Tag Archives: UAV

Air Force to Cancel Blue Devil Airship

The Air Force has issued a “stop work” on the airship known as the Blue Devil, which was to be an “optionally manned surveillance” dirigible.  This is interpreted as the lead-in to the demise of the program.

The Blue Devil 2 was considered to be a herald of next-generation persistent intelligence collection with a potential endurance of more than nine days. Depending on the duration of the mission, the airship would have been able to carry 2,500 pounds of surveillance equipment for five days, or 7,500 pounds if the sortie was shortened to three days.

The CEO of Mav6, Blue Devils’ creator, is David Deptula — formerly LtGen Deptula, deputy chief of staff for ISR and an unusually fervent advocate for UAVs.  It seems he found his civilian calling. The Navy was also researching similar airships.  In an interesting bit of timing, their program just got extended.

The cancellation may render moot Michael Weinstein’s likely offense at the religious reference in the aircraft’s name…

FAA Starts Process to Let UAVs Fly in US

The Federal Aviation Administration has begun the process that would ultimately allow unmanned aircraft to fly freely in US airspace, as opposed to the limited and restricted ability they have to currently operate.  It is seeking public input in to how to set up ranges for UAV testing that would ultimately lead to free flying UAVs:

The new law gives the FAA three years — two less than it took Congress to pass the act – to “integrate” UAVs into the national air space, or NAS, meaning set policies that will let drones share the air with piloted aircraft.

UAVs have proven reasonably reliable.  Just like humans, they only fly off uncontrolled every now and then.

USAF Fighter Plane Reaches Significant Milestone

F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 recently achieved 10,000 flight hours, making it the first F-15 of any type to log that many hours.

It an interesting bit of trivia, 487 is the same F-15E that logged the only Strike Eagle air-to-air kill in Operation Desert Storm when it dropped a bomb on an airborne Iraqi helicopter. It also scored an air-to-air kill on a rogue Reaper in Afghanistan, fulfilling every fighter pilot’s dream…

Injured ROTC Cadet sets Sights on Pilot Training

Matt Pirrello, an ROTC cadet at Ohio University, lost his right leg mid-thigh in a parachuting accident at the US Air Force Academy 18 months ago.

He still wants to be a pilot, but he understands the hurdles in his way.

“If you’re in the Air Force when you’re hurt, it’s a matter of retention,” he said. “If you’re not in the Air Force, it’s a matter of whether they will accept you despite your injuries.”

Others have flown with prosthetic legs Read more

Unmanned Helicopter Makes First Airdrop in Afghanistan

The unmanned K-MAX helicopter, an experimental UAV deployed to Afghanistan, has reportedly made its first successful resupply mission.

A detachment of Marines from Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 moved about 3,500 pounds of food and supplies to troops at Combat Outpost Payne using an unmanned K-MAX helicopter on Dec. 17…

The concept is intended to reduce risk to both ground and helicopter-based resupply missions.

Updated: Also the top story at FoxNews.

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