FAA to install runway safety technology at 74 airports by end of 2026
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said it will install enhanced safety technology to help detect runway incursions at 74 airports by the end of 2026.
The FAA is installing the Runway Incursion Device -- a memory aid for air traffic controllers that indicates when a runway is occupied.
The system is operational at four airports and will be installed at another 70 airports over the next 19 months. Earlier Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he plans to announce in the next few days a plan to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system to replace aging technologies.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
France approaches Renault on drone production, Renault says
By Gilles Guillaume PARIS (Reuters) -France's defence ministry has approached Renault with a view to helping to manufacture drones, the automaker said on Sunday, after the ministry last week floated the idea French companies could help with production in Ukraine. "We have been contacted by the defence ministry about the possibility of producing drones. Discussions have taken place, but no decision has been taken at this stage, as we are awaiting further details on this project from the ministry," Renault said in a statement to Reuters. Earlier on Sunday, French news website Franceinfo reported the French carmaker was expected to produce drones in Ukraine. Asked about the report, the ministry told Reuters it was up to the carmaker, without naming it, to say whether it would participate. Also without naming any companies, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told French news channel LCI on Friday that France would set up a partnership between a major French carmaker and a small defence firm to equip production lines in Ukraine for building drones. Drones have played a significant role in Ukraine's defence since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, providing surveillance and strike capabilities that have shaped battlefield tactics against Russian forces. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Speculation Swirls Around Mystery Tesla Model
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA - 2025/04/04: Tesla Model Y set for reveal during media launch of ... More Melbourne Motor Show 2025. (Photo by Alexander Bogatyrev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) A new Tesla model – possibly a minimalist version of an existing model – is slated to begin production this month, fueling speculation about what exactly it is. Tesla executives have been pretty clear about timing. 'We're still focused on bringing cheaper models to market soon. The start of production is still planned for June,' said Tesla chief financial officer Vaibhav Taneja during the first quarter earnings conference call on April 22. A June 2 Reuters story claims to confirm that the so-called $25,000 'Model 2' was canceled by CEO Elon Musk. This comes more than a year after Musk denied the original April 2024 Reuters report about cancellation of the project, saying at that time that 'Reuters is lying." The Model 2 – nomenclature used by analysts to designate a low-cost Tesla – was supposed to be a revolutionary low-cost vehicle that used Tesla's latest and greatest manufacturing technology to reduce production costs. Signs now point to a less radical design based on existing platforms. Reuters now reports that something much less ambitious called E41 is planned but claims it is delayed until later this year or early next year. That timing would seem to contradict what Tesla's CFO said (above) in the Q1 earning conference call, though Lars Moravy, VP Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, did mention that the 'ramp maybe -- might be a little slower than we had hoped initially" when referring to the future affordable models. Last week, a Model Y in camo wrap at the Tesla Fremont, Calif. factory sparked speculation that Tesla was about to start production of a new stripped down Model Y. But pushback on social media claimed that it was simply the unannounced Performance version of the Juniper Model Y. And camo-wrapped Model Ys have appeared elsewhere that appear to be the Performance version. That didn't stop speculation that the Fremont images appear to show different proportions than the standard Tesla Model Y, possibly shorter or more compact, which would be in line with a stripped down model. Unsupervised robotaxis will hit roads in Austin in June, Elon Musk said in an interview with CNBC. Unsupervised means the car has no human driver – like Waymo's robotaxi service. 'We have thousands of cars that are being tested,' Musk said, adding that initial deployment will be very small but Musk expects that "we will probably be at 1,000 within a few months" then expand to other cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. That event could also host new vehicles. Tesla has already demonstrated the radical-looking Cybercab. And it's probably not a coincidence that Tesla is also scheduled to start production of the new unannounced affordable model in June. That upcoming model is expected to use a mixed-platform approach, combining components from Tesla's next-generation platform and existing Model 3/Y architecture. The new affordable Tesla is expected to be autonomous-capable and FSD compliant.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Trump order seeks to boost U.S. drone industry
