battery-powered drone with a range of 300km (190 miles)

US military technology adapted as 'eye in the sky' by eco-activists in the Antarctic seas.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/01/drones-fight-japanese-whalers?newsfeed=true

Yeah, and while they are out saving the enviroment it turns out that they did not do an enviromental impact study on how the drone was going to hurt the enviroment, now they are in trouble for using it......

http://www.suasnews.com/2012/01/10973/environmental-impact-study-required-for-sea-shepard-drone/

People are scared to death about anything that flies with a camera on it, I don't get it.......

Here is a link to the company that makes the Osprey featured ion the main article.  You might want to check out some of their other products, like the Foamaroo.

http://hangar18uav.com/osprey.htm

An airframe is just an airframe, given we can pretty much use any airframe we like I'm more impressed with it's brains

This bird the Osprey according to their website GPS posted flys off the Attopilot v3 AHRS IMU which prices at 2 275.0 Euros = 2 936.3425 U.S. dollars
... Ouch, we pays what we have to pay. Nevertheless is indeed a very fine package

Here's a TEST VID of the Attopilot --->


                    [youtube]1Lb8FNIiPTk[/youtube]

I like the super functional design of the Foamaroo airframe. It's a tube with a lot of wing.

This video shows some of the flight characteristics of the Foamaroo. It can glide pretty well and the take off possibilities are also good:



Here is a video with the return to home in a Foamaroo:

Now they are not in trouble any more, Glad to see this get approved.

http://www.suasnews.com/2012/01/11012/sea-shepherd-obtain-permission-to-fly-uas-in-antarctic-waters/