Holographic radar for drone detection, inspecting the Tokyo underground, good uses for drones at airports, delivery drones in China, Elon Musk has another prediction, a drone delivery proposal for Long Island Sound, an eVTOL prototype goes up in flames, and NASA’s Autonomous Navigation Demonstration Challenge.
The UK National Beyond Visual Line of Sight Experimentation Corridor (NBEC) was created to test new technologies that integrate unmanned aircraft into the airspace. A counter-UAS holographic radar from Aveillant was used to detect and track several different drones. Counter drone systems developer Operational Solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airways New Zealand for a drone detection system based on Aveillant’s radar technology. This is being trialed at Auckland Airport. Fortem Technologies has also developed an autonomous Counter UAV solution using TrueView R30, a holographic radar similar to Aveillant’s Gamekeeper.
Tokyo Metro is using drones to inspect almost 200 km of tunnels. The drones reduce the need for scaffolding and heavy equipment. The drone has a 22 cm diameter, weighs 1.15 kg, and can fly for up to five minutes. It’s surrounded by a spherical cage with LED lights and sends video to a monitor where workers look for any defects in the tunnel. The drone also takes photos for later inspection.
Three ways drones can work positively with airport operations: maintenance and inspection activities at airports, drone delivery systems based at the airport, and bird control. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) lists six major technology trends that will impact how future air cargo facilities evolve: augmented reality and wearables, robotics and automated systems, IoT and connected cargo, big data and AI, green buildings, and drones and autonomous vehicles.
China’s eCommerce powerhouse JD.com has been using drone technology for deliveries since at least 2016. Under the JD Drone program, items are carried from regional delivery stations to village entrances, then local partners deliver orders to the customers. The JD drones are also being used for disaster relief and disinfectant spraying for Coronavirus.
Elon Musk had a fireside chat with Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations for the Space Force, about the future of air defense. Musk expects unmanned drones will outlive fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force. “It’s not [that] I want the future to be this. The fighter jet era has passed.”
