Secret SAS spy drone can track terrorists anywhere in the world and stay airborne for 45 days

BY JASPER HAMILL, Sun

17th August 2016

THE SAS is building a fleet of solar-powered surveillance drones capable of staying airborne for up to 45 days at a time.

Britain has just bought its third “pseudo-satellite” drone capable of soaring to 70,000 feet, twice as a high as a passenger jet.

The trio of surveillance craft will be used to spy on terrorists around the world and are said to resemble Klingon Bird of Prey spaceships from Star Trek.

The drone is called the Zephyr S and has been built under a £13million contract with Airbus Defence and Space.

Read more:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1625736/secret-sas-spy-drone-can-track-terrorists-anywhere-in-the-world-and-stay-airborne-for-45-days/

London woman dies in possibly the first drone-related accidental death

• Adam Lusher 
• Tuesday 9 August 2016
Independent

A young woman died in a car crash Tuesday after her vehicle was followed by police investigating reports of a drone being flown near Wandsworth Prison in London.

The incident may be the first fatality linked to the non-military use of drones.

Read more:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/drones-fatal-road-accident-first-non-military-drone-death-accident-car-crash-surveillance-safety-a7180576.html

SKYLARK IS A SMALL SEA DRONE

By Kelsey D. Atherton August 16, 2016
Popular Science

Skylark small sea drone

The Skylark C, by Israel-based defense company Elbit Systems, is built to launch from a boat, take a quick look around the sea, and then return to its crew. Think of it almost like a hitchhiking seagull, only instead of demanding snacks it captures pictures of potential enemies.

Read more:

http://www.popsci.com/skylark-is-small-drone-for-big-tasks-little-wars

First look at 'Nazi gold train' as drone footage captures moment hunters start digging for Third Reich treasure

• UPDATED 12:58, 17 AUG 2016
• BY LAURA CONNOR   Mirror

Facebook live video of the excavation as treasure hunters attempt to prove whether there's a priceless stash of art and treasure underground.

Read more:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/first-look-nazi-gold-train-8640073

Video appears to confirm use of attack drones by Hezbollah

BY JUDAH ARI GROSS August 11, 2016
The Times of Israel

Footage shows terror group dropping cluster bombs on Syria rebel positions from UAV, years after it first boasted of drone capability

Read more:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/video-appears-to-confirm-use-of-attack-drones-by-hezbollah-in-syria/

Madeira: Drone footage shows destruction and devastation from the fire

3,200 hectares burned, which corresponds to almost one-third of the area of the entire county. These images taken by a drone, show the aftermath of the fire in one of the island’s largest areas of forest.

The Calheta Wildfires account for nearly 60 percent of all the burned area on the island.

More:

http://www.euronews.com/2016/08/15/madeira-island-drone-aerials-show-destruction-and-the-burned-area-due-to-the

Amazon wants to turn church spires and street lights into drone recharging points

By BEN WOODS

---

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Amazon's patented the use of aerial structures such as church spires and street lights as recharging points for its as-yet grounded fleet of delivery drones.

According to the patent, spotted by PatentYogi, the "docking stations" would allow for both the recharging of drones, and serve as a place for them to shelter in bad weather.

Read more:

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/amazon-prime-air-recharging-points-patent

It’s Time for Fancy Apartments to Offer Balconies for Drone Landings

Charles Bombardier

MAKE NO MISTAKE: Drones are coming, and they’re going to change a lot of things about how we shape our lives. So why shouldn’t we change how we shape our buildings to get ready for them?

Early adopters will probably buy personal flying vehicles in the not too distant future. Some models are being developed as we speak. Maybe an innovative architectural firm will even pitch the idea of building a ‘drone-ready’ condo tower in Japan or Dubai in the coming months—and maybe it will sell faster than we think.

Read more:

https://www.wired.com/2016/08/time-fancy-apartments-offer-balconies-drone-landings/

Military unveils insect-sized spy drone with dragonfly-like wings

By Larisa Brown Defence Correspondent For The Daily Mail

A tiny remote-controlled aircraft modelled on an insect will become Britain’s latest weapon against terror.

The Dragonfly drone – which can fit in the palm of a hand - will spy on enemy positions and gather intelligence for the military and British agents.

