This Week in Drones

Everyone's heard about the 60 Minutes surprise report about Amazon's experiments to use drones to deliver packages. Here's some other stuff.

Wired writes Navy Doubles Down on Versatile 'Blackjack' Drone. "After more tests completed last month, the Navy and Marines have decided that the RQ-21A Blackjack drone is worth the gamble. They’re putting money on the program that could provide them with a dedicated multi-intelligence drone in a matter of months."

"“It has a configurable payload that allows you to integrate new and unique payloads that are specific to the mission in addition to an [electro-optical/infrared] camera,” said Maj. Wayne Phelps, the Marine Corps’ requirements officer of the aviation branch. ”You can have multi-mission ability. This allows you to do some type of unique cross-cueing types of missions.” Blackjack, which is 8 feet long and has a wingspan of 16 feet, weighs 80 pounds, making it a small tactical drone that can fly as fast as 104 mph and as high as 19,500 feet for more than 13 hours. It can be launched and recovered on land or at sea without runways using a hydraulic launcher and a net recovery system."

Time writes The Navy Can Now Launch Drones From Submerged Submarines "Powered by an electric fuel cell, the eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System (XFC UAS) was launched from the torpedo tube of the USS Providence earlier this year. While the exact date and location of the launch were not disclosed, according to a press release the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory released Thursday, the drone flew for several hours before landing at the Naval Sea Systems Command Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center in the Bahamas. The launcher fits inside the same canisters already used for launching Tomahawk cruise missiles on submarines."

Kent State University students will learn how to build and fly drones. "Beginning next fall Kent State University will teach college students how to build and fly them. Its College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology will offer a minor in unmanned aircraft systems. It will be an option for students enrolled in any of the five aeronautics degree concentrations."

"Dozens of colleges with aviation programs now offer courses in unmanned aerial systems, the New York Times has reported. The University of North Dakota was first, in 2009, and has about 120 students in the field. Other universities with programs include Kansas State University Salina, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Indiana State University."