2020-09-24

HeliRussia is the only exhibition in Russia where you can see a wide range of world achievements in the helicopter industry, its products, and services. In 2020, the exhibition was held from September 15 till 17, at the Crocus Expo exhibition center, Moscow.

The exhibition was attended by domestic companies that presented unmanned aerial systems designed for various tasks from military to gaming.

ZALA AERO GROUP

ZALA AERO is a leading Russian developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems, payloads, and mobile systems.

The company presented updated systems with improved tactical and technical characteristics, as well as new solutions for special software. From the presented models, you can meet ZALA 421-22, ZALA 421-08m, ZALA 421-16E, ZALA 421-16E-2.

ZALA AERO systems are used for aerial photography, video thermal imaging, and air-laser scanning in the oil and gas industry, agricultural and forestry sectors, and security against unauthorized activities. 

Flyka

Flyka – a startup from the SKOLKOVO innovation center presented a smaller prototype of the Flyka 1 - Flying Taxi.

The vehicle of the future will be a single-seat drone equipped with 22 engine blocks, capable of flying from 20 to 30 km. The maximum speed of such a taxi is 150 km/h, and the cruising speed is 110 km/h. The estimated cost of a flight hour will be $16 or approximately 1,240 rubles, but the cost will also depend on the cost of electricity. 

Fixar

Fixar is a Russian developer of unmanned aerial vehicles and original software. UAV FIXAR is used to optimize processes in solving problems of aerial photography, aerial laser scanning, monitoring of extended objects, and many other tasks.

The company presented a UAV with vertical take-off and landing, designed for small cargo delivery, chemical spraying, and aerial photography.

Babylon Management

Babylon Management is a research and production association for the development of technologies and mass production of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles.

At the exhibition, Babylon Management presented three models of UAVs, a multi-rotor type, an airplane type, and a miniature UAV with a single propeller that can descend into the earth's splits for photo and video shooting.

The purposes of the UAV system are tactical and operational monitoring from the air. Systems are used for monitoring the area and searching for people, for which a thermal imager is used.

Shooting from the Air

The company "Shooting from the Air" represents the products of Russian manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles and industry solutions for geodesy, surveying, agriculture and forestry, construction, oil and gas sector, electric power, cadastre, security, environmental monitoring.

The SeaDrone – MG Marine Drone was presented at the exhibition this year. Unmanned multi-rotor device for visual work at sea, search, and monitoring of ice and environmental conditions. The body of this device is sealed, which allows it to land on water.

Hybrid drone GeoDrone – GDM. The complex is designed for visual search and monitoring of the environmental situation, search, and rescue of people.

AEROXO

AEROXO is a Russian design bureau.

The company introduced an unmanned tiltrotor that can take off vertically from any platform and stay in the air motionless as a helicopter, as well as travel long distances at the speed of an airplane. The aircraft can reach speeds of up to 150 km/h and stay in the air for up to 1 hour. The main tasks of this UAV are cargo delivery weighing up to 50 kg and aerial photography with various payloads.

Kronshtadt

Kronshtadt is a Russian company specializing in the development and production of high-tech products and solutions necessary for the creation, development, and safe operation of complex technical equipment in the air, at sea, and on land.

The company did not present unmanned aerial systems at this exhibition this year but presented the updated laser scanner (LIDAR), which is used on unmanned complexes. LIDAR – equipped with 8 lasers that are installed on the UAV to create a 3D model of the terrain. In addition to the laser scanner, the company introduced a program for processing the received aerial photography data based on neural networks.

2020-09-14

American retailer Walmart has launched the delivery of food and necessities using Flytrex drones.

On September 9, American retailer Walmart performed a pilot launch of food delivery using unmanned aircraft in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

2020-09-12

SenseFly drones help monitor Lake Winnipeg ice hazards in Switzerland.

The project, which is part of the Canadian Space Agency's Earth observation applications development program (EODAP), was aimed at identifying and monitoring lake ice levels, as well as detecting cracks and pressure ridges to raise awareness among local communities and first responders about the risks of moving lake ice.

2020-09-03

Development of unmanned aircraft on Military-Technical Forum "ARMY-2020"

On August 29, Military-Technical Forum "Army-2020" ended, although only a few months ago this event was under the big question due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the Forum was held and the results were impressive. Mostly participants and visitors of the forum were impressed by the display of domestic unmanned aerial vehicles.

2020-04-30

The Pros and Cons of Drone Delivery

The idea of commercial delivery drones is more relevant now than ever as social distancing guidelines have made contactless delivery an essential part of company operations. ‘

The first drone delivery was a tasty one: Dominos delivered two pizzas to a residence in New Zealand in 2016. Since then, companies have been racing towards liftoff.

2020-04-06

Medical Drone Delivery Success in Ireland

In September, it was reported on the world’s first BVLOS medical delivery in Ireland.

Researchers at NUI Galway partnered with German drone startup Wingcopter to transport prescription medication and blood samples for diabetes patients.

This week, the research team released more details about the project in an ENDO 2020 abstract to  be published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

2020-04-06

Turkey set to become a major player on drone market

The success of Turkey’s indigenously produced Anka-S drone, and the development of the Anka-2 model, could position Turkey as a major player on the drone market, said an analyst writing in The National Interest.

Turkey began operating and experimenting with drones in the 1990s, starting its own development program. “Anka” was the name under which a line of domestic medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Turkey also bought IAI Herons from Israel and started using them in 2010, said analyst Charlie Gao on Saturday.

2017-09-11

FAA Small Drone Rule Lets Unmanned Aircraft Soar

A host of new users is changing the world of commercial aviation thanks in large part to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) small unmanned aircraft rule, Part 107 (PDF), which has now been in place for a year.  

2017-08-22

US Naval Research Lab Tests Stackable CICADA Microdrones Swarm

The U.S. Naval Research Lab has been working on its CICADA (Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft) drones since at least 2011. The tiny drones are designed to be carried aloft by other aircraft and dropped, whereupon they’ll use GPS and little fins to glide to within 15 feet of their destination.

2017-08-22

The Drone World Expo 2017 Interviews – Hector Ubiñas

In the third of a series of interviews with key figures involved in the success of Drone World Expo, we talked to for Hector Ubiñas, Aviation Services Manager, San Diego Gas and Electric. Hector joined SDG&E in September 2016 and has been overseeing the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) program since starting with the company. In this role, Hector is responsible for the daily operations of the UAS program and continuing to develop new work methods for its application in the utility industry.

2017-04-25

Swarms of Drones Test New Dogfighting Skills

Aerial dogfighting began more than a century ago in the skies over Europe with propeller-driven fighter aircraft carried aloft on wings of fabric and wood. An event held recently in southern California could mark the beginning of a new chapter in this form of aerial combat.