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__________________________________________________________________
At the Center for the Study of the Drone
As the drone industry grows and becomes more complex, it is both more
important and more difficult than ever to keep track of the business of
unmanned systems. Our Industry Intel feature has [3]all the news, the
deals, and the commentary and analysis you need to stay informed.
__________________________________________________________________
News
A U.S. [4]drone strike in Pakistan reportedly killed at least five
people. The strike targeted a house in the Shawal Valley of North
Waziristan. According to Pakistanâs Dawn newspaper, there has been no
confirmation of the strike by Pakistani security officials.
A second U.S. drone strike in Pakistan [5]reportedly killed seven
people. The strike, which took place in the Tehsil Ladha area of South
Waziristan, targeted a compound suspected of housing militants.
(Express Tribune)
In a press conference at the Pentagon, U.S. Air Force officials
[6]announced several changes to drone personnel arrangements in an
attempt to relieve overworked and understaffed air crews. Air Force
Secretary Deborah James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said that
they will raise the monthly incentive pay for pilots, pull in personnel
from the National Guard and USAF Reserve, and extend mission
assignments for pilots. (Washington Post)
Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force decided that it will [7]continue to
operate both the U-2 manned spyplane and the Global Hawk unmanned
aircraft. The Air Force had considered scrapping the U-2 in favor of
the Global Hawks as its primary high-altitude surveillance and
reconnaissance aircraft. (Aviation Week)
For more on the transfer of operations from the U-2 to the Global Hawk,
[8]click here.
The Wall Street Journal reports that multiple American pilots
associations [9]are pressuring the Federal Aviation Administration to
implement restrictive rules on domestic drones. The Air Line Pilots
Association and the National Agricultural Aviation Association have
lobbied the FAA to place restrictions on drones out of concern that
unmanned aircraft could hurt manned aircraft pilots. According to the
Journal, the resistance from ALPA may be why so few companies have
received FAA exemptions to fly drones.
The Federal Aviation Administration has allowed CNN to [10]test drones
for newsgathering. CNN will partner with Georgia Tech Research
Institute to test the aircraft. The information gathered from the tests
will go to the FAA, where it will be used to inform the integration
process for journalism drones into the National Airspace System. (Time)
For an in-depth essay on using drones for journalism, [11]click here.
Meanwhile, a coalition of 10 news media organizations [12]has entered
into an agreement with Virginia Tech University to test drones for
journalism. The group, which includes the New York Times and Associated
Press, has long petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to allow
the news media to test drones. Virginia Tech is one of the six national
test sites sanctioned by the FAA. (New York Times)
Clark State Community [13]College in Ohio received permission from the
Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones as part of the Collegeâs
agriculture program. The College received a Certificate of
Authorization from the FAA to fly the drones over farm fields. The
drones will collect data on soil moisture and pests. (Springfield
News-Sun)
After two reported sightings of drones near Westchester County Airport,
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has called on the FAA [14]to quickly
implement rules for integrating drones into the national airspace. âIn
too many ways, New York airspace has become the Wild West of drones and
it must stop,â said Sen. Schumer in a statement. (CBS New York)
Meanwhile, Senator John McCain (R-AR) released the draft of [15]a bill
in which he proposes a number of measures aimed at reforming the
Customs and Border Patrol drone program. Earlier this month, the
Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security released a
report detailing inefficiencies in the CBP drone program. (Tucson
Sentinel)
For more on the drones that patrol Americaâs borders, [16]click here.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet has
[17]obtained a number of Orlan-10 reconnaissance and surveillance
drones. The fleet also received several Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter
jets. (Russia Beyond the Headlines)
For more on Russian drones, [18]click here.
Photographs and video appeared on social media last week showing a
Schiebel S-100 Camcopter drone that was [19]reportedly shot down in
Libya. Four of the Austrian-made S-100 reconnaissance and surveillance
helicopter drones were obtained by Gaddafiâs Khamis Brigade in 2008.
(IHS Janeâs 360)
Reuters reported that the U.S. is hoping to enter into a partnership
with India [20]to produce small surveillance drones. The collaboration
would be based around the RQ-11 Raven surveillance drone, which is
produced by AeroVironment. Sources told Reuters that export
restrictions on U.S. drones might compel India to seek drone suppliers
from other countries.
