As CES 2026 wrapped up in Las Vegas earlier this month, the spotlight didn’t stay inside the convention halls for long. Instead, it moved to the night sky, where 1,200 drones rose above the Strip in a tightly choreographed light show that quietly set a new bar for how efficiently large drone performances can be pulled off in the US.
The show wasn’t just big; it was fast. Over a compressed three-hour window, Skyworx Drone Shows executed four full-scale drone performances back to back. What really stood out was the size of the crew behind it all: a six-person core operations team handling one of the largest and most complex drone light show deployments ever seen at a US tech event.
That level of efficiency didn’t happen by accident. The CES project was a joint effort between Skyworx Drone Shows, which operated and owned the fleet, and drone manufacturer DAMODA. Together, the two combined Skyworx’s experience navigating US airspace and large-scale event operations with DAMODA’s automation-heavy swarm control systems and precision positioning technology.
The result was a series of stable, repeatable performances in one of the most challenging environments imaginable — dense urban airspace, tight timelines, and zero room for error. All of it was carried out within US airspace regulations, underscoring how far drone show operations have matured in recent years.
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This kind of execution points to a broader shift in drone entertainment. Instead of labor-heavy, one-off productions that take days to reset, operators are moving toward standardized systems that allow shows to be repeated quickly, safely, and at scale. CES 2026 offered a real-world example of that transition in action.
“This project demonstrates what’s now possible when advanced automation, streamlined workflows, and experienced operators come together,” says Skyworx Drone Shows CEO Taylor Woodall. As demand grows for larger and more frequent drone spectacles — from brand launches to major sporting events — he says the industry will increasingly prioritize speed, repeatability, and operational discipline.
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