UPDATE 12/30/10: The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has confirmed that QinetiQ’s solar-powered Zephyr UAV, which charges during the day and operates from batteries, has been ratified as staying in the air longer and achieving the highest altitude of any surveillance craft in its class, and setting the absolute duration record of 14 days and 21 minutes.

In the UK, a new UAS evaluation center has opened for UAS trials and testing involving air traffic management and airspace changes.

Boeing demonstrates new Phantom Eye UAS which begins flight tests later this year. It will stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days.

Insitu signs agreement to provide integration research to FAA as part of enabling UAS in America’s airspace.

Read Dwight Eisenhower’s warning about military-industrial complex – 49 years ago – still applicable today.

ASDReports, a paid-for market research forecast for the UAV market, predicts $71 billion will be spent on UAVs in the next 10 years.