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Commentary, Analysis and Art
At Vice News, Jason Leopold reports on a trove of documents revealing
that the FBI wanted to [21]recruit a radical blogger before he was
killed in a drone strike in Yemen.
At the Council on Foreign Relations, Micah Zenko [22]asked 30
historians what the legacy of President Obamaâs drone strike campaign
will be.
At Just Security, Eric Messinger considers [23]whether it is even
possible to ban autonomous cyber weapons, and whether International
Humanitarian Law can accommodate these new realms of war.
At the Atlantic, Venkat Srinivasan writes about the ways in which
[24]honeybees have contributed to warfighting throughout history.
Skygear Solutions Inc. published notes from a conference on domestic
drones that included a lengthy discussion on [25]how small amounts of
explosives could be attached to commercially available quadcopters.
At Drone Wars UK, Chris Cole considers [26]British airstrikes in Iraq,
writing that one third of the strikes have been carried out using
drones.
At the Columbia Journalism Review, David Uberti points out that in
spite of FAA permission, CNN [27]faces several other hurdles before it
will be able to use drones to report the news.
At the International Business Times, Christopher Zera argues that
anti-drone laws in North Carolina [28]could threaten free speech.
At the Guardian, Jonathan Jones makes the case that drones should not
be banned, given what [29]these aircraft offer to artists.
Meanwhile, at the Art Newspaper, Rachel Corbett writes that emerging
FAA regulations could [30]ground the burgeoning field of drone art.
The World Economic Forum identified the abuse of autonomous weapons and
artificial intelligence as [31]an emerging risk in the âGlobal Risks
2015â report.
In the Washington Post, Dan Lamothe wonders whether Ethan Hawkeâs
upcoming âGood Killâ film will [32]re-hash traditional stereotypes of
the U.S. military.
John Roth, the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland
Security, [33]discusses the ineffectiveness of the border patrol drones
on C-SPANâs Washington Journal.
At Popular Science, Lois Parshley uses a [34]flight simulator to
virtually test fly two top-secret spy drones.
__________________________________________________________________
Know Your Drone
A team of anonymous developers and engineers is developing a drone
that[35] seeks out and destroys other drones. (CNET)
Skydio, a San Francisco-based startup, has received $3 million in
venture capital to develop [36]computer vision for drones so that they
can operate more autonomously. (Wired)
A student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has devised
[37]a smart parking lot that employs drones to guide drivers to open
parking spaces. (VentureBeat)
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin is expanding its efforts to develop
[38]drones for civil and commercial use. (Executive Biz)
__________________________________________________________________
Drones at Work
Footage from a drone [39]showed the extent of the destruction of
Donetsk Airport in Ukraine. The video was published by Army SOS, an
organization that raises funds for the Ukrainian army. (Vice News)
The ongoing struggle in Namibia between poachers and conservationists
[40]has taken to the air, with both sides using drones and GPS to try
and gain the upper hand. (NBC)
For an in-depth perspective on using drones for conservation work,
[41]click here.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has [42]used drones over
100 times since it acquired nine aircraft for the June 2013 G8 Summit
in Belfast. (Irish Times)
Meanwhile, community leaders in Californiaâs Bay Area have criticized a
move by local police departments to [43]explore using drones to monitor
public spaces. ââTrust usâ isnât going to work,â said Joe Simitian, a
supervisor in Santa Clara County, in an interview with Bloomberg News.
Warner Bros. [44]flew a drone to capture a shot for its film âThe
Mentalist,â the first time a studio legally flew a drone on set in the
U.S. (Yahoo!)
A filmmaker used a drone to capture Chicagoâs [45]frigid âChiberiaâ
weather conditions. (YouTube)
FliteTest tried landing drones on [46]a remote-controlled flying
aircraft carrier.
__________________________________________________________________
For updates, news, and commentary, follow us on [47]Twitter!
For Mashable's take on the week in drone news, check out [48]Drone
Beat.
To unsubscribe from the Weekly Roundup, please email [49]csd@bard.edu.
