Terra Drone raises $70M funding

Terra Drone Corporation has raised $70 million (8 billion Japanese yen) in Series B funding with investments from Mitsui & Co., Ltd., SBI Investment Co., Ltd., Tokyu Land Corporation, Kyushu Electric Power T&D, and Seika Corporation. The round also saw the funding by Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development (JOIN) – a public-private infrastructure fund by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) – to the newly established joint venture, as well as participation from existing investor Venture Lab Investment. www.terra-drone.net/global

FedEx plans to test autonomous drone cargo delivery

FedEx Express is teaming up with Elroy Air, the company building the first endto- end autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial cargo system. FedEx Express will develop plans to test Elroy Air’s Chaparral autonomous air cargo system within the company’s middle-mile logistics operations, moving shipments between sortation locations. This is the latest initiative from FedEx in its effort to explore and adopt emerging technologies across its networks.

Blueprint to build 165 mile drone ‘Superhighway’

A consortium led by Reading-based UTM (Unified Traffic Management) software provider Altitude Angel, are planning to build the world’s largest and longest network of ‘drone superhighways’. The consortium has submitted plans for a ‘165 miles (265km) drone superhighway’ connecting airspace above cities including Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Coventry, and Rugby. Known as Project Skyway, it will enable businesses to develop and grow through the commercialisation of new and innovative drone-based products, processes, and services. www.altitudeangel.com

Developing Urban Air Traffic Management System

In 2022, FIXAR becomes a partner of the project Urban Air Traffic Management DEVelOpment & DEMOnstration, led by Istanbul Kultur University Technology Transfer Office. In this project, FIXAR is working together with the project’s technical team and providing the full-stack drone solution for flight and system integration, as to demonstrate real time examples of possible solutions. It also takes the role of a lead commercialization partner for RIS (Regional Innovation Scheme) innovation project. https://fixar.pro

New lightweight vehicle surveillance system

Teledyne FLIR Defense has launched a new Lightweight Vehicle Surveillance System (LVSS) with revolutionary air domain awareness (ADA) and advanced counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capabilities. The LVSS ADA C-UAS is an enhanced addition to Teledyne FLIR’s field-proven LVSS platform. The new system leverages a powerful combination of 3D radar, EO/IR camera, and RF detection and mitigation sensors to provide early warning alerts and recognition. Threats are detected and displayed simultaneously, showing position and elevation for all radar tracks. www.flir.com

eBee TAC drone solution added to Blue UAS

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. announced that senseFly, an AgEagle subsidiary, is one of the first eleven vendors to complete the required testing, evaluations and demonstration process to be designated a Blue UAS under the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue sUAS 2.0. As a result, the NDAA-compliant eBee TAC Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), pioneered by senseFly, has been approved by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for procurement by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). www.ageagle.com