The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2014, in sunny Orlando, Florida, was a veritable bonanza for cool aerospace and military hardware. Walking through the hallowed halls of the Orange County Convention Center and witnessing the latest wares from Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, i-Robot, and various other big and small names, I remember texting ECN Editor-in-Chief David Mantey that I “felt like a kid in a candy store.”
Here’s some of the cooler unmanned systems I came across in my meanderings.
The F-720 Tactical Remotely Piloted Air System from the UMS Group.
The solar-electric “Silent Falcon” UAS for traditional ISR missions.
Read: Solar-powered UAS provides “silent operation”
The BQM-177A from Kratos. A subsonic aerial target for naval aviators.
As seen at i-Robot, the premier manufacturer of bomb-disposal robots and automated vacuum cleaners.
Optionally piloted SA-400 Jackal with traditional VTOL capabilities.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense