DoD announces strategy for countering unmanned systems

On December 2 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III signed a classified Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems. The strategy unifies the Department’s approach to countering these systems that looks across domains, characteristics, and time frames.

Unmanned systems pose both an urgent and enduring threat to U.S. personnel, facilities, and assets overseas. Unmanned aerial systems, most commonly known as drones, pose the most significant threat at this time and increasingly in the US homeland. These threats are changing how wars are fought. By producing a singular Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems, the Secretary and the Department are orienting around a common understanding of the challenge and a shared approach to addressing it. www.defense.gov

Propeller Drones wins contract

Propeller Drones has secured a $7 million contract with the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) to conduct fully autonomous UAV operations for electrical infrastructure inspection. This project marks an advancement in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations in Israel, as it represents the first government approval for pre-approved BVLOS flights using an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system.

Under the collaboration, Propeller Drones and FlightOps will partner to enhance AI flight capabilities that meet IEC requirements and regulatory standards. Airwayz, a company specializing in lowaltitude UTM solutions, has been selected to provide the UTM system for managing drone operations. businessnewsthisweek.com