Creating a U-Space ecosystem for UAV and eVTOL, a hypersonic UAV project in Australia, how to Rickroll a crowd with 300 drones, the Switchblade drone in Ukraine, the outlook for agricultural drones, drone delivery service in Texas, and drones and export laws

UAV NewsDroniq CEO Jan-Eric Putze on Creating a UAV and eVTOL Ecosystem

Droniq is a German company that provides hardware and software solutions for UAS Traffic Management (UTM). They started in 2016 as a research project of Deutsche Telecom and DFS, which is Germany’s air navigation service provider. CEO Putze says, “We have a highly regulated air environment and a highly unregulated drone world. We’re trying to come together.” He notes that the drone economy innovates using trial and error but manned aviation doesn’t work that way. Also, the drone industry and manned aviation can learn from each other.

The U-Space system is in test in Germany but other EU states are behind and probably won’t meet the January 2023 U-Space deadline.

Read more about U-Space:

• The U-Space Deadline is January 2023. What Has to Happen Before That? A Conversation with ANRAs Amit Ganjoo
• France Chooses 8 UTM Providers to Create a Best of Breed Integrated Solution U-Space Together

Putze is also the president of the Alliance for New Mobility Europe (AME), a new organization that brings together stakeholders in the European UAV and eVTOL market.

Australian hypersonic UAV project awarded $2.95 million federal funding

The project partners are developing the DART CMP Airframe, a hydrogen-powered vehicle using the Hypersonix SPARTAN scramjet engine. Fully reusable, with ceramic matrix composites (CMC) components, the DART CMP should travel at speeds up to Mach 12. The project will begin in July 2022. Partners include Hypersonix Launch Systems (Sydney), the University of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba), LSM Advanced Composites (Harlaxton), and Romar Engineering (Sefton).

300 Drones Formed a QR Code That Rick Rolled Dallas on April Fools’ Day

Sky Elements Drone Shows formed a giant QR code with 300 drones over Dallas on April 1, 2022. Those who followed the link wound up at Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video.

Switchblade: A look at the drone the US is sending to Ukraine

The AeroVironment Switchblade (sometimes called the Kamikaze), was introduced in 2011 and developed for US Special Forces in Afghanistan. The Switchblade 300 is designed to attack personnel and light vehicles, can be carried in a backpack, and is just over ½ meter long. The larger Switchblade 600 has a Javelin anti-armour warhead, requires a 10-minute setup, weighs 23 kg, and can fly out 40 km in 20 minutes, then loiter another 20 min.

Video: Switchblade: A look at the drone the US is sending to Ukraine

Global Agriculture Drones Market Forecasts to 2026: Exemptions Provided by US FAA for the Use of Agriculture Drones and Increasing Investments

ResearchAndMarkets.com is offering the Agriculture Drones Market – Forecasts from 2021 to 2026 report. The agriculture drones market was projected to grow at a CAGR of 32.49%, reaching US$7 billion by 2026. Drone use in agriculture is growing and is seen as a reliable and cost-effective tool. Just published is a new report: Agriculture Drones Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 – 2027) with a lower 7.1% CAGR, largely due to the industry effects of COVID-19.

More drone delivery services take flight in North Texas

The drone food delivery service Flytrex has started Granbury, Texas. Using the Flytrex app, customers can order from several restaurants and have their food delivered by drone to their yard. Flytrex also operates in three North Carolina locations. (Holly Springs, Raeford, and Fayetteville).

Video: Flytrex Sky Delivery Takes Off In Texas

As Drones Grow More Sophisticated, Export Rules Still Stuck in 1980s, Experts Say

The 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime defines unmanned systems in the same category as missiles. To comply, the State Department has frequently killed proposed foreign military sales of drones. But if the drones can’t be purchased from the U.S., others are more than happy to supply them, including China. A recent paper from The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies discusses the issue: Building Alliances and Competing with China: The Imperative for UAV Export Reforms.

Commercial UAV Expo 2022

September 6 – 8, 2022 Las Vegas

The Commercial UAV Expo is a leading trade show and conference that focuses on the integration and operation of commercial UAS with more exhibitors than any other commercial drone event.

Industries covered include Construction; Drone Delivery; Energy & Utilities; Forestry & Agriculture; Infrastructure & Transportation; Mining & Aggregates; Public Safety & Emergency Services; Security; and Surveying & Mapping. The Commercial UAV Expo was launched in 2015 and it gathers the international drone ecosystem under one roof. 

You’ll find educational opportunities, unparalleled networking, and more exhibits than any other commercial drone event. It’s really a must-attend event if you hope to keep up with the newest technology and developments. The Expo is presented by Commercial UAV News and organized by Diversified Communications. Use the hashtag #expouav.