The Unmanned Systems 2013 event in Washington D.C., last week attracted 600 exhibitors and more than 8,100 attendees, according to organizer the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Among many briefings were two by U.S. Navy officials that described progress with the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Triton high-altitude surveillance UAV and the unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike system (UClass). Exhibitors included Unmanned Systems Group, which recently combined with Swiss UAV. Other news from the event included the identification of the Spanish Navy as the first customer for the Saab Skeldar rotary-wing UAS. Saab announced last month that it had signed a contract to deploy the system for maritime operations but did not identify the customer.
Meanwhile, it emerged that operations in Afghanistan of another rotary UAS, the cargo-hauling Lockheed Martin K-Max system, were suspended in early June after a crash. Problems with the hoist-mounted load are thought to be the cause, and flights could resume shortly.
In this article
More In Aircraft
