Unmanned Systems in 2014

Autonomous Cargo Demo

After a successful April demonstration, Aurora Flight Sciences advanced to the next phase of an Office of Naval Research program to develop an autonomy system enabling any cargo helicopter to respond to a resupply request, avoid hazards, select a safe landing site and land automatically.
Credit: Office of Naval Research

FAA Test Sites Open

The first of six FAA-designated civil UAS test sites became operational in April, but by year-end were still struggling to agree on research priorities with the FAA and support themselves with external customers.
Credit: Lockheed Martin

Neuron Flies in Formation

Dassault claimed a first—for Europe, at least—in April when it flew Europe’s Neuron unmanned combat aircraft demonstrator in formation with its manned Rafale fighter and Falcon 7X business jet.
Credit: Dassault Aviation

Global Hawk Crosses Europe

A U.S. Air Force Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk flew through Northern European airspace in May, supporting exercise Unified Vision, as a precursor to NATO operating the UAS beginning 2017.
Credit: U.S. Air Force

FAA Allows Some UAS

A chink in the FAA’s ban on civil UAS opened in June, and widened in December, when it approved limited, low-risk operation of small UAS for movie-making, aerial surveying, construction-site monitoring and flare-stack inspection.
Credit: Aerial MOB

Taranis Shows its Stealth

BAE Systems revealed in July that the U.K.’s Taranis unmanned combat aircraft demonstrator had demonstrated its stealth capabilities in a second phase of flight tests at Woomera, Australia.
Credit: BAE Systems

X-47B Shares Carrier Deck

With additional U.S. Navy funding to continue flight-testing into 2015, the X-47B unmanned combat aircraft demonstrated its ability to operate alongside manned aircraft on and around the aircraft carrier.
Credit: U.S. Navy

Triton Flies, Crosses the U.S.

Development testing of the U.S. Navy’s Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton broad area maritime surveillance system moved to NAS Patuxent River on the East Coast after cross-country ferry flights.
Credit: U.S. Navy

Google Wings It

In August Google took the wraps off Project Wing, to develop an unmanned delivery system, disclosing it had conducted real-world tests in the Australian Outback. Google and Facebook both bought high-altitude UAV makers to explore airborne Internet delivery, and France space agency CNES joined Google’s Project Loon to deliver Internet access via high-flying unmanned balloons.
Credit: Google

Watchkeeper Debuts

After lengthy development and certification delays, the U.K.’s Thales Watchkeeper tactical UAS flew operationally for the first time in September, in Afghanistan to help protect withdrawing forces.
Credit: U.K. Defense Ministry

MQ-8B And MH-60R On Board

Manned and unmanned naval helicopters deployed together at sea for the first time in November, when the U.S. Navy’s Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout and Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk sailed on the Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth.
Credit: U.S. Navy

Airprox Alerts

By mid-November, pilots flying in U.S. airspace had reported more than 190 UAS sightings in 2014 to the FAA, which receives about 25 such reports a month. In December, the U.K. said a model helicopter or small UAS came within 20 ft. of an Airbus A320 approaching Heathrow Airport.
Credit: via Wikipedia