unmanned aerial system

First Marine Corps MQ-9A Reaper Squadron Now Operational

Marine Corps MQ-9A MUX/MALE is formally unveiled during a ceremony for Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 (VMU-3), Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Aug 2, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 (VMU 3) introduced its new Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, last week.

The Marine Corps UAV squadron, the only one of its kind in the Indo-Pacific,...

https://news.usni.org/2023/08/08/first-marine-corps-mq-9a-reaper-squadron-now-operational

Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

The following is the Nov. 14, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems.

From the report

Lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) are a special class of weapon systems that use sensor suites and computer algorithms to independently identify a target and employ an onboard weapon system to engage and destroy the target without manual human control of the system. Although these systems are not yet in widespread development, it is...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/17/defense-primer-u-s-policy-on-lethal-autonomous-weapon-systems

Xwing completes landmark unmanned flight with Cessna aircraft

A propeller plane sits in the parking lot of a general aviation airport.

Xwing, a startup company developing technologies for self-flying aircraft, announced Thursday it has completed what it called the world’s first fully autonomous demonstration flight of a commercial cargo aircraft from gate to gate. The Cessna Grand Caravan 208 pulled away from Xwing’s hangar in Concord, California, taxied, took off, landed and returned to the gate entirely on its own.

The flight, which took place in February, was remotely monitored from the hangar’s mission control center.

Xwing...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/xwing-completes-landmark-unmanned-flight-with-cessna-aircraft

Amazon, American Airlines execs to advise FAA on drone regulation

Two people look at a document with a drone positioned in the foreground.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday named a dozen new members to its Drone Advisory Committee, including officials from Amazon and American Airlines.

The private-sector panel meets regularly to advise the Federal Aviation Administration on how to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace alongside with traditional aircraft. Executive-level representatives are selected from a wide range of stakeholders including the aviation industry, research and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amazon-american-airlines-execs-to-advise-faa-on-drone-regulation

Marines Ditch MUX Ship-Based Drone to Pursue Large Land-Based UAS, Smaller Shipboard Vehicle

The Office of Naval Research and DARPA are collaborating on the Tern project to give forward-deployed small ships the ability to serve as mobile launch and recovery sites for medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial systems that would provide ISR and other capabilities. DARPA rendering.

The Marines have ditched their plan to field a very large drone on amphibious ships, instead breaking the four-year-old MUX program into a family of systems that will include a very large land-based...

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/10/marines-ditch-mux-ship-based-drone-to-pursue-large-land-based-uas-smaller-shipboard-vehicle

Pentagon’s Investor-Industry Matchmaking Program Will Focus on Small UAS in First Event

U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa deputy director of communication Master Sgt. Chad E. McMeen uses a commercial-grade Quadcopter to capture aerial video footage of the USNS William R. Button on the pier in Rota, Spain, during the preparation phase of Trident Juncture 2015. US Army photo

THE PENTAGON – The Defense Department’s effort to connect sources of capital with small companies that need investment will begin with a focus on those that design and manufacture small unmanned aerial...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/26/pentagons-investor-industry-matchmaking-program-will-focus-on-small-uas-in-first-event

Report to Congress on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

The following is the Aug. 16, 2019 Congressional Research Service In Focus report International Discussions Concerning Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems.

From the report

As technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), advances, lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS)—weapons designed to make decisions about using lethal force without manual human control—may soon make their appearance, raising a number of potential ethical, diplomatic, legal, and strategic concerns for Congress. By...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/20/report-to-congress-on-lethal-autonomous-weapon-systems