10 HAPS, LADs and Chicks

This Episode: The Zephyer High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite, lethal autonomous drones, policy recommendations that make UAVs safe for civilians, the X-47B wins an award, and a mother hen and friendly chicks UAS. The News: Solar Powered High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Successful Test Flight EADS company Astrium successfully completed the first flight of Zephyr, a solar powered High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) which holds a world record for flight endurance – more than two weeks at altitudes in excess of 70,000 feet. Why America Wants Drones That Can Kill Without Humans A lethal autonomous robot, or LAR, would make drone targeting decisions without human intervention. The idea is such a system would be less emotional and more accurate than a human operator, with less collateral damage. Civilian Safety Crucial in World of UAVs This looks at the need to regulate unmanned aerial systems used by the military and law enforcement to ensure civilian safety and privacy. Five policy recommendations are offered: 1. Apply the laws of war to UAS. 2. Respect international law and country sovereignty. 3. Do not violate the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention. 4. Fully-autonomous UAS should “respect the laws of war when used militarily and the liberties of citizens when used by law enforcement” even in the event of malfunction. 5. No domestic surveillance “in violation of the Constitution and of domestic and international law.” X-47B Wins Popular Mechanics Magazine 2013 Breakthrough Award The Navy Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) Program’s X-47B aircraft received one of the Popular Mechanics 2013 Breakthrough Awards, calling it the “ Navy’s Smartest Jet .” UAV Concept: Mother Hen and Friendly Chicks Canadian company Eqquera proposes SQ-EQQ, a concept where a “mother hen” autonomous delta-wing UAV is loaded with “friendly chick” UAVs that can be deployed on their own missions.