What are the current trends in academia related to drones?

Christian Janke is Assistant Professor in the College of Aeronautics at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  Embry Riddle Aeronautical University is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace programs, with its main campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona.  It also has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations.

In addition to being Assistant Professor, Chris is also Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications program. 

Following his assignments as a helicopter pilot in the German Armed Forces, he moved into research where he coordinated national and international research projects in the aerospace field. He is a trainer for Human Factors & Crew Resource Management, Instructor for Safety Management and Risk Assessment in Aviation and Auditor for Quality Management.  He has ten years of first-hand market experience advising industrial clients in the fields of aviation, electromobility and security technology. He supports startups in the founding phase and is a member of the Dronemasters Academy platform, which teaches STEM topics to children and young people using small drones and robots. 

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Christian talks about the use of small drones in education, the safe integration of uavs into the airspace, the potentials of Urban Air Mobility, and the prevention of drone misuse.  

How many tries does it take to bring down a rogue drone? 

Sharone Aloni is vice-president of research and development of Smart Shooter, a world-class designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems.  The company’s SMASH Fire Control system significantly increases the accuracy and lethality of small arms and provides end-users with a "One Shot – One Hit" capability across multiple mission areas. Thus, creating a significant advantage for the infantry soldier and ultimately revolutionizing the world of small arms and optics. 

The SMASH Fire Control System was originally designed for use against ground units, but recently, the Dutch Army tested it in a live-fire counter-drone trial.  The test took place in the Austrian High Mountains, as part of the Dutch Defense Department examination of different ways to combat small unmanned systems.  Tested at a range of up to 200 meters, in harsh weather conditions, fog, and blowing snow, the SMASH Fire Control Systems proved to be highly effective in shooting down drones. It made no difference whether the drones were stationary in the air or moving. 

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Sharone introduces us to Smart Shooter, the SMASH Fire Control System and how its become one of the easiest and most reliable counter drone solutions for the military. 

Are you ready for the Boston Drone Film Festival?

Jovan Tanasijevic and Jamie Wiener are with the Boston Drone Film Festival.  Jovan is founder of the festival and director at Above Summit, a production studio specializing in drone cinematography.  Jamie is the Festival Director.  

The Boston Drone Film Festival celebrates the creative pursuit of international drone cinematographic and drone photographers from around the world.  Serving as a platform for talented drone content creators, the Boston Drone Film Festival hopes to inspire a new generation to push the limits of what’s creatively possible with the technology. 

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jovan and Jamie talk about the history of the Boston Drone Film Festival, this year’s schedule and how we can attend and participate in the virtual event. 

What Are Terra Drone's Plans for Inspections & UTM?

Teppei Seki is Chief Operating Officer at Terra Drone, a leading commercial drone services company with headquarters in Japan and presence in more than 20 countries. Terra Drones provides innovative drone solutions like aerial surveys, infrastructure inspection, thermal mapping, UAV data processing for a wide variety of industries.  Teppei joined Terra Drone in 2016, after 10 years with parent company, Terra Motors, Japan’s leading electric vehicle manufactures.   Terra Drone’s world wide operations are huge, much more than I could cover in a single podcast.  So in this edition of the Drone Radio Show, we focus on Terra Drone’s recently announced plan to provide automated inspection and air mobility solutions to INPEX, a leading energy company in Asia.  We compare Asia and European markets and we touch on Terra Drone’s UTM solutions.

How difficult is it to stop a rogue drone?

Charles-Hubert Dufour is Commercial Director of CERBAIR, a French company that produces a complete anti-drone solution.  The company’s advanced radiofrequency technology is the foundation of their anti-drone systems, giving users the power to successfully detect, characterize and neutralize drone intrusions in real time. Charles is trained as an engineer, and has more than 12 years in the wireless communications, defense and security industries.  In 2019, Cerbair introduced its redesigned of their anti-drone solution, called Chimera.  The kit is unique in that it allows for a single operator in the field to detect and neutralize nefarious Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.  It’s also much more compact and 10% lighter than previous models.

I caught up with Charles, via phone, at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.  IDEX is the only international defense exhibition and conference in the Middle East and North Africa region demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defense.

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Charles introduces to the Chimera anti-drone kit and shares insights into the drone-defense industry.