It is inspired by the biology of a dragonfly, with four flapping wings and four legs to enable it to fly through the air seamlessly and perch on a windowsill to spy on terrorists.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3734945/Now-bugged-Military-unveils-insect-sized-spy-drone-dragonfly-like-wings.html

Obama Clears 2,000 Square Miles Of U.S. Airspace For New Free-Range Drone Preserve

WASHINGTON—Providing the unmanned aerial vehicles with ample space to gather and fly around unfettered, President Barack Obama signed an executive order Wednesday setting aside nearly 2,000 square miles of airspace over western Montana as a federally protected free-range drone preserve, sources confirmed. “These are truly impressive and majestic aircraft, and they deserve a sanctuary where they can soar freely without fear of RF jamming or surface-to-air missiles,” said Obama, who described the remote region as “prime drone habitat,” explaining how it was selected for its abundant reserves of high-octane jet fuel and crystal-clear satellite uplink connections. “Here, all types of drones—from the large and magnificent Global Hawk to the wide variety of lively short-range mini UAVs—will be free to engage in their beautiful natural behavior of surveilling, tracking targets on the ground, and neutralizing them.” Following several early incidents, White House sources confirmed that MQ-1 Predator drones would be kept in their own designated portion of the preserve to separate them from the less aggressive varieties.






Read more:

http://www.theonion.com/article/obama-clears-2000-square-miles-us-airspace-new-fre-53490

Declassified report: Aberporth airfield crash drone scrapped

BBC.com

A multimillion-pound drone was scrapped after it crashed at a Ceredigion airfield, according to a declassified report.

The 70st (450kg) unarmed, unmanned air vehicle (UAV) crashed at Aberporth airfield during a test flight in October 2014.

It was part of the Army's £1.16bn Watchkeeper surveillance drone programme - due to come online in 2017.

Details of the crash emerged in a Ministry of Defence (MoD) report.

Read more:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-37082095

How drones will push forward the economy

João Pedro Caleiro, de EXAME.com

São Paulo (Brazil) - Originally developed for military use, drones have been invading other sectors of the economy - from transportation to entertainment.

A recent survey from Drone Powered Solutions (DNS), from the consulter PwC, estimates that the value of the commercial uses of drones may reach US$ 127 billions.

Read more (in portuguese):

http://exame.abril.com.br/economia/noticias/como-os-drones-vao-mexer-com-a-economia

Fighting Fires With Fireball Shooting Drones

Hopefully this gives firefighters some more time to rescue cute little kitties from trees.


More:

http://digg.com/video/us-forest-service-drone-fireball

Gold Prospecting Drone

by gold-nugget

January 25, 2015

In this video I use the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ aerial drone for assisting in locating good areas to prospect for gold. I use a this quad copter, but there are also much larger six and eight engine models. Larger drones are able to lift heavier loads and as some professional photographers want to use their single lens reflex cameras, they require a larger model.




Read more:

http://www.california-gold-rush-miner.us/california-gold-rush-miner/gold-prospecting-drone.html/

Sports, Drones, and Follow-Me Aerial Action Imagery: A State of the Industry

FEBRUARY 3, 2015 by RAY MAKER

There’s been a ton of interest as of late in using drones within sports.  This interest comes from many different angles.  First is the more traditional approach of simply using the unmanned aerial vehicle as a platform for videography and photography.  We already see this in various forms today.  The 2014 Olympics in Sochi being probably the most visible and earliest mainstream example of that, but more recently ESPN utilized this technology in certain events last week at the X Games.  Similarly, within the endurance sports world, the Norseman Triathlon annually produces some epic race videos using drone technology.



Read more:

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/02/drone-sports-usage.html

Drones can be awful at sporting events. But they could also be awesome.

By Justin Peters

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images


The website Deadspin has a rubric called “Idiot on the Field,” under which it chronicles the antics of those cheerful inebriates who like to disrupt sporting events by unexpectedly running onto the field of play. 


Read more:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/09/drones_in_sports_they_can_help_coaches_and_athletes_but_also_create_major.html

ESPN Has Decided Drone Racing Is a Sport Because Internet

KEN LOO

IF YOU DOUBTED that drone racing was a real sport—that robots flying through garish neon gates belong in the same league as muscled athletes who actually sweat—consider this: It’s coming to ESPN.


Read more:
https://www.wired.com/2016/04/espn-decided-drone-racing-sport-internet/

How drone racing can help at-risk youth

• Nickolaus Hines   
• August 8, 2016

Alex Vargas believes drone racing can change lives. At his job as a therapeutic mentor at Child & Family Services in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a town of 13,000 about 20 miles from Boston, Vargas says he uses drones to connect with at-risk and gang-affiliated youth.


Read more:
https://www.inverse.com/article/19389-drone-racing-can-help-at-risk-youth

A flying saucer that fights fire with sound

• By Jack Stewart

15 April 2016

Fighting forest fires can be a huge challenge, as they’re often in remote areas, hard to reach. One inventor thinks a flying saucer might be the answer – using sound waves to quell the flames.

Read more:


http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160415-a-flying-saucer-that-fights-fire-with-sound

Quadcopter-Based Video Conferences Are Now A Google Patent

August.11.2016

Daniel Fuller

When it comes to thinking up uses for drones, telepresence has always been one of the biggest innovative use cases, but has never truly come into its own. Google, who has thought up a few creative uses for drones themselves over the years, is looking to change all of that. A new patent from Google shows off a concept design for a drone specifically built for teleconferencing. The drone is a fairly plain, bar-style quadcopter, aside from the fact that a giant screen hangs down from the front, not unlike the drone has a face. That screen and some accompanying cameras and sound equipment make the magic happen.

The drone is designed to be movable by the party on the other side of the screen, who will have control over not only the drone, but also the angle of the attached screen, which is shown at various angles, but looks to be capable of looking directly above and below it, as well. While many drones out there, almost all decent ones, in fact, feature cameras, they don’t feature a screen, for the most part. This means that while Google’s drone may not be quite as good at flying over iconic landscapes to get a good shot, or racing, it is uniquely talented in teleconferencing. The drone, unlike typical telepresence setups in the business world, can traverse stairs, look at people on eye-level, and hover around the room to get a better look at documents and other materials that may be scattered about during a typical meeting.

Read more:

http://www.androidheadlines.com/2016/08/quadcopter-based-video-conferences-now-google-patent.html

How to find POKEMONS with DRONES at SECRET spots!!!

Artificial Intelligence Drone Defeats Fighter Pilot: The Future?

By COLIN CLARK  on August 08, 2016

In an intriguing paper certain to catch the eye of senior Pentagon officials, a company claims that an artificial intelligence program it designed allowed drones to repeatedly and convincingly “defeat” a human pilot in simulations in a test done with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).

A highly experienced former Air Force battle manager, Gene Lee, tried repeatedly and failed to score a kill and “he was shot out of the air by the reds every time after protracted engagements.” All of the missile battles were executed beyond Beyond Visual Range.

“It seemed to be aware of my intentions and reacting instantly to my changes in flight and my missile deployment. It knew how to defeat the shot I was taking. It moved instantly between defensive and offensive actions as needed,” Lee, who oversaw the F-35A, F-22 and Global Hawk systems for Air Combat Command until 2011, said in an article published by University of Cincinnati Magazine.

Read more:

http://breakingdefense.com/2016/08/artificial-intelligence-drone-defeats-fighter-pilot-the-future/

Drone reports to UK police soar 352% in a year amid urgent calls for regulation

Peter Yeung, Independent

Police are having to investigate a fourfold rise in the number of crime reports involving shop bought drones – including allegations they are being used by paedophiles over children’s playgrounds, peeping toms spying through bedroom windows, burglars scoping out people’s properties, and even cash point scammers recording PIN numbers.

An investigation by The Independent has found that the number of incidents reported to the police involving drones surged by 352 per cent in a single year as the public became increasingly aware – and suspicious – of the machines.

Read more:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/drones-police-crime-reports-uk-england-safety-surveillance-a7155076.html

How Brazil is trying (and failing) to keep drones away from the Olympics

 Russell Brandom  August 8, 2016

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

On Friday, more than 60,000 people packed into Rio’s Maracanã stadium for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games — but above their heads, something disconcerting was happening. Observers reported as many as three drones hovering above the stadium, triggering a security panic that reached all the way to the teams providing protection for visiting heads of state. It was the exact scenario Brazilian security had hoped to avoid — but despite the latest equipment and months of preparation, keeping drones out of an open-air stadium is still an extremely difficult job.

Read more:

http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/8/12402972/olympics-rio-2016-anti-drone-jamming-public-safety

Lufthansa reports near-miss with UAV in Munich

Aug 8, 2016  Kurt Hofmann

Germany’s Lufthansa has confirmed an incident involving a near-miss between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, and a Lufthansa Airbus A321 on approach to Munich Airport Aug. 4.

“We can confirm a disorder involving one of our aircraft and an object when on approach to Munich. Nothing happened; however, a drone has no place there. As the investigation is ongoing, I can’t give any further information at the moment,” Lufthansa spokesperson Michael Lamberty told ATW in Frankfurt.

The Lufthansa A321 was operating as scheduled service flight LH116 between Frankfurt and Munich with 108 passengers and six crew on board.

http://atwonline.com/safety/lufthansa-reports-near-miss-uav-munich

Homeland Security Seeks Drone Startups to Fund

AUGUST 5, 2016 BY MIRIAM MCNABB

As part of an effort to connect with innovative industry, Homeland Security held an industry event last week in order to meet “nontraditional contractors” who might be able to provide the drone technology that they need.
Startups who can provide technology that matches the government’s needs could receive $50,000 to $200,000 for milestone. While the funding amounts are not as high as traditional venture capital offerings, government representatives assured attendees that the trade off was worth it.  Federal personnel said that they would help companies to gain recognition in the commercial market, testing new products and doing their part to communicate the value of the new technology.


http://dronelife.com/2016/08/05/homeland-security-drone-startups-to-fund/