Terminator Times #51

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs: drones)

DARPA is working on controlling drones by thought.

DARPA is also studying human-swarm interactions.

DARPA demonstrated its kit on a Sikorsky to make any helicopter optionally manned.

A US Air Force Global Hawk was reported near Russian borders.

Is the USAF drone base in Niger worth the cost?

The USAF has given L3 a contract for MQ-9 maintenance.

Suicide drones are being considered for the US Army.

The US Army is considering special pods to allow their Gray Eagle UAVs to carry a lot of very small bombs.

The US Army is considering a very long duration UAV like the Zephyr.

The US Army gave a contract mod to General Atomics to support its Gray Eagle UAVs.

The US Navy has launched its first uav test squadron.

The US Navy has installed an unmanned warfare center on the USS Eisenhower.

The US Navy is buying the Aerosonde UAV.

Algeria unveiled its Chinese bought UAVs.

Belgium is buying two RQ-9B UAVs.  Or will it be MQ-1 Predators?

China unveiled its stealthy CH-7 UAV at the Zhuhai Airshow.

China also showed off the latest version of Tian Ying UAV.

China's Wing Loong II has entered PLAAF service.

New drones dominated China's Zhuhai airshow.

Egypt is showing off its Wing Loong UAVs.

Iran claims to have used its Saeqeh drone, reversed engineered from the captured RQ-170, for strikes in Syria.

Iranian drone overflights of US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf are now common.

Japan is interested in the General Atomics Avenger to monitor China.

Netherlands is considering cooperating with Italy on their Reaper utilization.

Pakistan and China will jointly produce the Wing Loong UAVs.

The Russian military apparently are no longer interested in the Altair UAV.

The Russians are bizarrely claiming the drone attacks against their airbase in Syria were directed by a US Navy P-8 Poseidon.  The US and its allies refute this.

The Russian Army has supposedly received 1800 UAVs in the last six years.

The Russians have developed a biomimic UAV in the shape of an owl.

Spain has bought Orbiter UAVs.

Spain has pledged to buy 15 European MALE UAVs.

Taiwan has not decided between the MQ-9 UAV and Teng Yun.

Taiwan has been cleared to buy the MQ-8B FireScout.

Turkey is buying 22 more Anka UAVs.

Turkey's drones are targeting the Kurds.

Turkeys indigenous UAV industry is making progress.

A Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter shot down a Russian Orlan-10 UAV.

The Aeromapper Talon UAV can land in water.

AeroVironment is working with General Dynamics to integrate drones on its armored fighting vehicles.

Anatov unveiled UAV concepts.

Avic is readying the prototype of the Wing Loong I-D for its first flight.

Boeing believes they won the MQ-25A competition through R&D ahead of time.  Also, the MQ-25A will fly for the first time in 2019.

CASIC also unveiled its WJ-700 UCAV.

FLIR has developed a launch/recovery system for its Black Hornest 3 Micro UAVs for vehicles.

General Atomics has been given a contract to improve the all weather capabilities of the Reaper.

General Atomics also got another contract to produce more Reapers for the US military.

IAI has been working on an IED clearing robot.

Instant Eye displayed its new small UAV.

Institu is promoting its ScanEagle.

KAI has been working internally on its own VTOL UAVs.

Kratos is expanding its Oklahoma City manufacturing facilities.

Leonardo is prepping its AWHero UAS for an exercise.

Lockheed has added synthetic aperature radar to its unmanned hybrid airship.

Norinco has presented a UAV swarm concept where some are hexacopters with missiles and others are quads with sensors and grenades.

Stanford has drones that can lift 40 times their weight and open doors cooperatively.

Textron is demoing a replacement for the Shadow UAV.

Uconsystem has added VTOL capabilities to the RemoEye 002B mini UAV.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs: Bolos and Ogres):

The US Army is about to do an extended test of the SMET UGVs in infantry brigades.

The US Army has come up with a way for bots to figure out where they are when GPS isn't available.

The US Army wants to use robots to direct precision strikes, especially in urban areas.

The US Army is looking to deploy its leader-follower technology to make logistics vehicles self driving next year in the US.

The British robot for bomb disposal is sailing through its early trials.

China unveiled an armed UGV with micro intelligent missiles.

Israel has confirmed it has a customer for its Sahar UGV.

NATO exercises are demoing UGVs for logistics.

Ukraine has unveiled a new UGCV.

IAI is working on UGVs.

Textron is buying Howe & Howe, makers of the Ripsaw mini tank and UGVs.

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (Roboats):

The US Navy is developing a USV for countermine operations.

The US Navy has released an RFI on a medium sized USV, 12m to 50m in length.

NATO nations are teaming up on unmanned systems to counter Russian subs.

French company Ixblue unveiled its Drix USVs.

Yunzhou Tech showed off its armed USVs.

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles:

GD has introduced the Bluefin-9 UUV.

3d Printing:

The US Army has deployed a 3d printing RFAB facility in South Korea.

3d printing might help the US Navy and USMC return aircraft to flight status faster.

3d printing has produced its first part for a nuclear aircraft carrier.

Lockheed is studying robotic assisted 3d printing.

Software Bots:

DARPA wants an AI that understands context.

The US military wants to teach common sense to AI.

META:

Some are calling for AI to be retooled to spot and limit wars.

Children are being recruited in China to work on AI based weapons.