https://aviationweek.com/themes/custom/particle/dist/app-drupal/assets/awn-logo.svg
Skip to main content
  • Market Sector
    • Aerospace
    • Air Transport
    • MRO
    • Defense and Space
    • Business Aviation
  • Markets
    • Aerospace
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Connected Aerospace
      • Emerging Technologies
      • Manufacturing & Supply Chain
      • Unmanned & Urban Aviation
      • Commercial Space
      • Program Management
      • Sustainability
    • Air Transport
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Interiors & Connectivity
      • Airports & Routes
      • Airlines & Lessors
      • Safety, Ops & Regulation
      • Maintenance & Training
      • Sustainability
    • MRO
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Interiors & Connectivity
      • Emerging Technologies
      • Supply Chain
      • Safety, Ops & Regulation
      • Workforce & Training
      • Sustainability
    • Defense and Space
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Sensors & Electronic Warfare
      • Missile Defense & Weapons
      • Supply Chain
      • Budget, Policy & Operations
      • Space
      • Sustainability
    • Business Aviation
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Interiors & Connectivity
      • Airports, FBOs & Suppliers
      • Flight Deck
      • Safety, Ops & Regulation
      • Maintenance & Training
      • Sustainability
  • Marketplace
  • Services
    • Services
      • Advertising
      • Marketing Services
      • Fleet, Data & APIs
      • Research & Consulting
      • Network and Route Planning
      • Marketplace
  • Store
    • Market Sector

      • Aerospace
      • Air Transport
      • MRO
      • Defense and Space
      • Business Aviation
    • Type View All Products
      • Intelligence Bundles
        • AWIN - Premium
        • AWIN - Aerospace and Defense
        • AWIN - Business Aviation
        • AWIN - Commercial Aviation
      • Market Briefings
        • Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
        • Aviation Daily
        • SpeedNews
        • The Weekly of Business Aviation
      • Directories
        • Air Charter Guide
        • Aviation Week Marketplace
        • Route Exchange
        • The Engine Yearbook
      • Data Services
        • AC-U-KWIK
        • Airportdata.com
        • Airport Strategy and Marketing (ASM)
        • CAPA – Centre for Aviation
        • Fleet Discovery Civil
        • Fleet Discovery Military
        • Fleet & MRO Forecast
        • MRO Prospector
      • Publications
        • Air Transport World
        • Aviation Week & Space Technology
        • Aviation Week & Space Technology - Inside MRO
        • Business & Commercial Aviation
        • CAPA - Airline Leader
        • Routes magazine
        • ShowNews
      • Resources
        • Downloadable Reports
  • Events
    • Events View All Events
      • MRO
        • MRO Americas
        • MRO Asia
        • MRO Baltics, Eastern Europe and Russia (BEER)
        • MRO Europe
        • MRO Latin America
        • MRO Middle East
        • MRO Transatlantic
        • Military Aviation Logistics and Maintenance Symposium (MALMS)
      • Commercial Aviation
        • Aero-Engines Americas
        • Aero-Engines Asia
        • Aero-Engines Europe
        • Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference (ASC)
        • Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference - Europe (ACE)
        • Engine Leasing, Trading & Finance
      • Aerospace and Defense
        • A&D Mergers and Acquisitions Conference (ADMA)
        • Aerospace Manufacturing Conference (AMC)
        • Aerospace Raw Materials & Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference (RMC)
        • DefenseChain Conference (DCPE)
      • Air Transport
        • CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit
        • CAPA Latin America Aviation & LCCs Summit
        • CAPA Live
        • Routes Americas 2021
        • Routes Asia 2021
        • Routes Europe 2021
        • Routes Reconnected
        • TakeOff North America 2020
        • World Aviation Outlook Summit 2020
        • World Routes 2021
      • Business Aviation
        • Business Aviation Week 2020
        • Business & General Aviation Conference (BGA)
      • Awards
        • 20 Twenties
        • Aviation Week Laureates Awards
        • Program Excellence Awards and Banquet
    • Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
  • About
    • About Aviation Week Network
      • Our Story
      • Content and Data Team
      • Aviation Week & Space Technology 100-Year
    • Contact Us
      • Subscriber Services
      • Advertising, Marketing Services & List Rentals
      • Content Sales
      • Events
      • PR & Communications
      • Content Licensing and Reprints
      • FAQ
  • Log In
  • Register
  • My Account
    • Profile
    • Sign Out
  • AWIN Access
  • My cart
  1. Back to Aerospace

Share

Unmanned Aircraft Technologies to Watch in 2017

Graham Warwick

Ship-Based MALE

DARPA

A medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft that can operate from small-deck ships is the challenge tackled by Northrop Grumman under DARPA’s Tern program. The tailsitting flying wing takes off vertically and transitions to wingborne flight using a coaxial rotor for vertical and forward thrust.

