unmanned aerial vehicle

It might not sound like much, this 78 mile flight, but the recent journey by the Pterosaur Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was actually a record-breaker.

Powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the Pterosaur flew 28 miles farther than the previous record for micro-UAVs, which weigh in at around 11 pounds or less, and its developers say it only used a fraction of the fuel in its tank. Eventually they claim it should be able to go 310 miles. Singapore-based Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies developed the propulsion system in conjunction with scientists at several U.S. universities.—Gregory Mone 

Via Aero-News

To see more pictures of Ikhana and the thermal images it's been taking of California's wildfires, launch the gallery here.

It takes two sets of wings to Tango-this unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Draganfly Innovations uses tandem front and rear wings pitched in opposite directions (front set up, rear set down) to significantly increase its stability in the air, which makes it easier to control. Available as either a remote-controlled UAV or a fully autonomous drone, the fiberglass Tango uses a camera [A] in its underbelly and a 2.4-gigahertz radio antenna to send TV-quality live video to your computer.

Imagine an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that could fly for days rather than hours, aiding soldiers on reconnaissance missions or supplying emergency communications to disaster-affected regions. AeroVironment, which built the first human- and solar-powered airplanes, has successfully flown a prototype of a UAV that will be able to remain at high altitudes for longer than a week at a time. Unlike earlier solar-powered systems, which had to power the vehicle and store enough electricity for nighttime flying, Global Observer uses fuel-cell-powered electric motors to drive eight propellers.

The U.S. military relies heavily on satellites for communications, navigation, surveillance and other essential activities. To protect these satellites, some military strategists say we need to deploy defenses that include space weapons. The problem: It's far more expensive and technologically challenging to defend a satellite than to attack one.

Aeronautical engineers live by the credo “If it looks right,

It's a Tuesday afternoon at a small, radio control modeler's airport near Los Angeles, and the guy bent over his model Messerschmitt Me-109 looks serious. After a lot of fiddling, he squeezes gasoline into the little piston engine and connects his toolbox-cum-battery pack to the airplane. She's a beauty: deep forest green, meticulous iron crosses on fuselage and wings. "Flies for 16 minutes before