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At the 18th annual International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC), Georgia Tech came away as the winner, with prize money of $27,000. The event, which was held on July 28th - Aug. 1st, 2008, marked the conclusion of the 4th Mission of the IARC, with a new mission being released for the 2009 competition.

Straight out of a Sci-Fi movie, the Lockheed Martin Cormorant is hands down the coolest idea for a UAV that I have ever seen. I had come across the video below a while ago but hadn't posted it because I couldn't find a suitable version to embed until now.

The UK Ministry of Defence kicked off its Grand Challenge competition finals today on Salisbury Plain with 11 competitors vying for the RJ Mitchell Trophy and a potential developmental contract with the UK Armed forces for their UAVs.

This little UAV is capable of surveillance missions and even drop a (grenade-sized) explosive device into locations like building interiors. Small and without external blades, it could sneak-in via by a window. I suspect that surveillance is going to be the primary use (yup with HD video and all).

credit: Mod On Thursday 14 August the UK's Ministry of Defence held its media day for its Grand Challenge competition that was conducted from 16-18 August with the winner being announced on the 19th.

Middlesex University's Team I-Spy tri-rotor unmanned air vehicle was developed over 15-months starting in March 2007. A team of six including two lecturers and doctoral and undergraduate students, the vertical take-off and landing UAV has an endurance of up to 15min using Lithium Polymer batteries and can carry a payload of 1kg (2.2lb).

This video shows a test flight of UK technology company Qinetiq's Team Cortex unmanned air vehicle. The 3kg (6.6lb) UAV is a tail sitting fixed wing dual rotor design with a 1.5m wingspan that transitions to horizontal flight as it accelerates. It uses an onboard autopilot, GPS and can carry an optical payload.

A generation of would-be aviators has grown up sitting in front of a computer mastering Microsoft Flight Simulator. The day has arrived when they can earn their wings, and kill people and break things, in the same comfortable surroundings, flying ...

Last week, the 174th Air Force Fighter Wing flew its last manned combat sortie over Iraq in F-16s, which have now been mothballed in favor of MQ-9 Reapers. This makes it the first combat-specific wing to ditch conventional aircraft entirely in favor of unmanned robo-drones piloted from the ground.

The DelFly Micro, built by Delft University of Technology, is the world’s smallest ornithopther. The flapping robot has a 10 cm wingspan and even includes a video camera. In a mere year-and-a-half, the team decreased the weight from the 16 grams of the DelFly II, to the amazing 3 grams of the DelFly Micro.