Submarine Launch

AeroVironment

Deployed in a buoyant container from a submerged submarine’s 3-in. countermeasures dispenser, AeroVironment’s Blackwing unmanned aircraft launches from the surface to perform reconnaissance or act as a communications relay enabling the boat to control a swarm of unmanned underwater vehicles.

 

Fly/Drive

Advanced Tactics Inc.

After flying a prototype multicopter “flying jeep,” Advanced Tactics Inc. has produced a small unmanned air/ground vehicle for ground-mobile surveillance and package delivery. The quadcopter AT Panther weighs 54 lb., carries 10 lb. and can fly 3-6 mi. at 50 mph and drive 5-60 mi. off-road at 5 mph.

Bolt-On VTOL

Textron

Giving fixed-wing tactical unmanned aircraft systems independence from launch rails and recovery nets, making them more mobile and deployable, is the idea behind Latitude Engineering’s Hybrid Quadrotor—a battery-powered quadrotor kit used with Arcturus UAV’s Jump family and Textron’s Aerosonde.

Ducted VTOL

DARPA

Planned to fly in 2017, DARPA’s Ares is a vertical-takeoff-and-landing flight module. Developed by Lockheed Martin and Piasecki Aircraft, the module has twin tilting ducted fans for vertical and forward flight. Ares is designed to carry interchangeable 3,000-lb. payload modules at light-aircraft speeds.

Airborne to Undersea

Singapore Technology Aerospace

Bridging domains, Singapore Technology Aerospace’s Unmanned Hybrid Vehicle is launched from a ship to fly up to 5 mi., land on water and submerge to perform missions such as mine detection. The electric-powered flying wing has a folding propeller for flight and two small props for underwater propulsion.

Pizza Express

Flirtey

Startup Flirtey is leading the drone delivery charge, beginning commercial trials of autonomous pizza delivery with Domino’s in New Zealand in late 2016. Other trials have involved convenience chain 7-Eleven and delivering medical supplies. The quadcopter hovers and winches its payload to the ground.

Drone vs. Drone

Delft Dynamics

DroneCatcher, under development by the Netherlands’ Delft Dynamics, is a multicopter that fires a net to capture a hostile drone. A parachute attached to the net lowers the captured drone safely to the ground. Work on a production version is being funded by an unidentified defense customer.

IED Detector

Laser Detect Systems

SpectroDrone is an explosives detection system that can fly up to 3 km (1.9 mi.) and use its laser-based sensor to detect and analyze hazardous materials several meters from the threat. The system has been developed by Israel’s Laser Detect Systems using an Airobotics Optimus industrial quadcopter.

Previous
Next

Unmanned aircraft have opened up the design space for airborne systems, enabling missions that could not be performed safely or economically by manned aircraft.

See Also:
Military UAS Makers Eye Commercial Markets As Civil Roles Widen
UAS Development For Military Uses Continues In 2017
Photo Gallery: Will Biofuels Finally Take Off In 2017?
T-X Trainer Contract Is A Big Prize In A Crowded Global Market

Graham Warwick

Graham leads Aviation Week's coverage of technology, focusing on engineering and technology across the aerospace industry, with a special focus on identifying technologies of strategic importance to aviation, aerospace and defense.

Aviation Week Intelligence Network
Monitor the market and connect your business to the people, programs and proprietary data driving the Aerospace & Defense market - only available with AWIN.

ASD_AWIN_thumbnail_270

Stay Connected.
Stay Informed
Grow Your Business.

Learn How

Follow us on

Markets

  • Aerospace
  • Air Transport
  • MRO
  • Defense and Space
  • Business Aviation

Products

  • AWIN Intelligence Bundles
  • Market Briefings
  • Publications
  • Data Services
  • Directories
  • Resources

Contact Us

  • Subscriber Services
  • Advertising, Marketing Services & List Rentals
  • Content Sales
  • Events
  • PR & Communications
  • Content Licensing and Reprints
  • FAQ

Other Resources

  • Aviation Week Marketplace
  • Knowledge Center
  • Newsletters
  • ShowNews
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC.
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use