Bruce Crumley

Diversified drone services company Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU) surpassed the 13,000 mark for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights during another phase in its long-running aerial inspections of Xcel Energy transmission infrastructure.

Ukraine is vastly expanding the pilot training component of its Army of Drones initiative that collects donations from around the world to buy UAVs and strengthen the nation’s aerial defensive assets battling Russia’s invasion.

Specialized UAV consulting firm Skyfire has formed a partnership with drone management and collaboration software specialist DroneSense to offer public safety agencies a range of packages designed to facilitate the launch of first responder small craft programs.

South Korean startup MintAir is partnering with Dallas-based electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft company Jaunt Air Mobility to develop advanced air mobility (AAM) services across the Southeast Asian nation.

Innovative advanced air mobility (AAM) company REGENT has taken another step in the development of its electric Viceroy seaglider by obtaining the design Approval in Principal certification from independent testing and evaluation company Bureau Veritas.

Switzerland’s specialized medical drone transport company RigiTech is breaking new ground in France, where it has received the first-ever approval to fly regular beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of patient samples and other materials between two French laboratories.

Drone services, hardware, and training company Volatus Aerospace has been granted a special certificate by regulator Transport Canada to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions without a flight observer.

South Korea’s Jeju Island is preparing to introduce air taxi service by 2025, a first step in the popular tourist destination’s plans to make urban air mobility (UAM) services a routine transport option around the vacation hot spot.

Suspicious or aggressive behavior toward drone use in public areas is, alas, nothing new, but a video uploaded to social media this week captured that aerial aggro at a higher level, showing the pilot being threatened by a man waving a firearm in the UK – a nation known for very strict gun laws.

The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has updated its list of drones and companies on its Blue UAS Cleared List that meet security criteria for use by the Department of Defense (DoD) and its agencies.

Only hours after launching its new, highly anticipated Avata FPV drone, DJI has already released a firmware update for the craft that adds or enhances many product features. The question is, how many people have DJI’s latest UAV  to download that upgrade onto?

With excitement not even beginning to wane in the wake of DJI unveiling its much-anticipated Avata FPV drone, reviews of the new CineWhoop are already piling up with information pilots of different skill levels and flight priorities will need to shape their purchasing decisions.

Red Cat Holdings has announced its Teal Drones unit has secured exclusive rights to equip its flagship Golden Eagle UAVs with autonomy enhancing Autodonyne software.

The UK and Norway are sending more than $9 million worth of Teledyne Flir Black Hornet micro drones to Ukraine to aid the nation’s battle against Russia’s invasion.

New photos have turned up on social media showing boxes of DJI’s new Avata FPV drone just waiting to be shipped, indicating the company’s CineWhoop UAV is merely an official unveiling away from being dispatched to legions of excited buyers.

Ireland is expected to hear debate later this year on proposed legislation that would allow the nation’s police force, An Garda Síochána, expanded use of drones for surveillance and other missions that critics claim pose data use and personal privacy risks.

Ukraine is upping its efforts to beat back Russia’s invasion by using both military-grade and consumer UAVs with a slick new post on social media designed to inspire worldwide backers to donate generously and often to the nation’s Army of Drones campaign.

Defense and security group AeroVironment has landed another military agency contract with an $8 million US Army deal to supply and test a JUMP 20 medium-range UAV for the first increment of the Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System (FTUAS) program.

So close, but in the end, no superlative cigar. After 64 straight days of solar-powered flight, the US Army’s Airbus-built Zephyr UAV reportedly plunged from the skies over Arizona, just hours shy of breaking the all-time record for continuous navigation by an aircraft.

A research unit of Virginia Tech specialized in UAV traffic management (UTM) is leading a second phase of trials under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aegis aiming to advance work establishing effective, safe, and reliable systems for orchestrating flights of numerous drones sharing the same airspace.

Law enforcement officials in Texas have arrested 42 people in an alleged criminal ring that used a drone to smuggle drugs into state prisons, including an inmate who now risks a life sentence for his role in the plot.