Bruce Crumley

Aviation regulators from several leading nations have formed a group to harmonize their certification criteria and integration plans for advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles and services like air taxis.

Leading global drone manufacturer DJI is readying itself for its resumed in-person annual AirWorks conference in October by offering early bird tickets at a $100 discount on purchases before August 8.

Detroit-based drone inspection company Skypersonic has further prepared for its role in a simulated NASA Mars mission by testing its hallmark remote UAV and rover piloting system during trials on the Martian-esque terrain of Italy’s volcanic Mt. Etna.

Video footage has appeared online of what is described as a Ukraine military unit using what appears to be a racing drone to stage a pinpoint FPV kamikaze strike into a house used by invading Russian soldiers.

European drone delivery company Dronamics has joined a consortium in Scotland preparing what it says will be the UK’s first nation-wide UAV transport network of medical supplies and lab samples.

Instant logistics and drone delivery specialist Zipline has entered a partnership with US space agency NASA to examine the future operation of UAVs and advanced air mobility (AAM) craft and services, particularly those using multiple autonomous vehicles at once.

Creator of an electric-powered seaglider within the bustling advanced air mobility (AAM) sector, REGENT, is reinforcing its relationship with tech partner Siemens to speed and strengthen the digital development of its innovative craft toward prototype, certification, and production phases.

Counter-UAV specialist Dedrone is launching a new, quickly deployable DedronePortable detection, tracking, and identification platform – an all-in-one unit that can also disrupt controller contact of intrusive or hostile craft that forces in Ukraine battling Russian invaders will soon be using.

Leading drone services and advanced air mobility (AAM) vertiport developer Skyports says it has received over $3 million in additional capital from Singapore-based ST Engineering, lifting the total of its now-closed Series B funding round to $26.13 million.

In recent years, aerial tech both large and small has been developed and deployed for a rapidly expanding number of uses – from business applications to research, photography to firefighting, leisure flight to warfare. This weekend, a pilot in Northern Ireland city of Belfast took his drone to the sky to capture video of one neighborhood’s annual celebration for posterity – notably, this year’s truly insane “wheelie bin” garbage can race.

A group of aviation and drone sector companies in the UK are banding together to work toward increased use cases and frequency of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights across the nation, and propose policies to regulators permitting wider deployment of those missions.

Legal authorities in the UK are moving to review existing laws regulating aviation in the nation to evaluate whether those are compatible with the swiftly emerging kinds of transportation and services – and increasing automation – provided by drones and advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. Unfortunately, that response to the rapid expansion and progress of aviation tech is slated to unfold over an incongruously slower two-year period.

Drone giant DJI has released a new version of its Terra 3D modeling and mapping software, adding new functionality, enhancing existing features, and sorting out a series of bugs.

California electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Archer Aviation says it has completed the second round of testing of its Maker air taxi prototype, and will now begin the third and final series of trials leading to full transition flight.

Drone delivery company Flytrex announced it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to double the size of areas it has been operating flights in North Carolina and Texas to two nautical miles, vastly increasing the potential number of households it can serve.

Another day, another leaked photo of the Inspire 3 that DJI is now clearly readying for release – or rather, today, two additional images of the top-shelf filmmaking drone.

Global automotive giant Volkswagen has taken a major step into the burgeoning urban air mobility (UAM) sector by unveiling the prototype of its electric takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

Leading autonomous drone services provider American Robotics says it has begun equipping its Scout System UAVs with new artificial intelligence (AI) anomaly detection capabilities designed to help clients – particularly those in oil and gas – avoid unexpected developments or accidents that could lead to costly consequences.

If the rate of leaked information and images is any indication of product development progress, DJI seems to be rapidly moving ahead with its rumored Inspire 3 filmmaking drone, after an additional photo of a rather boxy-looking craft surfaced Wednesday.

A consortium of national health care and UAV organizations in Scotland has secured funding for the launch of what it says will be the UK’s first country-wide drone medical delivery and distribution system. 

Hang on to that new aerial video, and pause that insightful piloting advice destined for a social media post just long enough to make your UAV activities known in an even more substantial way. All that’s required is to make your voice heard in this year’s DroneAnalyst’s survey  – the data source for what many in the industry consider the most detailed, reliable, and insightful annual report on global drone activity.