June 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is taking aim at drone technology from two directions -- boost the U.S. industry and crack down on malicious activity. Trump on Friday signed executive orders on efforts to spur U.S. production relevant to drone technology, increase U.S. drone security and regulation efforts, and an unleated one to promote design and eventual use of commercial supersonic aircraft. "Unmanned aircraft systems, otherwise known as drones, offer the potential to enhance public safety as well as cement America's leadership in global innovation," an executive order titled Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty read. "But criminals, terrorists, and hostile foreign actors have intensified their weaponization of these technologies, creating new and serious threats to our homeland. Another order, titled Unleashing American Drone Dominance, declares that "building a strong and secure domestic drone sector is vital to reducing reliance on foreign sources, strengthening critical supply chains and ensuring that the benefits of this technology are delivered to the American people." There are more than a million registered drones in the United States, according to the FAA with more than 400,000 commercial drones and more than 350,000 for recreational use. In a press release, the Commercial Drone Alliance said it has "believed that innovation and security are two sides of the same coin. Outdated regulations have long impeded technological innovation and hindered transparency in our airspace." Lisa Ellman, chief executive of the Commercial Drone Alliance, also lauded the executive orders for aiming at both innovation and security simultaneously. "We fully support the long-overdue steps taken by the Trump administration in these Executive Orders -- establishing a framework to scale safe and secure drone operations while enhancing drone security and airspace transparency -- to modernize our domestic drone policy and assure American aviation leadership into the next century of flight," she said in the release. Drone dangers Trump has warned that drones have been used to smuggle drugs across borders, and could threaten large public gatherings, such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, both in the United States. "It is the policy of the United States to ensure control over our national airspace and to protect the public, critical infrastructure, mass gathering events, and military and sensitive government installations and operations from threats posed by the careless or unlawful use of UAS," the security related order reads. Chinese-made drones from companies like DJI or Autel are not outright banned, but the Federal Acquisition Security Council has been called on to "publish a Covered Foreign Entity List ... identifying companies that pose supply chain risks." In 2022, the U.S. Treasury added DJI and seven other companies to its Chinese Military-Industrial Complex list, which indicates some level of national security concern. The includes a ban on U.S.-based companies exporting technology to them. The majority of drones are estimated to be built in China, The New York Times reported. The Justice Department and FAA were told to enforce civil and criminal penalties for drone operators who violate laws or airspace restrictions. There will be grants for state and local law enforcement to access drone-detection and tracking equipment. The Federal Aviation Administration requires all drones weighing more than 0.55 of a pound to be registered, in addition to restricting how high they can be flown without authorization. The Justice Department and FAA were told to more robustly enforce civil and criminal penalties for drone operators who violate laws or airspace restrictions. Grant programs are planned for state and local law enforcement to access drone-detection and tracking equipment., the order also indicates Drone industry growth In his first term, Trump sought to increase the use of drones and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been directed to promote exports of U.S.-made drones, in addition to federal agencies being ordered to prioritize purchases of them. "The United States must accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate UAS into the National Airspace System," the order reads. "The time has come to accelerate testing and to enable routine drone operations, scale up domestic production, and expand the export of trusted, American-manufactured drone technologies to global markets." The order directs the FAA to allow commercial users and public safety officials not to fly drones beyond their range of sight, meaning that a user must be able to see the drone they are operating. "Building a strong and secure domestic drone sector is vital to reducing reliance on foreign sources, strengthening critical supply chains, and ensuring that the benefits of this technology are delivered to the American people," the order says. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy was directed to initiate artificial intelligence tools to assist in and expedite the review of a UAS waiver application, and the Transportation Department was told to develop an Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Pilot Program to accelerate the deployment of safe and lawful eVTOL operations in the United States. Supersonic flight An additional executive order titled "Leading the World in Supersonic Flight" seeks to promise planes that travel at supersonic speeds, which are greater than the speed of sound at approximately 768 mph at sea level, or Mach 1. "The United States stands at the threshold of a bold new chapter in aerospace innovation," the order reads. "For more than 50 years, outdated and overly restrictive regulations have grounded the promise of supersonic flight over land, stifling American ingenuity, weakening our global competitiveness, and ceding leadership to foreign adversaries." The order noted that "advances in aerospace engineering, materials science, and noise reduction now make supersonic flight not just possible, but safe, sustainable, and commercially viable." The order repeals regulations prohibiting cross-country supersonic flights, which for decades have precluded nonmilitary air travel over land at faster-than-sound speeds. The Concorde was manufactured from 1965 to 1979, but are no longer flown by airlines, however, Boom Supersonic and NASA are currently developing new supersonic passenger jets.
