During the experiments, TALONS, which is the prototype mast, would uncoil itself from a nest tucked in the back of the ACTUV boat. Traditional radar units are usually fixed atop a crow's nest that sits about 150 to 200 feet above sea-level. However, Darpa's TALON's surface-track radar exceeded this range by 500 percent (pictured is an artist impression) Darpa isn't just looking to detect enemies in the sea, the agency has a plan track unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating below 1,000 feet in large cities Darpa's ACTUV (pictured) was first developed to lay the technical foundation for an entirely new class of ocean-going vessel - one able to traverse thousands of kilometers over the open seas for months at a time, without a single crew member aboard No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

The U.S. Air Force announced Friday that it's offering experienced drone pilots a bonus worth up to $175,000 illustrating the military's focus on the evolution of unmanned warfare. The Air Force Times reported that the payout would be $35,000 per year for qualified pilots who agree to a five year commitment. The report of the military's offer came just before the Pentagon controversially sought to recover some hefty reenlistment bonuses. Military officials revealed nearly 10,000 California Army National Guard soldiers were paid too much to go fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an audit first reported by The Los Angeles Times. The paper reported widespread overpayments by California Guard officials under pressure to meet enlistment targets at the height of the wars 10 years ago.

Tech-savvy farmers have been some of the earliest commercial adopters of drone technology, purchasing 45,000 drones last year alone. But if they were using the drones to check on the condition of their fields, spraying their crops, or keeping tabs on livestock, most of them were technically breaking the law. New U.S. federal rules that went into effect this summer, however, should make it easier for farmers to get a drone's-eye view of their fields. The new rules allow commercial drone operators to get certified via a written test, so long as they fly drones that meet certain weight and altitude guidelines. Before this, operators had to pay for a pilot's license and get a special exemption to use a drone, a slow and cumbersome process.

The next time you open the door to find the pizza you ordered (via an app of course), you may not find a delivery person standing on your doorstep. Expect to see a drone dropping off your dinner. And perhaps that dinner was by prepped, at least in part, by robots. Eventually, some of your pizza's toppings may be lab grown-- but in the meantime, even those fresh-off-the-farm ingredients have a good chance of reaching your fork via robotics. Today, automation is shaping up to be our generation's food revolution.

Don't bring a drone with you to document your trip to Sweden -- you could find yourself in legal trouble. The country's Supreme Administrative Court has effectively banned camera drone flights through a ruling. Camera-equipped drones are surveillance cameras, the court argues, and that means they need a permit indicating that they'll be used to prevent crime or accidents. And since you probably aren't flying a drone to keep watch over your home, you're likely out of luck. It won't shock you to hear that local drone owners are upset.

On March 12 2016, children in Malawi look on amazed in the community demonstration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) flying in Lilongwe. The Ministry of Health and UNICEF launched the first six-mile auto programmed flight in a trial to speed up the testing and diagnosis of HIV in infants. It can take hours to travel even short distances along the ramshackle dirt roads of Malawi, an impoverished African country with high rates of HIV, a virus that has taken a particularly acute toll on children. With limited trips from remote towns and villages – where large swaths of the populace live – to one of country's sparsely scattered hospitals in the capital city of Lilongwe, where they get essential medical services, testing for the virus can be an arduous task. But a new experiment conducted this year by United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) shows the potential for drones to help change that scenario amid debates over ethical issues and at a time when developing countries around the world are increasingly turning to the aerial devices to assist with humanitarian efforts.

The Afghan Taliban has uploaded a drone footage showing a suicide bomber driving into a police base and blowing it up in the southern Helmand province. The fighters say the footage proves that they can now deploy drones as an "addition to their sophisticated possessions of advanced technologies". The 23-minute-long video, which begins with a self-proclaimed suicide bomber speaking in front of an explosives-rigged Humvee, was released on Saturday appears to be authentic, according to the Afghan defence ministry. "The remote-controlled drones to capture footage of their [Taliban] fighters conducting attacks is nothing but to instill fear among people and to indicate how far they can get in defeating us, but in fact, using a drone is not something they can call an achievement," Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the defence ministry, told Al Jazeera by telephone. "You can get a drone anywhere, in any shop. They found or bought one, and used it."

DJI, which started out as a drone producer, is trying to strengthen its leadership position in the drone field by offering an action-video camera option. Go Pro, famous for its sports cameras, is expanding into the consumer drone market, which is estimated to grow to 4.8 billion by the end of 2020, from 609 million in 2014.

Amazon's filing of a patent on voice-control "pocket drone" technology demonstrates that the company is seeking to develop the work it has done in voice recognition applications and virtual assistant further by bringing it into the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market. Voice commands for drones have been in development for years. Even in 2010, hobbyists were able to adapt drones to take simple directional commands to navigate pre-mapped areas. Now, basic systems are sold for under 100 online and in stores. And it is possible to modify Amazon Echo through a ground station to deliver commands to commercially sold quadcopters, as demonstrated by a proof-of-concept initiative on hackster.io in February using the Alexa virtual assistant.

The BBC's Orla Guerin reports from the front line as Kurdish troops advance on the Iraqi city of Mosul. Mosul has been in the hands of so-called Islamic State since 2014 and is the militants' last major Iraqi stronghold.