Drones ! Weapon of destruction or creation ...

Article n°1: Bell Is Making a Tiltrotor Combat Drone

By Kyle Mizokami, Oct 13, 2016

The Bell V-247 Vigilant will operate from ships to fight, conduct recon missions ashore.

Bell Helicopter is working on a new drone for the Marine Corps designed to provide reconnaissance of possible landing zones and support Marine grunts after they hit the beach. Bell hopes the Marines will accept the new design, tentatively called the V-247 Vigilant, into service sometime in the early 2020s, and that the drone's versatility means other services will adopt it.

The Marine Corps has been looking for a drone of its own that can operate off ships. The Marines have no shortage of helicopters, but the great thing about a drone is that it can do things and go places that would be too dangerous for a human crew. Bell's answer s the V-247 Vigilant. With its large wing and twin oversized propellers, the Vigilant looks like a smaller version of the V-22 Osprey, minus the cockpit. The tiltrotor configuration gives it airplane-like speed while allowing it to take off from helicopter landing pads on ships as small as a destroyer.

The Vigilant can carry a variety of sensors, including forward-looking infrared and radar, allowing Marine commanders to scout potential amphibious landing zones. Unlike the bloody battles of World War II, modern amphibious warfare doctrine is to land where the enemy is not, and the Vigilant will enable Marine planners to have a drone parked on ships available for direct, immediate scouting missions.

The Vigilant will have a maximum speed of 330 miles an hour, a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet, and the ability to stay on station for up to 11 hours. Unlike the Osprey, the Vigilant will have a single powerful engine generating between 5,000 to 6,000 horsepower, driving the two propellers/rotors on the wingtips.

Once the Marines are ashore, the Vigilant could continue to carry out reconnaissance missions and, in a pinch, fire support. Bell's new drone can carry an internal payload of 2,000 pounds, including Hellfire missiles. The drone has a modular payload system, allowing new weapons systems to be quickly integrated. It can even act as an airborne communications node, flying over the battlefield and ensuring different units can talk to each other despite weather problems, terrain or even enemy jamming. It will be able to deliver up to 9,000 pounds of cargo slung underneath to Marines on the front lines.

The company is not just positioning the drone for the Marines. It's also being advertised as capable of carrying sonars and anti-submarine torpedoes, which would be very attractive to the U.S. Navy, and as an armed escort for the proposed V-280 Valor transport tiltrotor—also being developed by Bell for the Army. Vigilants could fly alongside US Air Force V-22 Ospreys on search and rescue missions, and even the Coast Guard had a requirement for a similar drone.

Via Naval-Technology.com

Article n°2: The DJI Mavic Pro Is The Only Drone You'll Need

By Justin First, Oct 14, 2016

The DJI Mavic Pro is arguably unbeatable when it comes to drone portability and functionality. (CaseyNeistat / YouTube)

Drone lovers know that DJI is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to drones. So when the DJI Mavic Pro came out, everyone knows that this new device will be one of the best on the market. The GoPro Karma might have perks of its own, but the DJI Mavic Pro is undeniably one of the best drones you'll own.

DJI Mavic Pro Quick Review

One of the best things about the DJI Mavic Pro is that it is lighter than most of the drones right now. It's also more portable. DJI claims that the Mavic Pro is so portable that you can actually have it folded down to a size of a water bottle. With that, it means that the Mavic Pro will easily fit your camping bag or even your mini side bag. People who are fans of outdoor adventures would know how important gadget portability is. No matter how good your drone is, if it takes so much space, then it could cause stress too.

Furthermore, the DJI Mavic Pro can also deliver when it comes to performance. A The Verge review of the product says that DJI's drone can fly farther than its competition. It's also quicker than most of the drones on the market. Power-wise, the Mavic Pro is also doing well. In fact, it beats Karma on that aspect as it lasts longer on one charging. So for people who are constantly out and about, the DJI Mavic Pro is clearly a top option.

DJI Mavic Pro Features

Apart from all these, the DJI Mavic Pro is also one of the most "intelligent" drones right now. It still boasts of DJI's follow-me mode and it also has the obstacle avoidance feature that most drone users consider very important. For the capture quality, there is also nothing to worry about as the DJI Mavic Pro is also superior. PC Advisor states that DJI's drone can deliver great shots as well.

DJI Mavic Pro Price

The Mavic Pro is also not so bad price-wise. In fact, it's at the same price point as the GoPro Karma which means that it's still at the competitive part of the pricing spectrum. The Mavic Pro's starting price is $749, but if you want the controller included, you can buy the drone at roughly $1000. It's worth noting though that the DJI drone doesn't necessarily need a controller as it can also be controlled using your smartphone. However, of course, getting it with a controller at $1000 is a very good deal.

Resume:

Today we can say that the Syrian conflict is one of our major problem because of Daech. Daech has been really present in our life with those two last years of terror. For the moment, only Russian are taking drastic decisions and many other nations criticize their bombing considered uncontrolled. That is why Bell is making a Tiltrotor Combat Drone. This drone might be a revolution because it can have many uses like carrying lots of variety sensors, carrying weapons or just fly by itself and evaluate the terrain for marines. It also permit to access some really dangerous combat zones quickly and without difficulty. But this program is only a project and only can be release if the marines find a real interest in this new drone. On the other side the specialist of film making drone DJI just announced his new drone DJI MavicPro. This is an amazingly compact and consisting drone that can produce beautiful images thanks to a new 4k camera and a small stabilizer really efficient! Some of the most popular Vloggers out there, think it is the best drone ever made because of the size of it. Casey Neistat (one of my favorite Youtubers) says "The DJI Mavic Pro is arguably unbeatable when it comes to drone portability and functionality." I think DJI will just conquer the market of drones. 

To conclude, in my mind this First new big toy drone of Bell is one of the top technology out there but the only use of it will be for destruction. In a first time to protect us but on a seconde time to monitor our life. The second drone is totally different and I like it a lot because it's a new tool of creation for filmmakers and we will be able to see some point of view differently. However, do we really needs those two drones ?