Bruce Crumley

It may not be the tastiest meal ever flown, but researchers in Switzerland have developed an edible drone designed to serve as life-sustaining nutrition for people stranded in emergency situations.

Joby, a leading developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for air taxis and other services, has said it is pushing plans to launch commercial transportation services back a year to 2025, citing internal considerations and shifts in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification criteria.

Just a month after its mighty Rhaegal-A “Alpha” transportation UAV hauled a world-record-setting 829-pound payload, California start-up Sabrewing this week landed a multimillion-dollar contract to provide its craft to the Arabian Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMC) to support Saudi Arabia’s stated goal of becoming a global center of heavy-lift drone activity.

In the wake of today’s launch of the new, more affordable Mavic 3 Classic compact version of its top-of-the-line camera drone, DJI has issued firmware upgrades for a few products to bring them up to speed with the new craft and its features – including the original Mavic 3.

Despite the now habitual deluge of leaked specs, photos, and videos that precede the arrival of all DJI drones under development anymore, their actual launches are always red-letter occasions – and that’s definitely the case with today’s rollout of the new Mavic 3 Classic. Indeed, ambient excitation may be even greater this time around with the release making most of the tech in DJI’s top-of-the-line photography Mavic 3 UAV more affordable to budget-conscious enthusiasts who’d thus far had to go without it. 

German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi developer Volocopter has raised over $180 million in new funding that it says will help power the company through certification and into its launch of aerial services by mid-decade.

Swiss drone manufacturer and services company RigiTech has continued pushing the boundaries of its activities by staging a long-distance beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) aerial delivery over Lake Geneva, linking two medical labs.

Leading airspace protection company Dedrone is broadening the range of activity of its drone detection and identification tech into everyday circumstances by teaming up with Johnson Controls, a specialist in building and venue safety services.

They’re back… The Michigan couple that has been battling Long Lake Township officials over drone photography of their yard to substantiate allegations it was being illegally used as a dump are going back to court again – this time to have the evidence invalidated with arguments the UAV flights violated their Fourth Amendment rights.

A duo of UK startups working to improve deliveries of materials critical for medical care is pairing up to trial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights in exacting real-world scenarios over a three-month period between Warwickshire hospitals.

German fixed-wing drone manufacturer Quantum-Systems has racked up another accomplishment in what has already been an eventful year by obtaining the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) C3 certification of its Trinity F90+ UAV.

Drone tech group Red Cat Holdings has announced its defense and security UAV specialist, Teal, has partnered with Tomohawk Robotics to further enhance the unifying control system of the multiple craft platform known as 4-Ship.

The payloads carried by UAVs are as diverse in application as they are varied in size. But arguably nothing quite as weighty has yet been loaded onto drones as the responsibility the next sheriff of Las Vegas wants to give them in aiding police battle the city’s violent crimes.

Given the rapidly spreading popularity of lighted UAV choreographies, it’s little wonder that the Third International Drone Show Competition is set to be bigger and more diverse than ever – and taking entries now until November 20.

Lilium’s effort to market its electric takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) around the world has gotten a boost from a 100-craft deal with Saudi Arabia’s national airline, Saudia – its first foothold in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

Automotive giant Hyundai’s unit dedicated to developing next-generation advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, Supernal, has turned to aerospace company BAE Systems to create and produce the flight control tech for its future electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.

British Transport Police are teaming up with Network Rail – the owner and operator of most of the UK’s train infrastructure – in deploying drones to combat what has become a very time- and money-consuming problem in recent years: delays due to trespassers on or around tracks.

Drone delivery and diversified aerial services provider DroneUp has announced it will be working with public and private officials in Utah to help prepare for the arrival and operation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) services.

Law enforcement agencies have been among the many public service and business entities that have used drones to improve their operations, but police in Pittsburgh are reportedly still sitting on a $62,000 unused UAV investment due to concerns about negative public reaction to the craft.

Wing continues to build on its drone delivery momentum in its Australia – its most vibrant market thus far – with the launch of what it calls the first store-to-home service in the Gold Coast area in partnership with supermarket chain Coles.

Two European UAV sector leaders have joined forces to permit Drone Harmony’s automated mission software to be used with ANAFI Ai aboard Parrot drones, improving data gathering performance on mapping and inspection flights.