DroneDJ

Air travelers in West Texas went to bed Tuesday night with no warning, and woke up to find a major American airport effectively shut down. In a move that stunned local officials, airlines, and even parts of the federal government, the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly halted flights in and out of El Paso International Airport late Tuesday, citing “special security reasons.” The 10-mile airspace restriction — stretching up to 18,000 feet — was initially set to last 10 days. Instead, it lasted about seven and a half hours. By sunrise Wednesday, flights were back on schedule. But the questions were just beginning.

Brazil has just handed DJI a regulatory win that could reshape how enterprise drones scale, not just in South America, but worldwide. Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) has officially granted Design Authorization for the DJI Matrice 3D series and DJI Dock 2. On paper, it’s a certification milestone. In practice, it could dramatically shorten the runway for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations across the country.

Two defense-tech companies — one focused on rapid manufacturing, the other known for battle-tested First Person View (FPV) drones — are teaming up to build what they say is a next-gen small drone designed specifically for modern combat. Firestorm Labs and Orqa have announced a partnership to produce the Firestorm Squall, a Group 1 FPV quadcopter designed to meet the needs of US and allied military forces. The pitch is straightforward but timely: US-built, NDAA-compliant drones that can be manufactured at scale, fast, and close to where they’re needed.

The first weekend of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is over. Medals have already been awarded, there’s been great success and also some devastating moments. But what has been on my mind all weekend is a certain consistent buzzing noise during almost every downhill run: FPV drones.

The Santa Ana City Council in Orange County, California, has officially approved a new Drone as a First Responder (DFR) program, giving police a faster way to respond to emergencies while placing firm limits on how the technology can be used.

File this one under things you don’t expect drones to be used for, but here we are.

A police department in Wisconsin says it used a drone, along with trail cameras, to identify and cite a woman accused of repeatedly defecating in a local public park. And yes, the drone caught the suspect in the act.

Warehouses built for frozen food aren’t exactly friendly places for people, or robots. Temperatures plunge well below zero, frost builds up on everything, airflow is constant, and visibility can be a mess. Yet these same environments demand some of the most precise inventory tracking in logistics. That’s the problem Corvus Robotics says it has cracked with the launch of Corvus One for Cold Chain, a drone-based inventory system designed to operate autonomously in freezer warehouses as cold as minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit.

More than halfway through its run, DJI says its flagship SkyPixel competition is already breaking records. The company and its creative platform SkyPixel have crossed 45,000 global submissions for the 11th annual SkyPixel Photo & Video Contest, signaling just how mainstream — and competitive — aerial storytelling has become. And this year, it’s not just enthusiasts showing up. Emmy-winning filmmakers and world-renowned directors are now battling it out for bragging rights and a prize pool worth more than $200,000.

When labor is tight and timing matters, technology is stepping in to pick up the slack. That’s the reality many US farmers are facing right now, and it’s exactly where the newly available XAG P150 Max agricultural drone is positioning itself as a practical solution.

Chicago-based drone infrastructure startup Valqari has just crossed a major milestone, and this one goes beyond simply receiving drone deliveries. The company announced it has been granted its 17th US patent, and it tackles a long-standing gap in autonomous drone logistics: how drones send packages without human involvement.

A US drone company is running 34 autonomous drone docks across 965 square miles in China, and multiple government agencies are using them at the same time.

Action cameras are no longer just tools for extreme sports fans; they’re storytelling machines. Osmo 360, which is DJI’s first dedicated 360-degree action camera, is built to capture immersive panoramic footage that can be reframed in post or edited to look like traditional action clips. It boasts native 8K 360° video, 120 MP panoramic stills, dual HDR 1-inch sensors, and up to 4K/120 fps in Single-Lens mode, making it a powerful choice for ski shooters who want cinematic Winter content directly on their phones or social feeds.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to buy your first drone, or upgrade from an older one, this might be it. The DJI Mini 3 has dropped to its lowest-ever price, and the timing couldn’t be better. With Valentine’s Day around the corner and travel season not far behind, this lightweight flyer is suddenly one of the most tempting tech buys you can make right now.

Anyone who’s tried filming themselves in winter knows the problem: gloves on, phone buried in layers, and a drone that’s supposed to “just follow you” but doesn’t always get the memo. For people using small, hands-free drones to capture skiing, snow trips, or fast outdoor movement, consistency matters more than specs, and that’s exactly what HoverAir is quietly tuning with its latest software update for the 8K flying camera X1 Pro Max.

A Danish defense startup betting on raw kinetic force instead of electronic warfare has raised more money than planned — a signal of how fast the counter-drone arms race is heating up.

Switzerland is giving its armored vehicles something new: eyes that can fly.

Winter doesn’t pause critical drone operations, but it does raise the stakes. As DJI Dock 3 continues to roll out across public safety, infrastructure inspection, utilities, and industrial monitoring, operators are increasingly relying on it in cold, windy, and low-visibility environments. To help teams get the most out of their Dock 3 deployments this winter, DJI has released a set of practical cold-weather safety recommendations aimed at improving flight stability, battery reliability, and overall mission success.

DJI has rolled out a fresh firmware update for the Matrice 400, bringing a series of under-the-hood improvements aimed squarely at enterprise operators who depend on precision, stability, and reliability in demanding environments. While this isn’t a flashy feature-packed update, it addresses some of the most critical aspects of professional drone operations: positioning accuracy, sensor performance, and battery safety.

If you fly a DJI Mavic 4 Pro, this is one of those updates you’ll want installed before your next takeoff — not because it adds flashy new features, but because it quietly improves the things drone pilots notice most once they’re in the air.

DJI is back with a new tool aimed squarely at creators, and this time, it’s all about working smarter, lighter, and longer. The company has officially launched the DJI RS 5, a brand-new lightweight commercial gimbal designed to give videographers more stability, faster setup, and surprisingly powerful intelligent tracking without adding bulk.

SkyeBrowse, one of the fastest-growing 3D modeling platforms in the drone mapping space, has unveiled a major suite of upgrades designed to help public safety agencies and investigators process crash, crime, and emergency scenes faster than ever — with minimal manual work.

Antigravity’s groundbreaking A1 drone, the world’s first consumer 8K 360° aerial camera drone, is stepping into the spotlight with its first major discount and a significant feature update — a flight simulator built right into its immersive Vision Goggles system. The new tools and price cut aim to entice both first-time pilots and creative pros to experience a fresh way of flying and capturing the world.

If you fly a DJI drone, here’s the answer you actually came for: yes, your drone can still receive firmware updates in the US. And yes, that was very much in doubt until now.

What happens when the world’s fastest human drone pilots line up against AI systems built to think, react, and fly at extreme speed — using almost no sensors? You get the A2RL Drone Championship, where split-second decisions, not flashy hardware, decided who ruled the sky.