Bruce Crumley

Open-source drone flight control tech company Auterion has introduced enhancements to its operating system designed to improve the efficiency of automated mapping and data workflow transmission for enterprise clients. It separately announced the integration of its avionics modules in Acecore’s Zoe heavy-lift UAVs.

Austria’s air traffic control agency, Austro Control, is relying on its longtime tech partner Frequentis to prepare a new Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system that will fully integrate drone flights into the nation’s broader airspace by early 2023.

Italian flag carrier ITA Airways is joining forces with Airbus in an effort to develop urban air mobility (UAM) opportunities in Italy, particularly for the European consortium’s CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi.

A key committee in the US House of Representatives has approved two bills seeking grants to prepare for expanded drone operation and future urban air mobility (UAM) services like air taxis, and is now passing those along for full legislative examination and voting.

The French Defense Ministry has selected a group of tech companies led by aeronautic, security, and transport giant Thales to produce an anti-drone system tailored to micro and small UAVs, for deployment during the France-hosted World Cup of Rugby in 2023 and Paris Summer Olympics the following year.

DJI drone leaker, Jasper Ellens, has been one of the many sources on the formerly confidential, now-not-so-secret Mini 3 Pro since rumors about the craft first arose earlier this year. Now the Dutch aerial sleuth has provided high-resolution imagery of the product line expected to be released in early May. Have we seen a lot of this before? Sure, but this doesn’t get old.

Next-generation electric takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) manufacturer Archer Aviation and United Airways are deepening their partnership through the establishment of a joint advisory committee to prepare efficient, safety-focused maintenance operations for future air taxis and other urban air mobility (UAM) planes.

Concerned about increasing reports of drones penetrating controlled airspaces – particularly those surrounding the nation’s airports – Australia’s Civil Aviation and Safety Authority (CASA) has chosen four apps to operate a test run of instant access request processing similar to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system.

American Robotics, a leading provider of fully automated drone services to enterprise customers, has obtained authorizations to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights at seven work sites across the US, bringing the company’s total to 10.

Ascent AeroSystems, a leading manufacturer of compact, all-weather, high-performance coaxial rotor platforms, has introduced a new drone designed for transporting objects of up to 5 lbs. in even exacting flight conditions.

The state legislature of Hawai‘i is moving closer to passing a law that would prohibit the use of drones for fishing, which supporters call both unfair and a threat to traditional methods of manually casting from the shore relying on physical strength and technique.

The Biden administration has asked Congress to dramatically expand the number of government and public agencies – from federal to local administrations ­– that are legally permitted to identify, track, and disable potentially malicious drones flying in US airspaces.

Open-source flight control specialist Auterion has taken another step in ensuring safe drone operation by adding a comparatively lower-tech, somewhat less-geeky asset to its ecosystem with Drone Rescue Systems’ autonomous parachute product.

Urban-Air Port, the London-based developer of vertiports for delivery drones and electronic takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles like air taxis, has opened the doors of its first functional aerial hub – one of 200 terminals it plans to build around the globe in the near future.

Australian UAV logistics specialist Swoop Aero will begin expanding the range and frequency of its drone deliveries of medical supplies in Mozambique as part of the nation’s ongoing healthcare improvement and disease prevention program.

Marine biology researchers have for several years used drones for periodical collection of data to evaluate the health of whales, but now they’ve developed a way to pilot a DJI M210 to gently and discreetly attach electronic tags to monitor the creatures for extended periods.

Australian logistics and drone delivery company Swoop Aero is shifting gears from its service to remote locations or above largely rural zones, and moving to establish an urban UAV network in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Drones that have racked up countless hours flying above Australian beaches on watch for drowning situations and approaching sharks may soon start scanning the waters for another potentially deadly threat: box jellyfish.

Leading instant logistics specialist Zipline is expanding its geographical area of activity from existing African and US operations with new drone deliveries of medical supplies to Japan’s Gotō Islands.

Despite the long and often controversial use of military UAVs in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, the prevalence and performance in Ukraine of drones – this time, the consumer variety – have been both a surprise and often determining factor in local forces repelling invading Russian forces. Indeed, some experts now believe the results of store-bought drones as well as military-grade craft are forcing reconsideration of decades old military strategies about waging war.

Open-source flight control tech company Auterion is teaming up with German artificial intelligence (AI) software specialist Spleenlab to provide tiny but powerful supercomputing capacities aboard drones for business and government users.