Center for the Study of the Drone
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References
1. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/
2. mailto:csd@bard.edu
3. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/industry-intel/
4. http://www.dawn.com/news/1157169/six-killed-in-north-waziristan-drone-strike
5. http://tribune.com.pk/story/822135/drone-strikes-kill-5-suspected-militants-in-north-waziristan/
6. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/01/15/unrelenting-need-for-drones-will-prompt-changes-in-air-force/
7. http://aviationweek.com/defense/2016-budget-bring-u-2-stay-execution?sf6949887=1
8. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/japan-drones-herald-end-perennial-spy-plane/
9. http://www.wsj.com/articles/man-vs-drone-some-pilots-fight-back-against-robots-1421347663
10. http://time.com/3665658/cnn-faa-drone-research/
11. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/drone-journalism-revolution/
12. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/16/business/media/10-companies-join-effort-to-test-drones-for-newsgathering.html
13. http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/news/local-education/faa-grants-clark-state-permission-to-operate-drone/njm6w/
14. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/01/16/sen-schumer-wants-feds-to-crack-down-on-drones/
15. http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/011315_mccain_drone_bill/mccain-bill-would-require-oversight-over-border-drones/
16. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/customs-and-border-protection-drones/
17. http://rbth.com/news/2015/01/13/black_sea_fleet_procures_sukhoi_su-30_fighters_orlan_drones_42829.html
18. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/drones-toys-russian/
19. http://www.janes.com/article/47974/update-libyan-militia-purportedly-uses-camcopter-in-operation-against-strategic-air-base
20. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/17/us-india-usa-drones-idUSKBN0KQ00Z20150117
21. https://news.vice.com/article/the-fbi-considered-recruiting-an-american-blogger-later-killed-in-a-drone-strike
22. http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2015/01/13/guest-post-obamas-legacy-troop-reductions-or-drone-strikes/
23. http://justsecurity.org/19119/ban-autonomous-weapons-cyberwar/
24. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/living-drones/384406/
25. http://skygearsolutions.com/index.php/education-training/news/25-uas-summit-notes-january-16-2015
26. http://dronewars.net/2015/01/14/uk-airstrikes-in-iraq-hit-100-one-third-by-drones/
27. http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/why_well_have_to_wait_for_cnns.php?page=all
28. http://www.ibtimes.com/drone-laws-north-carolina-raise-cloud-suspicion-free-speech-civil-rights-risk-1780042#.VLQGbrAUo2U.twitter
29. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2015/jan/15/eyes-in-the-sky-drone-photography-banned
30. http://theartnewspaper.com/articles/US-artists-that-use-drones-could-be-grounded/36699
31. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_2015_Report15.pdf
32. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/01/14/will-ethan-hawkes-new-movie-good-kill-be-fair-to-air-force-drone-pilots/
33. http://www.c-span.org/video/?323707-5/washington-journal-john-roth-border-drone-program
34. http://www.popsci.com/fly-two-top-secret-drones
35. http://www.cnet.com/news/rapere-the-drone-to-hunt-and-disable-other-drones/
36. http://www.wired.com/2015/01/skydio-drones/?utm_content=buffer78e29&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
37. http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/16/this-drone-tech-could-lead-you-to-a-parking-space-so-kick-and-scream-no-more/?n_play=54bt9d061e4b0e66f26c12b74
38. http://blog.executivebiz.com/2015/01/jay-mcconville-lockheed-sets-sights-on-civil-commercial-uav-market/
39. https://news.vice.com/article/drone-footage-shows-ukraines-donetsk-airport-in-ruins-after-months-of-fighting?utm_source=vicenewsfb
40. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/poachers-conservationists-use-drones-gps-wildlife-battle-n287611
41. http://dronecenter.bard.edu/interview-joe-noci/
42. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/psni-used-drones-100-times-since-g8-summit-1.2069284
43. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-13/police-drones-aimed-at-berkeley-s-skies-rankle-privacy-activists.html
44. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/warner-bros-uses-drone-on--the-mentalist--set--a-hollywood-first-144435648.html
45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjiB_MBBNY4
46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u7CWB40ezM
47. https://twitter.com/DroneCenter
48. http://mashable.com/category/dronebeat/
49. mailto:csd@bard.edu
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