Washington: Unmanned military aircraft may soon have a permanent home in U.S. commercial airspace, according to a Defense Department official. The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration are carving out between four to 10 “bubbles” in civilian airspace above the United States to test UAS, Steve Pennington, executive director of the Defense Policy Board on… Keep reading →

Washington: The Joint Staff wants the Navy and the Air Force to run two of their high-profile unmanned aerial drones from one control station, despite Navy efforts to scuttle the program. The Joint Staff told the service teams in charge of the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAS and Air Force’s Global Hawk UAS to… Keep reading →

Washington: The “golden age” of unmanned systems development in United States could end, unless the Pentagon changes its export control rules, a senior industry executive said today. Despite the fact that United States continues to lead the world in developing and building unmanned systems, American defense companies are “struggling” to sell their UAS to U.S.… Keep reading →

Washington: Swedish aerospace firm Saab is taking on U.S. defense industry heavyweight Boeing and other American firms to land the the rights to a lucrative Navy unmanned drone deal. Partnered with prime contractor Computer Science Corporation, Saab is pitching its Skeldar vertical-lift unmanned aircraft for the Navy’s Close-Range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program. The Navy… Keep reading →

Washington: For the first time, the Navy’s MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter is heading to a foreign military. The two helos delivered to the Thai navy today will give those forces the same combat search and rescue to troop transport capabilities as their U.S. Navy counterparts, said Michael Sears, the Navy’s international deputy program manager for the… Keep reading →

Washington: The Navy has fixed the fatal flaws that put the future of its newest unmanned drone in jeopardy, and is now on track to get the aircraft into final testing by the end of this year. The FireScout unmanned aerial vehicle earned a scathing review by DoD’s test and evaluation shop during 2009 test… Keep reading →

WASHINGTON: War is hell, but without the right equipment, it can seem like a one-way ticket to a two-way firing range. The men and women at the Pentagon responsible for getting those weapons and that gear into the hands of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines know this and have come up with innovative ways… Keep reading →