A FLIR Systems acquisition and a nano-UAV contract, proposed drone rules for Australia, testing UAS in the wind, a market forecast for drones, and Amazon tests UTM.
UAS Magazine reports that FLIR Systems has acquired drone developer Aeryon Labs Inc. for $200 million. FLIR wants to be more than a sensor supplier and Aeryon develops quad-copters that integrate multiple sensors.
FLIR Systems was awarded a $39.6 Million order to deliver FLIR Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS) to the United States Army. This is a follow-on order to the first phase award in June 2018. These nano-UAV systems were bought for the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) Program and will support platoon and small unit level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. FLIR has delivered over 8,000 Black Hornet nano-UAVs around the world.
Video: Introducing the Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet 3
The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has proposed requirements for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) registration and operator accreditation. These apply to RPA more than 250 grams operated recreationally and all RPA operated commercially, including excluded RPA operations, regardless of weight. Excluded from the RPA registration and accreditation requirements are RPA 250 grams or less operated recreationally, model aircraft at CASA-approved model airfields, and RPA operated recreationally indoors. There is an online response form for comments.
Windshape is a Switzerland based company that developed a drone flight testing environment that can be installed indoors. TruWeather Solutions works with highly precise weather data for analytics applications. They and the NUAIR Alliance have been testing the impact of wind on different UAS platforms.
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