Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
A UAV Factory Penguin B UAS owned by an unnamed customer has been granted a Section 333 exemption by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the company announced on 7 December.
To date the majority of aircraft cleared under Section 333 have been electrically powered UAS with very short flight endurance. The Penguin B granted the approval is powered by a gasoline engine with electronic fuel injection, enabling the aircraft to fly for more than 20 hours.
UAV Factory expects further exemptions for the Penguin B to be granted, along with the fully-integrated Penguin C.
Rory Bauer, sales director, UAV Factory, said: ‘We are working with prospective customers to help them draft their Section 333 applications because as the manufacturer we have the required information readily available.’
Konstantins Popiks, CTO, UAV Factory, added: ‘This helps pave the way for other Section 333 applicants looking for increased endurance and payload capacity. Having an internal combustion, as opposed to an electric aircraft approved for a Section 333 exemption now is a great step forward.’
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
The new Amorphous software is a universal controller that would allow a single operator to control a swarm of “thousands” of uncrewed systems, from drones to underwater platforms.
India UAV supplier ideaForge has launched the Netra 5 and Switch V2 drones at Aero India 2025, boasting of enhanced endurance, AI-driven autonomy and improved operational capabilities.
The UAV market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with innovations in technology and battlefield applications driving demand across military sectors. From the battlefields of Ukraine to NATO exercises and beyond, drones are transforming how wars are fought and supported.
Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.