The U.S. Army has used a new remote system to demonstrate a General Atomics-built MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, the Army News Service reported Wednesday. David Vergun writes F Company/227th Aviation soldiers managed the unmanned aircraft system’s payload with the One System Remote Video Terminal during a […] More

The U.S. Navy cannot issue a formal solicitation for the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike System contract until the Defense Department has completed its review of military aircraft portfolio, Reuters reported Wednesday. Andrea Shalal writes Rear Adm. Mike Manazir, director of air warfare at the Navy, said the military service finalized UCLASS development requirements […] More

A new Strategic Defense Intelligence report projects the global unmanned aerial vehicle market’s compound annual growth rate at 5.66 percent from 2015 through 2025, with autonomous combat vehicles to dominate the market. The report predicts North America and Europe to account for more than 67 percent of the UAV market over the next 10 years, ReportsnReports […] More

Industry executives said they expect drone sales orders from Middle East nations to increase after the State Department loosened export rules for unmanned aerial vehicles, Reuters reported Tuesday. “With this new policy, we see a lot more activity, we are talking to a lot more countries in the Middle East,” Frank Pace, president of General […] More

Boeing could receive $15.6 billion over the next five years to fund the production of modified 767 jets for the U.S. Air Force‘s aerial refueling operations, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Tony Capaccio writes that the Defense Department is requesting $2.95 billion for fiscal 2016, $3.22 billion for fiscal 2017 and $3.1 billion for fiscal 2018 through 2020 for its KC-46 tanker program. […] More

Exelis will continue to manufacture pneumatic carriage and release systems for the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle under a $27 million contract from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. The follow-on contract for 619 units of the BRU-71/A ejector rack is the third such order from the California-based aeronautics firm, with work to occur in Amityville, New […] More

Chris Pehrson serves as director of strategic development for General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Inc., where he is responsible for business acquisition strategies to promote company’s unmanned aircraft systems, tactical reconnaissance radars and sensor systems in U.S. and international markets. Pehrson joined the company in 2010 after service in the U.S. Air Force, where he commanded an operations group and two […] More

BAE Systems wants to offer the U.S. Army an electromagnetic railgun technology for integration onto the branch’s next fleet of armored ground vehicles, IEEE Spectrum reported Monday. Evan Ackerman writes the Army could decide in 2016 whether its proposed Future Fighting Vehicle program will proceed. BAE and General Atomics have developed long-range railguns for U.S. […] More

Business information provider Visiongain has unveiled its list of top 20 unmanned aerial vehicles and systems manufacturers in the world. The report predicts the specialties companies will choose in the field and how new players will try to stake a claim on a market that could undergo key structural changes amid an emergent commercial UAVs segment, Visiongain said Monday. “Although increasingly competitive, the […] More

The Federal Aviation Administration and NASA will collaborate with three companies to demonstrate a technology intended to prevent unmanned drones from colliding with other planes in airspace, Aviation International News reported Friday. Bill Carey writes that the FAA and NASA plan to conduct flight tests of a commercial drone equipped with a detect-and-avoid system at […] More

The Airbus Group‘s defense and space division and Textron have teamed to bid for a future tender offer by the French government for unmanned aerial vehicle technology, C4ISR & Networks reported Thursday. Pierre Tran writes the tender is expected in the second half of 2014 for awarding in 2015, with the Airbus Textron team facing competition from Safran‘s Sagem […] More

MBDA and program partners have conducted two trials of the company’s Dual Mode Brimstone missile technology aboard a remotely piloted aircraft that recorded nine hits against moving and maneuvering targets. The trials were held in December and January at U.S. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and used General Atomics‘ MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, MBDA said Friday. Dual Mode Brimstone weapons are […] More