeking at volcanos, an unidentified drone spotted, and a drone research contract at a UAS test site.UAV NewsUS Special Ops Command Awards $1B Counter-Drone ContractAnduril Industries has won a 10-year, $1 billion counter-UAS integration contract. Awarded by US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Anduril is to “deliver, advance, and sustain” counter-UAS sensors and systems in a layered configuration. Anduril’s cUAS Lattice system includes a solar-powered Sentry Tower with sensors and the Anvil sUAS, all running on the Lattice operating system. The system “autonomously detects, classifies, and tracks targets, alerting operators to threats and allowing options for mitigation or engagement.”A Larry Page-backed drone guru expects you to be a future passenger. Here’s whyLarry Page funded Kittyhawk and picked up a portion of 3D Robotics, co-founded by Chris Anderson, now the Kittyhawk COO. Kittyhawk pivoted from air mobility with a pilot to pilotless.I am a drone guy, and this was the perfect, obvious next chapter, just bigger drones and the use case is so much more obvious, moving people from A to B more quickly and as cheaply as a car is the kind of mission I can get behind. On the tech side, there is no reason we can’t move a significant fraction of people off the roads and into the sky.Chris AndersonPremier League clash between Brentford and Wolves halted for 19 minutes due to a DRONE hovering over the west London stadiumPlay of the English Premier League was halted due to an “unofficial drone” flying over the field. Both teams returned to the dressing rooms while a helicopter was used to try and shoo the drone away.UAE bans flying of recreational drones after fatal attackRecreational drones and light sport aircraft have been banned in the United Arab Emirates. This follows a fatal drone attack on an oil facility and a major airport. Also, some people were flying drones outside the area of their permits, often into areas where drones are prohibited. The penalty for violating the ban is heavy: Six months in jail and Dh100,000 fine for flying drones in the UAE, prosecutors says.Navajo Nation to use drones to deliver medical suppliesThe “Healing Eagle Feather” project is a partnership between MissionGo and the Navajo Nation to deliver medical supplies and other essentials with drones to people in remote areas. Cargo includes insulin kits, prepackaged meals, large animal medicine, emergency communication devices, and anti-venom. In Episode 375 we talked with MissionGO’s Frank Paskiewicz, EVP of Cargo Operations, and Ryan Henderson, Lead Pilot.Drones for Animal Rescue: Doug Thron Flies Around the World, Saving Pets and Wildlife After Natural DisastersDouglas Thron is a photographer and drone pilot who travels to natural disasters and conducts animal rescues. He uses a Matrice 210 V2 drone with a FLIR XT2 camera and has found and rescued distressed animals around the world. The HBO Max TV show “Doug to the Rescue” chronicles the rescues.Volcano-observing Drone Flights Open Door to Routine Hazard MonitoringUnder a long-term collaboration between NASA and Black Swift Technologies, the S2 UAS flew over the Makushin Volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The U.S. Geological Survey provided a payload that detects gases and collects visual and thermal images. The S2 fixed-wing drone is designed to carry scientific payloads in demanding atmospheric conditions.Pilot Video And FAA Interview Reveal Bizarre Encounter With Unidentified Aircraft Over Atlantic CityAn Air Force pilot flying a Diamond DA40 observed a strange drone above Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 16th, 2018. The KC-135 aerial refueling tanker pilot said the drone followed his aircraft.Video: Unidentified Aircraft Encounter Over Atlantic City 9/16/18 Air-To-Air VideoFAA awards contracts for drone research at Grand SkyMore than $2 million was awarded to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. and Appareo Systems LLC. GA-ASI will focus on detect-and-avoid technology while Appareo will examine how radio signals function at different altitudes and in different environments. They’ll also conduct research to evaluate the use of LTE cellular networks for unmanned aircraft. The companies will work in conjunction with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, near Grand Forks Air Force Base.UAV Video of the WeekVideo: MONSTER WAIMEA BAY (part one) Heavy CarnageVideo: MONSTER WAIMEA BAY (part two) Taming The Beast