It may be the biggest development in engines in 85 years - and could have major impact on drone development. A revolutionary engine design first demonstrated on the back of a go-kart is now proving its case for powering military drones and other autonomous vehicles. The LiquidPiston design offers significant progress in expanding the range and endurance of … [Read more...] about The Pentagon Just Upped its Investment in this MIT Grads Startup to Increase Fight Endurance for Military Drones
DARPA
DARPA Waves Magic Funding Wand to Conjure Disappearing Drones
Two years ago, the Pentagon’s top think-tank issued a science-fiction level challenge to researchers – develop a disposable, vanishing drone. In 2015, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency released a funding proposal to create “a flock of small, single-use, unpowered delivery vehicles dropped from an aircraft, each of which literally vanishes after landing and … [Read more...] about DARPA Waves Magic Funding Wand to Conjure Disappearing Drones
DARPA Once Again Seeks New Ways to Defeat Rogue Drones
The American military’s top think-tank is once again looking to researchers to create new and better drone mitigation solutions. Last week, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency issued a Request for Information (RFI) to “identify promising [drone]-sensing and -neutralization technologies that could augment or complement [DARPA’s Mobile Force Protection (MFP)] program … [Read more...] about DARPA Once Again Seeks New Ways to Defeat Rogue Drones
Embry-Riddle and Creare Receive $1 Million to Develop Autonomous Flight Vehicle
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)has awarded researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Creare LLC with a $1 million grant from to develop a highly sophisticated autonomous flight control system to navigate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in unknown dynamic environments, such as crowded urban locations, or in dangerous or hostile … [Read more...] about Embry-Riddle and Creare Receive $1 Million to Develop Autonomous Flight Vehicle
Recording-breaking Drone Flies for 56 Straight Hours
A fixed-wing drone backed by DARPA soared into history books last month after achieving a world-duration flight record for drones in its class. Manufactured by Vanilla Aircraft, the diesel-fueled VA001 flew for nearly 56 uninterrupted hours at an altitude of 6,500 to 7,500 feet after being launched on Nov. 30 from New Mexico State University’s Unmanned Air Systems Flight … [Read more...] about Recording-breaking Drone Flies for 56 Straight Hours
