DefenceTalkCarrier-based aircraft are military aircraft designed specifically for operations from aircraft carriers. The term is generally applied only to fixed-wing aircraft, as naval helicopters are able to operate from a wider variety of aviation-capable ships. Carrier-based aircraft must be relatively sturdy to withstand demanding carrier operations. They must be able to launch in a short […]https://www.defencetalk.com/gallery-blue-sky-thinking-colors-chinas-drone-industry-60630/

DefenceTalkThe U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) a $354 million primarily firm-fixed-price contract to expand their RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) fleet by three aircraft. Global Hawk operates multiple sensors simultaneously to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data. The new aircraft are Multi-INT models that carry sophisticated imaging and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-expands-rq-4-global-hawk-fleet-60587/

DefenceTalkAirbus Defence and Space has announced that the Zephyr 7 High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) has just completed its most demanding mission to date and thus set a new benchmark in persistent, year-round operations for this class of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The test consisted of over 11 days of non-stop flight, in winter weather conditions […]https://www.defencetalk.com/airbus-zephyr-7-uav-flies-11-day-mission-60445/

DefenceTalkThousands of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) will be deployed in the next few years for both civil and military missions. Early adoption of new technologies will be employed: from smart skin to structural components and intelligent motors with integral gearing. Electric power makes the use of wheel power for take-off possible because electric motors can […]https://www.defencetalk.com/unmanned-aerial-vehicles-electric-uavs-2014-2024-60429/

DefenceTalkNorthrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy offered a glimpse of the future of carrier aviation on Aug. 17 by conducting a series of cooperative flights from the aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), using an X-47B Unmanned Air System (UCAS) and an F/A-18 Hornet. The flights – the first time manned and unmanned […]https://www.defencetalk.com/northrop-us-navy-integrate-manned-unmanned-flight-operations-60376/

DefenceTalkThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Thursday a fifth test site for small drones, as it continues to hammer out regulations for their use in US airspace. In a statement, the FAA said researchers at Griffiss airport in Rome, upstate New York would focus on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, in agricultural […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-names-new-york-test-site-for-small-drones-60341/

DefenceTalkUnmanned aircraft systems (UASs) have become increasingly prevalent in and important to U.S. military operations. Initially serving only as reconnaissance or intelligence platforms, they now carry out such other missions as attacking enemy forces. The swift expansion in their numbers and in the demand for their employment has, however, significantly increased demands on logistics and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/building-toward-an-unmanned-aircraft-system-training-strategy-60311/

DefenceTalkTaiwan has started using unmanned surveillance aircraft to spy on China to reduce the risk to its pilots from an increased deployment of Chinese missiles, media reported Sunday. The army in March commissioned a fleet of 32 unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, developed by the military-run Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology. Initially the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-starts-using-drones-to-spy-on-china-reports-60141/

DefenceTalkLast month within the mountainous terrain of The Great Salt Lake Desert at Dugway Proving Ground Utah, the U.S. Army conducted flight testing of an unmanned airborne electronic attack capability known as NERO, or the Networked Electronic Warfare Remotely Operated. The NERO project has conducted engineering analysis and aircraft alterations for over two years. The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-tests-putting-nero-electronic-warfare-jammer-on-uavs-60114/

DefenceTalkScientists and engineers at BAE Systems have lifted the lid on some futuristic technologies that could be incorporated in military and civil aircraft of 2040 or even earlier The four technologies unveiled are: 3D printers so advanced they could print UAVs during a mission; aircraft parts that can heal themselves in minutes; a new type […]https://www.defencetalk.com/bae-unveil-aircraft-technologies-of-the-future-60048/