DroneDJ

The FAA is being challenged on a recent flight restriction that banned drone flights over all government buildings and mobile assets. The lawsuit is being managed by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and is challenging it on both First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act violations.

Fly your drone in the wrong place in the US, and it could cost you more than just your gear. It could hit your wallet with fines exceeding $100,000, and even land you behind bars.

The Federal Aviation Administration is taking a major step toward tackling illegal and unauthorized drone operations, rolling out a new tool designed to give law enforcement real-time clarity on who’s flying in US airspace, and whether they’re doing it legally.

A new heavy-lift drone built in the United States is getting ready to take on some of the toughest jobs in the sky, thanks to a key regulatory green light.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making one thing clear in 2026: if you fly a drone recklessly, expect consequences. The FAA fined multiple drone operators and suspended or revoked several remote pilot licenses in recent months over unsafe and unauthorized flights. The violations ranged from flying near emergency response aircraft during wildfires to operating over packed NFL games and major music festivals. And the penalties aren’t small.

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.

Drone delivery is no longer something you explain; it’s something you schedule. Zipline says it has now completed more than 2 million commercial deliveries, raised over $600 million in new funding, and reached a $7.6 billion valuation, as it prepares to expand its autonomous delivery service to Houston and Phoenix in early 2026, with more US metros to follow later in the year.

A Georgia drone pilot ignored a no-fly warning, launched anyway, and ended up with a federal criminal conviction. That’s the short version of what happened when Mitchell Parsons Hughes flew a drone over Truist Park during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July 2025, despite the stadium being protected by a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). For drone pilots across the US, the case is a blunt reminder that flying into restricted airspace isn’t a minor slip-up; it’s a federal offense.

Zipline just scored a massive win: a $150 million US State Department investment to help African nations scale the world’s largest medical drone network, tripling access to lifesaving deliveries of blood and medicine.

If you’ve been following the rocky journey of drone delivery in the US — delays, tiny pilot zones, grounded test fleets, and that constant “coming soon” promise from big tech — you might wonder whether anyone is actually nailing the hard stuff. Turns out, someone is.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched investigations after two Amazon Prime Air drones crashed into a construction crane in Arizona this week — an accident that briefly grounded the company’s ambitious drone delivery program before operations resumed Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a brand-new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system, marking the first major overhaul of the decades-old service that alerts pilots — including drone operators — to temporary airspace restrictions, hazards, and flight disruptions. The modernized platform, called the NOTAM Management Service (NMS), is designed to be faster, more reliable, and cloud-based, arriving months ahead of schedule after years of outages and frustration with the legacy system.

If you fly a DJI drone in the United States for professional purposes, buckle up: the Federal Aviation Administration’s new draft rule, FAA Part 108, could dramatically alter the way you operate. On paper, Part 108 is meant to finally normalize routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights at scale, a move many in the drone industry have been waiting for years. But as written, it could shut out much of the existing DJI fleet, or any other non-US-made drone that American pilots actually use every day.

In a landmark move that could reshape the skies, the US Department of Transportation, under Secretary Sean P. Duffy, has proposed a sweeping new rule that would finally normalize Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations — a long-awaited milestone for the commercial drone industry. The draft rule, introduced as Part 108, is being hailed as a transformative framework that will allow drones to operate beyond the operator’s visual range without the need for individual waivers.

Standing in front of thousands of aviators at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy declared that “we’re unleashing American ingenuity” as he unveiled the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) final rule on July 22. Although the 717‑page regulation is aimed squarely at manned Light‑Sport Aircraft (LSA), many of the ideas baked into MOSAIC — performance‑based standards, expanded aerial‑work privileges, and a friendlier path to novel propulsion systems — echo the very reforms drone makers and pilots have been lobbying for.

After months of waiting, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finally has a permanent leader. And for the drone industry, this appointment couldn’t come at a more crucial time.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced that the individual who flew his drone over an NFL stadium back in January has pleaded guilty to violating national defense airspace. While the list is small, this adds to the slowly growing list of cases where bad drone operators are finally getting punished for their crimes.

While Amazon delivery drones are still trying to figure out where to land, Zipline is already floating boxes into backyards with sci-fi precision — and doing it quietly.

We’re now learning more about the December crashes that forced Amazon to pause its drone delivery operations — and the details are eye-opening. According to a new Bloomberg report, a software update made Amazon’s MK30 drones vulnerable to rain, ultimately causing them to shut off mid-air after mistakenly thinking they had landed.

As disruptions to USAID’s global aid programs continue, Ghana has taken swift action to ensure vital medical supplies reach its citizens without delay — or additional cost. In a decisive move, the Ghanaian government has deepened its partnership with Zipline, a US-based company known for using drones to deliver medical goods, to maintain consistent access to life-saving health commodities.

A new bill that was quietly introduced in the Senate this month could reshape how, where, and even if you can fly your drone in the U.S. Introduced as the Drone Integration and Zoning Act (S.1249), the bill seeks to allow local governments the right to regulate drone flights below 200 feet.

If you’re vacationing near the Jersey Shore and notice a swarm of drones overhead, don’t panic — it’s all part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) experiment. From April 14 to 25, the FAA is conducting a large-scale drone detection test near New Jersey’s Cape May Ferry Terminal, aiming to enhance airspace safety.​

After years of testing, trial runs, and tinkering with logistics, Walmart has formally launched its latest drone delivery service in Texas’ Dallas-Fort Worth area — this time in partnership with Zipline, the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery service.

Known as Zips, Zipline’s “Platform 2” delivery system takes a step forward to bring drone delivery to the home, a dream of all drone delivery companies on the market. Will this be the one that finally succeeds? MKBHD dropped a video this week checking out their testing site, showing how the new system works.