PUMA AE Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)
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FAA Certifies First UAVs
In what seems to be a different approach then I was expecting the FAA has announced that they are certifying 2 UAV systems for specific commercial applications. I was under the impression that they would be certifying groups not specific manufacturers. It seems that this will at the very least speed up the approval process.The two that have been issued restricted category type certificates to the Insitu ScanEagle X200 and the AeroVironment Puma AE drones.Puma AE (All Environment) is a small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) designed for land based and maritime operations. Capable of landing in the water or on land the Puma AE empowers the operator with an operational flexibility never before available in the Small UAS Class.The Puma AE is rugged for reliability, man portable for ease of mobility, and requires no auxiliary equipment for launch or recovery operations. The system is quiet to avoid detection and operates autonomously, providing persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and Targeting data (ISRT).Puma AE carries both an electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) camera on a lightweight mechanical gimbaled payload allowing the operator to keep "eyes on target." The air vehicle's modular design allows for alternative payload development to meet the needs of specific military or civilian applications.The UAV is operated from AeroVironment's (AV) battle proven Ground Control Station (GCS) with a communications range of 15 km and flight endurance of 2 hours. AV's common GCS provides Puma AE users compatibility with the Raven and Wasp UAS platforms.You need to be a member of Land Surveyors United - Surveying Education Community to add thoughts!
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