No sooner did the drone (UAS) market take off than the counter-drone or C-UAS (Counter-UAS) market got off the ground, as well. After all, something had to be done about those pesky rascals, right? For as long as there have been drones, there have been people wanting to shoot them down. That is actually whatContinue reading “The Emerging Counter-UAS Market”
Author Archives: 69th Drone Detachment
Hey, Venezuela – What You Doing With Those Drones?
Long, long ago (in 2012) Venezuela purchased some Mohajer 2 (‘Migrant’) drones from the IRI (Islamic Republic of Iran). These “Sant’ Arpia” (as Venezuela terms them) drones are light ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) drones with a speed of 200km/h (124.74 mph/107.99 knots) and a range of 50km (31mi). Their ceiling is 3,352m (11,000 ft)Continue reading “Hey, Venezuela – What You Doing With Those Drones?”
Possession of Illegal Drones
I am not looking into a crystal ball right now, but as I ponder the FAA’s proposed rules on UAS Remote ID and Tracking (the last part always conveniently left out), I can see the future coming… The idea of people flying fast drones around, whipping in and out of buildings and around obstacles hasContinue reading “Possession of Illegal Drones”
Iran’s New Battle Drone
Iran unveiled its new Saegheh-2 (Thunderbolt) ‘battle drone’ on 31 January, 2019, at the Eqtedar (‘Power’) 40 military arms conference in Tehran, Iran. Using a design obviously copied from the MQ-117 Sentinel (that had been command hijacked over Iran on 5 December 2011), the new drone represents the pinnacle of Iran’s UAV fleet. An olderContinue reading “Iran’s New Battle Drone”
The Colorado Drone Swarm Task Force- as Elusive as the Reported Drones Are
The task force formed in response to reported sightings of ‘drone swarms’ over NE Colorado and SW Nebraska is proving to be as elusive as the drone swarms (and their operators) are. The task force was noisily convened in response to nationwide coverage of a mass of reported drone sightings at night. The FAA reportedlyContinue reading “The Colorado Drone Swarm Task Force- as Elusive as the Reported Drones Are”
Drone ‘Toon #3
…and the last one, then back to re-reading the FAA Proposal and the UAS ARC Final Report, and making more notes (since it’s now too dark and windy to fly). (c) 2020, by Me
Drone ‘Toon #2
Yet another product of some Friday afternoon Sharpie(R) drawing on the porch, to balance the seriousness. This one’s a bit more risque… (c) 2020 by Me
Drone Toon #1
Perhaps I’ll re-draw it and scan it for better quality, but here’s the original, hot off the porch…a little levity amidst the seriousness couldn’t hurt, right? (c) 2020, by me
Stay Tuned: Upcoming Posts for 1Q 2020
It’s an ambitious list, but here are some blog posts I intend to post during (optimally) the first quarter of this year. You’ll notice many are about regulatory issues (as we are in a comment period and the issue is time-sensitive), but I’ll try to interject other articles covering various categories of the Drone World.Continue reading “Stay Tuned: Upcoming Posts for 1Q 2020”
The FAA’s Invitation to Anti-Drone Luddites
The FAA’s proposed Remote ID and Tracking rules for UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) will make some significant changes to the drone world, and to our national airspace. As the proposed rule stands, any operator of a UAS would be identified by position of the drone and the position of the operator/remote control. Aside from beingContinue reading “The FAA’s Invitation to Anti-Drone Luddites”
A Brave New Drone World 