Google Has Registered A Pair Of Drones With The FAA

Google has registered a pair of drones with the FAA, each one codenamed B3 and M2. Google has been working on various aerial projects for a while, most notably Project Wing, and earlier this year it set out on a new UAV design. The newly discovered drones in the FAA registry may be of the new UAV designs, though that isn't clear. The registration only provides basic details, such as engine type.

The FAA registry lists two amateur electric fixed wing/multi-engine drones as being manufactured by Google Inc. Both are listed as having two engines and no seats, and aircraft weight is listed as: "UAV up to 55". A weight under 55lbs would give Google more testing freedom than larger, heavier drones would.

The fact that registrations exist hints that Google is doing something of the non-recreational sort (which is fairly obvious, regardless) — and that whatever testing it is doing will be happening in the outdoors, otherwise it wouldn't need to register. Because two different models are registered, it seems likely Google is testing out a pair of designs.

No images of the drones are provided, so what they look like is anyone's guess. The final detail is that whatever testing is happening will take place in Colorado, not California. Google hasn't stated anything public about its drones, so what purposes they may serve isn't clear.

SOURCE: Engadget