UavsAndDrones
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Navy awards Aerovel Flexrotor contract to develop marine surveillance tech
The high seas and UAVs go together like -- well, they go together really well. The Navy's cooking up 3D laser imaging technology for spotting pirates and the like, but it will need some aircraft for the task. Right on cue, a helicopter / airplane hybrid for maritime surveillance is inching toward reality. Aerovel's Flexrotor, an ultra-compact craft with a wing span of three meters (9.8 feet) and a weight of just 19.2 kg (42.3 lb), has already been demonstrated to switch between horizontal and vertical flight, but the next step is enhancing its propulsion system to improve its performance for longer distances and in windier conditions. Today the Office of Naval Research (ONR) awarded the company a contract for developing that tech. For now, you can check out a video of the Flexrotor's first test flight, which demoes the UAV transitioning from vertical and horizontal orientation and back again.
Zephyr solar-powered UAV breaks three more world records
The Zephyr is a winning machine. Last we reported, QinetiQ's solar-powered drone had just completed 7-days in the air, and counting. Now, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) has confirmed that Zephyr completed that record-breaking flight with a solid 2-weeks in the air (336 hours). If that wasn't enough to put other drones to shame, FAI found that Zephyr also destroyed records for flight duration for a UAV of its class, and the altitude record for that class at 21,562 meters, or 70,741 feet. So keep the records coming, Zephyr, because everyone loves a winner, even when that winner is a unmanned war machine.
