Bruce Crumley

German electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) developer Volocopter has signed a deal with avionics specialist Diehl Aerospace to create an optical fly-by-light flight control system for its VoloCity air taxis.

Despite initial Russian claims that an oil refinery that burst into flames after being struck by two “terrorist” drones of purported Ukraine origin, rising speculation – backed by some visual support – suggests the kamikaze UAVs may have been bought for several thousand dollars on the Chinese marketplace Alibaba. If so, that kind of procurement and deployment should get people thinking in a variety of ways.

US mapping drone manufacturer Event 38 has revealed the successful test flight of one of its E400 UAVs adapted to operate using a hydrogen cell – a first step toward employing the cleaner and more efficient technology compared to batteries or gas power.

Commercial drone hardware, service, and training company Volatus Aerospace has unveiled its new Aerieport product, an autonomous remote drone nesting platform.

Groundbreaking instant logistics company Zipline has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 135 air carrier certification, which not only permits the company to operate its drone deliveries in the US as a commercial airline, but also fly its automated missions in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) mode.

One potential disruption from the UK’s Brexit from the European Union was definitively averted this week with the nation’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announcement that it will adopt the European Aviation Safety Agency’s standards for certifying next generation electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) will be deploying specialized drones to protect next month’s Commonwealth Games against potential Russian attacks, in what officials fear could be retaliatory action against London’s staunch support of Ukraine amid Moscow’s continuing invasion.

The drone unit of diversified retailing platform Adorama kicks off its East Coast Roadshow and week of UAV demonstration events Tuesday, setting a particular focus on public safety applications culminating next week with an exhibition at the Police and Security Expo.

Awaiting delivery of its first flying cars to customers next year, Swedish electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) company Jetson has given the world a look at what future commutes to work may be like – this time with its CEO strapped in at the commands.

Building from the momentum of previous and ongoing activities in the nation, drone services and vertiport builder Skyports has agreed to operate a test program in Scotland aiming to launch routine aerial deliveries of hot meals to remote schools in the Highlands and Hebrides islands.

Drug traffickers accustomed to exploiting Ireland’s enormous coastline and limited naval resources to police it are set to soon find their work complicated by the deployment of drones equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) peering down from on high.

Though fast development has increased both the array of capabilities and effectiveness of drone deployment, creators of jamming technologies have managed to keep pace in disrupting those activities. In response, a Dutch company says it has developed a muscled-up onboard system to confound even sophisticated blocking platforms.

The US Department of Defense’s innovative tech unit, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is looking for ways to recharge drones while still in flight using laser-shooting tanker planes as the source of that energy.

In what represents yet another unexpected consequence of a war Moscow incorrectly believed would be a quick walk in the park, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is provoking the depletion of the nation’s supply of commercial drones, and sparking a correspondingly steep rise in prices for those that remain.

Call it purely anecdotal if you must, but recent images are offering another example of the contrasting ways Ukraine and Russian troops are adapting consumer drones for combat against one another – and distinguishing the latter as at times remarkably bumbling, low-tech innovators.

Overair, developer of an electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with significantly reduced noise output, has received $145 million in additional funding to support its push to test fly a prototype of its Butterfly plane next year.

Wearing its increasingly large hat as a next-generation advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure builder, Skyports has struck a partnership with French air industry IT specialist SITA to outfit its future vertiports with digital services facilitating passenger use of air taxi transportation.

Construction and mining companies now have an additional mapping asset for faster and more effective surveying of worksites with the announcement that Propeller Aero’s data visualization and analytics tech is now compatible with Quantum-Systems’ top-drawer drone.

The US Department of State has filed a request to initiate a project that – if carried out – would deploy commercial drones to spray poison on illegal coca crops in Colombia at the base of the country’s booming cocaine production.

Specialized radar company Echodyne has raised $135 million in new funding it needs to keep pace with client demand and to continue anti-drone tech development, receiving the largest boost from backers Bill Gates and Scotland’s Baillie Gifford Group.

A pair of ground-breaking startups are pooling their tech capacities, hardware, and experience in an effort to develop drones specially designed for deployment by firefighters, using heat resistant materials and 3D printing power to speed production and lower costs.