24 Mar 13. EADS has put €600m into a cutting-edge technology plan over the past decade. The advantage of a drone is that it can fly longer and higher than a manned aircraft. But the big hurdle is integration with manned airspace. Cassidian, the defence and security arm of the pan-European firm, has nine different unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), some already in service, after ploughing €600m into the cutting-edge technology over the past decade. These include Atlante, a reconnaissance aircraft. One of its unmanned helicopters has filmed aerial shots for Hollywood movies. As part of a research tie-up with Aberystwyth University called Tethys, Cassidian is developing an unmanned aerial system based on human endocrine principles, whose batteries would fire up the UAV like an adrenalin shot to the body. When sharp reactions are not required, the system switches to lower key fuel-cell power. It is also studying how to achieve air-to-air refuelling between a drone and a manned aircraft. The advantage of a drone is that it can fly longer and higher than a manned aircraft. But the big hurdle is integration with manned airspace. (Source: Sunday Express)