Engineers from the University of Southampton in England recently launched a 3D printed drone from a British military ship and returned the UAV to shore, proving that military drones could someday be produced at sea. After flying off of the Royal Navy warship, the drone flew 1,640 feet to a beach in Dorset, England. The drone, named SULSA, has a 4 foot wingspan and can fly up to 60 miles per hour. The engineers said the most difficult part of the project was printing a drone that could be assembled in less than 5 minutes without the use of screws or bolts.
Read more: 3D Printing and the Future of Manufacturing
In other drone related news, California lawmakers have proposed a bill that would allow firefighters to take drones down from the sky without repercussion if the UAVs interfere with wildfire reduction efforts. The bill would also make laws against such illegal drone flight stricter in the golden state. Also, Spain will purchase four Reaper surveillance drones and two ground stations for €25 million, or $27 million.
3D-Printed Spy Drones Could Be Built at Sea
Firefighters get OK to down drones under California measure
Spain to Acquire 4 Reaper Drones
Scientists are using drones to track and study killer whales http://t.co/2E6VdBbD4R http://t.co/AAkKt36EtQ
— GeekWire (@geekwire) 2015-08-07T19:05:02Z
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense