Google buys drone maker Titan Aerospace

Google has acquired Titan Aerospace, a company that makes drones. The deal is striking because Facebook would also have had plans to acquire the company. It is unclear what the internet giant is paying for Titan Aerospace.

That says The Wall Street Journal based on information provided by Google. Titan Aerospace’s drones can fly high in the atmosphere. The internet giant may want to use it to make aerial photos for its mapping services Maps and Earth. It is not clear what amount the internet giant will pay for the acquisition.

In addition to making images from the air, drones can be used for mobile internet in developing countries. Google had previously developed such plans under the name Project Loon, although they were based on balloons that transmit internet signals to the ground in the stratosphere.

The takeover of Titan Aerospace by Google is striking because there were rumors that Facebook would take over the company. The social networking site would like to build drones to provide internet access to people in developing countries with its Internet.org project, which means Facebook has similar plans to Google.