Center for the Study of the Drone on Mon, 19 Jan 2015 19:33:09 +0100 (CET)


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<nettime> [drone_roundup] Weekly Roundup


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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.
     __________________________________________________________________

   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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