By the time that Tripoli fell with surprising ease to rebel forces, NATO had flown more than 20,000 sorties during Operation Unified Protector. More than one third of these were strike missions, although weapons were not released on every sortie.
Unmanned aerial vehicle
September 2, 2011 - 9:15am
U.S. special or covert forces are using hand-launched UAVs disguised as large birds to monitor terrorist movements along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The Pakistan Frontier Corps recovered one such UAV after it crashed on August 25 near one of its border forts in Baluchistan.
August 29, 2011 - 4:35am
The U.S. Army will mount the largest yet demonstration of manned and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) interoperability.
August 26, 2011 - 7:10am
GA representatives accept the inevitability of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) flying in civil airspace, but urge their safe introduction. “[AOPA is] certainly an advocate of new aircraft entering the airspace system. It’s a matter of doing that safely,” Heidi Williams, AOPA senior director of airspace and modernization, told attendees at the Unmanned Systems North America conference last month. Unmanned aircraft in the U.S.
August 22, 2011 - 5:55am
The briefing requests started three weeks out: “[company executive] available to discuss new products at our exhibit. Can we arrange a meeting?” In advance of the Unmanned Systems North America conference last week, I received nearly 40 such invitations, still only a fraction of the reported 510 exhibitors at the four-day event held in Washington, D.C.’s cavernous downtown convention center.
August 22, 2011 - 5:00am
The U.S. Army and Navy will coordinate their requirements for a future unmanned medium-range helicopter, officials said at the Unmanned Systems North America conference last week in Washington, D.C. Such has been the interest in unmanned VTOL systems that programs and requirements seem to have proliferated, leading to potentially duplicative and costly developments.
August 22, 2011 - 4:50am
"Surges" of Puma and Raven small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are boosting U.S. Army operations in Afghanistan. Responding to an urgent operational requirement there, the Army has ordered 180 new Puma systems to protect route clearance patrols from IEDs. This follows earlier urgent requirements for the two aircraft, manufactured by AeroVironment, of Monrovia, Calif.
August 1, 2011 - 5:30am
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said a French version of the IAI Heron TP will serve as the country’s Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) surveillance UAV from 2014 until 2020, when it will be replaced by the Anglo-French Telemos system.
August 1, 2011 - 4:50am
Goodrich signed an agreement to distribute an electronic fuel injection system developed by Australian firm Currawong Engineering. Currawong’s Small Engine Electronic Fuel Injection System (SEEFIS) can “dramatically increase” the reliability and fuel efficiency of small internal combustion engines in UAVs that run on gasoline or heavy fuels such as JP8, the companies say.
