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Monday, April 21, 2014

Portuguese Drone Program Off to Nonflying Start


Video of a small drone failing to take flight during a public demonstration in Portugal last week.

As the Lisbon daily Público reported, the Portuguese Navy’s fledgling drone program attracted international attention last week because of footage of the failed maiden voyage of a new reconnaissance craft that was quickly viewed hundreds of thousands of times online.

The less-than-triumphant first flight of the small AR4 Light Ray, which lasted just seconds before the craft plunged nosefirst into the water just off the edge of the dock from which it was launched, was witnessed by the nation’s defense minister and naval chief of staff and recorded from at least three angles by crews from the state broadcaster other journalists.