This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Amazon has announced that its Scout delivery robots have made their way down south and are now operating in two new locations. The robots have begun delivering packages to select customers in Atlanta, Georgia and Franklin, Tennessee. (The Amazon Blog: Day One)
Defense
Defense
A rising tide lifts all boats: AUVSI's Maritime Advocacy Committee celebrates two-year anniversary
A rising tide lifts all boats is more than an aphorism for AUVSI’s Maritime Advocacy Committee (MAC), which today celebrates its two-year anniversary.
FLIR Systems awarded contract to deliver dozens of SkyRaider UAS to U.S. Marine Corps
FLIR Systems Inc. will deliver dozens of its SkyRaider UAS to the United States Marine Corps after being awarded a $10 million contract.
The FLIR R80D SkyRaider is FLIR’s most advanced military UAS. Developed for U.S. defense and federal government customers, the UAS is equipped with long-range, high-resolution EO/IR imaging sensors that provide day and night situational awareness.
For forward resupply, asset extraction, and other specialized missions, SkyRaider can carry and deliver external loads up to 4.4 pounds. The UAS also features “some of the most powerful” embedded AI processing available on a small UAS, according to FLIR.
Australian government to provide funding for additional MQ-4C Triton
The Australian government will provide funding for an additional MQ-4C Triton aircraft
Weekend Roundup: June 19, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
A proof of concept experiment by a multi-institutional research team shows that deploying sterile mosquitoes via drones could accelerate efforts to control their populations and reduce insect-borne disease. The project is a collaborative effort between French, Swiss, British, Brazilian, Senegalese and other researchers, and seems to be the most effective and practical approach to releasing sterilized male mosquitoes into the wild, where they compete with the other males for food and mates but produce no offspring. (TechCrunch)
Milrem Robotics, John Cockerill Defense showcase Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle
In front of select military forces from across the globe, Milrem Robotics and John Cockerill Defense showcased the Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle with the Cockerill Protected Weapons Station Gen. II (CPWS II).
The Type-X chassis features what the companies describe as a “revolutionary design” for a mobile modular multi-mission vehicle that provides a platform for a family of unmanned armored vehicles. According to the companies, the Type-X is the “first combat vehicle that is purposefully designed to be unmanned intended to be an integral part of mechanized units.”
Weekend Roundup: June 12, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
To ensure that kids read this summer, Wing has begun delivering books to students of the Christiansburg, Virginia school district. The idea behind the deliveries came from Kelly Passek, a middle-school librarian who works for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. Passek was one of the first customers of Wing’s drone delivery service launched in Christiansburg last year. (Washington Post)
AeroVironment receives two orders from NSPA for its Raven and Puma 3 AE UAS
AeroVironment has received two firm-fixed-price orders totaling $9,804,448 from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for its Raven and Puma 3 AE tactical UAS and spares. The first order is expected to be delivered by Aug. 2020, and the second order by Oct. 2020.
The orders are part of a three-year base contract received from NSPA in Jan. 2020. The contract includes an option for two additional years of logistics support for Raven, Wasp and Puma tactical UAS.
The total potential value of the multi-year contract is $80 million, which includes the procurement and sustainment of AeroVironment’s tactical UAS employed by the defense forces of several NATO countries.
