Transportation

TGR Helicorp announces unmanned alpine rescue helicopter
Alpine Wasp can fly as high as 30,000 feet using rotor blades designed for thin air; company will donate vehicles to the Everest Rescue Trust; UAV manufacturers see a market in long range, high altutude machines
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Brown researchers say bats, not bees, provide best MAV inspiration
Flexible wing structure seems to be the key, but researchers differ on which animal provides the best model; difference between bat’s upstroke and downstroke provides a valuable clue; Air Force Office of Scientific Research lends a hand
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Industry criticizes DHS for short-chaning port security
Maritime- and port-related industries criticize DHS for continuing to give a disproportionately large slice of federal security funding to aviation security, while being unreasonably frugal when it comes to port security
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CSC wins $5.9 million deal to digitize immigrant files
Compurers Sciences Corporation will convert A-files in anticipation of a guest worker program; DHS gains the ability to share critical data; CSC shows why it is such a lucrative takeover target
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Bush proposes $4 billion for Joint IED Defeat Organization
Allocation would be a major improvement over previous years; IEDs continue to take a toll, yet technological responses remain problematic; other budget winners include the Future Combat System and BioSense
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NICE Systems selected for D.C. airport surveillance overhaul
Israeli company recently won contracts to protect Beijing Olympics, Eiffel Tower, and New York City public transit; Reagan National Airport gets a makeover; video surveillance market marches on
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India announces coast guard expansion plan
Country will buy fifteen new ships and twenty-three more aircraft, including UAVs; coast guard looks for deep water capabilities capable of assisting with coastal counter-terror missions
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Russian UAV industry lags behind
Country has not a single native model in series production; government buracracy a major hurdle, but so too is a seeming lack of interest from both scientists and generals; government announces its first purchase from a Russian firm
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UPDATE: Israel selects RAFAEL for short-range missile defense
$500 million missile-based system beats out laser- and gun-based approaches; Northrop and Lockheed suffer setbacks; RAFAEL also involved in the Magic Wand long-range defense program
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Northrop and EADS received $559 German UAV contract
EuroHawk GmbH strikes a major deal in the European UAV market after years of effort; German Ministry of Defence impressed with EADS signals intelligence capability; delivery scheduled for 2010
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Bell Helicopters takes a look at an Israeli flying rescue vehicle
Helicopter-like machine relies on fans rather than rotor blades, allowing for greater maneuverability in the urban environment; Urban Aeronautics sees a market for first responders and military; craft can sidle up to a building and evacuate residents out of a window
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L-3 CyTerra receives a $40 million Army mine detection order
Follow-on order comes as part of a larger $300 deal for 17,000 units; 3,000 have already been delivered for use in Iraq and Afghanistan; AN/PSS-14 system marries metal detection to ground-pentrating radar
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U.K. researchers aid MAV development by solving "bumble-bee paradox"
Due to their small size, micro air vehicles struggle to attain sufficient lift; Bath University scientists discover a seventy-year old secret as to how bees manage to get off the ground; flexible insect-like wings might help MAVs realize full potential
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Optosecurity nets $14 million in new funding
Known for its optical threat detection systems, the Canadian company finds new friends in the VC market; Innovatech Quebec continues to have faith in this homegrown company; company prepares for a big 2008
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DoD looks to balloons and UAVs to solve satellite weaknesses
Navy plans a 2009 roll-out for the $7 billion Mobile User Objective System satellite brigade, but DoD lacks funding for the receivers; Global Hawk and Combat Skycat seem promising, but short-term, alternatives
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