Bruce Crumley

Few incidents are better generators of headlines, public shivers, and the ire of UAV sector experts than reports of “near misses” between drones and piloted aircraft – encounters whose very definitions and delineations are often left to the subjective dread of the beholder. A recently released study, however, uses objective methods for analyzing such mid-air events, and offers suggestions for further reducing their relatively limited numbers.

The release of a new DJI drone is always an exciting moment – no matter the volume of leaked information on the product beforehand – and one of prolonged anticipation as buyers get an official eyeful of the cutting-edge gear they can finally order. That’s no different today as the global UAV leader unveils its Air 3, featuring dual cameras, omnidirectional obstacle sensors, and an extended 46 minutes of flight time.

Just hours before global drone giant DJI unveils what is universally expected to be the company’s new Air 3 product today, waiting fans were treated to a large leak of information about another rumored device – an updated Osmo 4 action camera.

Swiss warehouse and logistics drone services company Verity has gotten a boost in its international scaling ambitions with a new financial infusion increasing its earlier $32 million Series B funding round by nearly 30%.

Researchers at a Russian technology organization supporting the nation’s war against Ukraine say they’ve developed an application allowing first-person view (FPV) drones to be hidden in ideal attack locations, then reactivated out of “sleeping” mode for strikes on nearby targets at appointed times.

New York City has taken the first major step toward softening its reputation as among the world’s most hostile places for drone use with the unveiling of a new permitting process aimed at liberalizing what has until now been a near blanket ban on UAV operation.

The US Army has tested an app that allows smartphones to serve as counter-UAV assets by providing visual information and location data of suspicious drones to central authorities.

As DroneDJ has noted in the past, the swiftness, agility, and powerful imaging tech drones provide have revolutionized the way surfing is photographed, affording spectators nearly first-person perspectives of what riders see. Now, a UAV has allowed one of the sport’s pros to film some arresting footage of his own – this time of fellow competitors being closely looked over by a very large shark.

The UK developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), Vertical Aerospace, says it has completed the first untethered test flight of its future battery-powered air taxi, propelling it into an elite of sector startups that have managed to both produce prototypes and get them aloft.

Increased supplies of so-called suicide drones will be among the munitions included in the $1.3 billion US aid package to Ukraine announced Wednesday – aerial reinforcements that officials said will include both Switchblade and still enigmatic Phoenix Ghost loitering UAVs.

Even as it prepares for the rollout next Tuesday of what’s expected to be its new Air 3 drone product, DJI appears to be also nearing the launch of an updated Osmo 4 Action Camera – at least according to the same online leaker who has been dishing the company’s inside dirt regularly and reliably in recent months.

If drones are being deployed to keep people safe from sharks at the city’s beaches, the New York Police Department (NYPD) figures they may prove just as useful in broadcasting audio messages to residents of areas facing emergency situations.

As the world awaits the July 25 unveiling event of what’s expected to be DJI’s new Air 3 drone, an activist leaker has sought to strengthen his claim as the leading purveyor of product spoiler information with the publication of several slides detailing the UAV’s specs, and comparing those with existing craft.

Drone hardware and systems producer Draganfly has continued its recent burst of development and production activity with a veritable change-up pitch, revealing it created a new digital display messaging UAV with partner Promo Drone as it pursued its intense work with North American police and fire services and medical and emergency response organizations in Ukraine.

Swiss drone delivery company RigiTech has further expanded its zone of international activity with the launch of trial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of medical supplies in Uruguay.

The defense unit of California tech company Teledyne FLIR has followed up on the $48 million contract it signed last year with Norway by finalizing a new deal to provide the nation’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) with a veritable fleet of Black Hornet nano drones destined for Ukraine’s defense efforts.

German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Lilium says it has secured over $190 million in additional financing designed to allow it to advance work on its air taxis into test flight phases.

A pair of drone shows experienced starkly contrasting fortunes over the weekend, with a spectacular event above Disneyland Paris setting a European record for the most UAVs performing at once, while another in Melbourne ended with most of the 500 craft plunging into the city’s Yarra River.

There are definite differences between being ignorant of drone rules, occasionally flirting with the limits of restrictions, and being an utter pillock in violating them. A California pilot has just pleaded guilty to what amounts to the latter, and then some.

In an effort to fly two major event kites from the same string – and encourage comingling of aerial activities at their heart – the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) are pairing up to host twinned drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) conferences next month at the same time and venue.

Middle-mile aerial transport specialist Dronamics has added another milestone atop its achievement of being the first accredited drone cargo airline in Europe with the reception of designation codes from the world’s main air transport organizations, placing it on operational par with the legacy freight and passenger carriers of the world.