Bruce Crumley

A pair of men has been arrested and held by police in Georgia on charges they flew contraband – including 280 grams of meth and other drugs – into a state prison with a drone.

In their continued defense against Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s technophile officials are turning two beloved geek archetypes – crypto currency fans and hackers – to reinforce the nation’s impressive deployment of military, adapted consumer, and specialized DIY drones for emergency, medical, humanitarian, surveillance, and even attack purposes.

DJI has announced the release of new firmware for its RC Pro handset in tandem with an update to the Mini 3 Pro drone, making the two products compatible as users have been clamoring for over the last few months.

Pursuing an objective that allies in the UK’s Royal Navy are also working toward, the US Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) is developing an autonomous drone designed to transport blood transfusion reserves and other critical medical supplies to treat injured troops in combat situations.

The Department of Defense (DoD), which oversees management of US military agencies, has awarded security tech company BlueHalo a $24 million contract to provide its Titan counter-drone systems for quick deployment and effective protection of troops and assets.

Automated drone-in-a-box hardware and service developer Percepto has put the finishing touches on the aerial network that will be used for regular inspection and data analysis of a giant floating solar power farm in Thailand, reputed to be among the world’s largest.

Joby, a leading developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has expanded its partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) in exploring potential applications of next-generation vehicles across all corps of the US military.

Following the controversy over the use of its products in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, about the last thing leading consumer drone manufacturer DJI could have wanted was one of Moscow’s top military leaders praising the Mavic as “a true symbol of modern warfare.” That, however, is exactly what the Shenzhen-based company got in a recent post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, raising the question: What’s Mandarin for “oy vey?”

It’s frequently been said war is hell, and now dark mockery is being thrown into its merciless mix. Evidence of that came with a video uploaded by Ukraine drone unit Aerorozvidka illustrating what it calls the “dronephobia” affliction of an apparent Russian target on the ground melting down at the approach of a hostile UAV.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking to accelerate development of a heavy-lift drone in support of the Royal Navy’s vision to revolutionize its resupplying of ships at sea by using UAVs rather than traditional aircraft like helicopters.

If aerial activity tracks changes in how societies are modifying funeral services, the demand for drone pilots qualified to scatter cremation ashes from on high may soon rise, as developments in the UK seem to suggest.

Hawaii may seem like a tropical paradise to many, but its climate and location make it vulnerable to some rapidly growing and destructive invasive pests – a reality officials are now dealing with by deploying drones to battle a species of rhinoceros beetle ravaging the archipelago’s iconic coconut trees.

A trio of hospitals in the UK’s northwest is set to begin receiving blood and other patient lab samples by drones using designated air corridors over Morecambe Bay, with the objective of cutting transport time of using frequently clogged roads surrounding the large estuary.

Ascendant Irish drone delivery company Manna Aero says it plans on expanding what has been gradually wider and effective services in Ireland to far bigger markets, starting with a move to the US expected later this year, and operation across the European Union in 2023.

Archer Aviation reported passing another milestone in its efforts to develop electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for use in aerial services like air taxis, with the receipt of a $10 million pre-payment from United Airlines as part of its 2021 transaction for 100 urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles.

Fancy putting a single-seat, fast, highly maneuverable next-generation aircraft through the paces as a pioneering, George Jetson-esque test pilot? Well, step this way, because Zapata will be giving 25 lucky people the chance to fly its JetRacer flying car during US trials it has planned.

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the Senate that seeks to create the mechanisms and allot $100 million in funding for the deployment of drones in infrastructure inspections overseen by local, state, and US government entities.

Ondas Networks has had finalized agreements to purchase automated UAV systems company Airobotics in a deal that will pair the Israeli firm with American Robotics‘ groundbreaking beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone services to industrial and infrastructure clients.

In another example of the ways drones are being used in rapidly diversifying missions, an amateur pilot has uploaded a video demonstrating his deployment of a DJI Mavic Mini to rid his yard of a hornets’ nest. Though the operation wasn’t quick, clean, or easy, the tech eventually prevailed over pests – ish.

Wading into an area Amazon, Walmart, and even automotive company Renault have all examined before, US car giant Ford is looking into a cargo truck that can act as a logistics and docking hub for drones making last-mile deliveries.

There’s no longer any question about whether the US Army’s experimental flight of the solar-powered Zephyr UAV will break the aerial endurance record, only by how much the craft will shatter that mark with each additional day it remains aloft.