Courtesy: Skyfire Skyfire Consulting has acquired a majority stake in Viking UAS, a drone design and manufacturing company operating in the military research sector. A Skyfire press release says the Maine-based company will work on drone solutions for “sectors such as public safety, infrastructure and last-mile delivery for coronavirus-related medical …

Drones are being increasingly called into action during the COVID-19 crisis, primarily as surveillance tools and mobile speakers to remind people about the importance of lockdown. But there are other use-cases for drones, too. Last month, Digital Trends wrote about how Draganfly, one of the longest-serving commercial drone companies, was …

Source: Citadel Defense Counter-drone provider Citadel Defense is flying high, even as the tech firm tries to keep unauthorized zones out of the sky. According to a press release, the San Diego-based company has experienced a surge in global demand for Titan counter-drone system, forcing Citadel to expand manufacturing capabilities …

As enterprise drone applications grow, the industry awaits a rule on flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS.)  BLVOS flight is an important concept for the growth of the commercial drone market.  Regulations allowing drones to fly beyond the range of a visual observer would make long range applications like …

Can robots provide an effective method to combat the COVID-19 pandemic? A team of robotic leaders, including Henrik Christensen, the director of UC San Diego’s Contextual Robotics Institute, believes that healthcare systems can use robots for a variety of purposes. In a new editorial, published in the journal Scientific Reports, …

Source: Lilium Munich-based aviation startup Lilium is soaring higher today with a funding boost of $240 million. The internal funding round is led by Tencent, with Atomico, Freigeist and LGT participating. The funding will fuel Lilium’s development and production of the Lilium Jet, an all-electric, VTOL passenger drone . According …

Image Provided by Parrot French drone company Parrot, manufacturers of the ANAFI drone, has partnered with DroneLogBook to simplify drone data logging for commercial applications.  In a recent release, Parrot announced that their partnership with DroneLogBook will provide the capacity for pilots to keep track of equipment performance, schedule necessary …

Courtesy: Alpha Unmanned Systems Spanish UAV firm Alpha Unmanned Systems announced this week production of the High Accelerated Lifetime Testing (HALT) – a “minute-by-minute” flight test system. “This means that Alpha’s engines and transmissions will be tested in ‘near-flight’ environments for significantly longer periods of time and in environments more …

UPS is developing its own fleet of high-speed delivery drones that can travel as fast as 150mph and remain stable in 45mph winds UPS will partner with German firm Wingcopter to develop a new fleet of drones The drones will be both fast and durable, intended for time sensitive deliveries …

Acquisition DOD official: ‘Adversarial capital’ threatens industrial base By Lauren C. Williams Mar 25, 2020 The Defense Department is concerned that foreign investment will take advantage of small businesses in the defense industrial base reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ellen Lord, DOD’s top acquisition executive, told reporters March 25 …