XTEND is doubling down on one of the biggest challenges in modern warfare: how to stop hostile drones, without making things worse in the process. The AI-driven robotics company, backed by Eric Trump, has announced a new partnership with ParaZero Technologies as part of its broader $1.5 billion public-market merger. Together, the companies are rolling out a fully autonomous drone interception system that can detect, chase, and capture enemy drones mid-air using a physical net. Yes, a net.

Drone threats aren’t slowing down in Europe, and neither is DroneShield. The Australia-based counter-drone and electronic warfare specialist has officially opened its new European headquarters in Amsterdam, signaling a deeper, more permanent push into one of its fastest-growing markets.

Sphere is tightening its grip on autonomous drone deployments with a set of practical upgrades to its HubT platform, but the biggest shift is how the system is now built.

Wingtra is stepping into 2026 with a clear message for the surveying world: the future of mapping might not need ground control points at all. The Switzerland-based drone company recently launched the SURVEY61 payload, designed to work with the WingtraRAY drone. And the pitch is hard to ignore — survey-grade accuracy down to 3 cm (0.1 ft), without the traditional need for GCPs (ground control points). For an industry where time, labor, and safety risks are tightly intertwined, that’s a potentially big shift.

Drones responding to 911 calls are no longer experimental. Across the US, police departments are already using Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs to get eyes on emergencies faster than patrol units. In many cities, drones arrive in under two minutes, well before officers. But even with that progress, the tech still has friction. Drones need to stop and recharge. Coverage areas are limited. Connectivity can fail in the worst moments. Now, BRINC says its new Guardian drone is built to fix those exact problems.

Public safety agencies across the United States have been rapidly expanding their drone programs in recent years… from police departments using drones to respond to emergency calls to firefighters deploying them for situational awareness during wildfires. Now, one of the world’s most widely used drone fleet management platforms is trying to make it easier for those programs to get off the ground.

Anzu Robotics, a Texas-based drone manufacturer that launched its Raptor series as an alternative to DJI in 2024, has announced that the line is no longer available for purchase due to persistent component shortages that have stalled further production. In an official notice from CEO Randall Warnas, the company said it had pursued multiple supply solutions without success and will instead shift focus to a “next generation” product designed to meet new commercial and regulatory demands.

The first weekend of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is over. Medals have already been awarded, there’s been great success and also some devastating moments. But what has been on my mind all weekend is a certain consistent buzzing noise during almost every downhill run: FPV drones.

Over the last week, Seattle and the surrounding King County have been receiving historic flooding. While local emergency services, the US Coast Guard, and the Washington National Guard are the key pillars of rescue operations, a drone proved to be a shockingly good tool in the rescue of a stranded man on top of his car.

DJI just dropped a serious upgrade for mapping professionals, and it’s not a drone this time. Meet the Zenmuse L3, DJI’s first long-range, high-accuracy aerial LiDAR system that’s designed to take geospatial mapping and surveying to a whole new level.

The DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise promises survey-grade precision and professional versatility, but not every upgrade translates into a better user experience. After a year of real-world use, I found that DJI’s fine-tuned design choices reveal both brilliance and frustration in equal measure. Here’s what new pilots and seasoned pros alike should know before investing in the enterprise lineup.

If you fly a DJI drone in the United States for professional purposes, buckle up: the Federal Aviation Administration’s new draft rule, FAA Part 108, could dramatically alter the way you operate. On paper, Part 108 is meant to finally normalize routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights at scale, a move many in the drone industry have been waiting for years. But as written, it could shut out much of the existing DJI fleet, or any other non-US-made drone that American pilots actually use every day.

In the world of enterprise drones, DJI’s Matrice 400 has already established itself as a rugged, long-endurance powerhouse. Equipped for energy-infrastructure inspection, search-and-rescue, mapping, and more, the real game-changer has arrived now: a firmware update that unlocks fully automated takeoff and landing from moving ships.

FlytBase is hitting the fast lane of drone autonomy with an ambitious plan: 14 major product updates unveiled over 14 straight days. The California-based software company announced the initiative on August 18, calling it “moving at AI speed.”

DJI has dropped a new teaser for a product launch scheduled for July 17 at 8 a.m. EDT, and it’s geared toward the drone mapping community. The tagline? “Make the World Your Digital Asset.” The teaser video features a swirling cloud of 3D data points, aka point clouds, transforming into a majestic Japanese castle.

Swiss drone maker Wingtra has launched its most advanced surveying drone yet, the WingtraRAY, designed to eliminate the delays, limitations, and complexity that surveyors routinely face. From faster data collection to legal flights over people in the US, without waivers, WingtraRAY promises to speed up and simplify every step of the survey workflow.

In a major step toward meeting the growing demands of privacy-focused industries, DJI has officially released FlightHub 2 On-Premises, a self-hosted version of its powerful drone operations platform that puts data control directly into the hands of enterprise users.

Singapore-based Volarious has launched the V-Line Pro, a tethered drone power system tailor-made for the new DJI Matrice 400 (M400), extending flight times and boosting operational uptime for enterprise users. Developed in close collaboration with DJI, the V-Line Pro integrates tightly with the drone’s systems and interface.

It seems like DJI is having a little fire sale on its purchases of Raw Licenses for its Ronin 4D cinema camera but now apparently also for its Inspire 3 drone. You can now get either for just $1. But why? And why do you even need to purchase this license, and should you?

Percepto, a company known for its autonomous inspection tech, has launched an AI-powered emission detector that allows remote, drone-based methane surveying at scale. Already being used in major oil-producing regions across the US, this new system could make emissions tracking faster, easier, and more cost-effective for energy operators.

DJI has given its newest enterprise drone, the Matrice 400, a massive upgrade — not in size, but in brainpower. Released alongside the drone is Manifold 3, a compact yet powerful onboard computer that brings AI processing, developer flexibility, and even smartphone-like app installation directly to DJI’s latest flying platform.

DJI’s latest enterprise drone is designed to tackle everything from power line inspections to emergency rescues, with 59-minute flights, smarter obstacle sensing, and support for up to 7 payloads.

American drone manufacturer Skyfish has commercially released its new enterprise drone, Osprey — a sleek, survey-grade machine packed with power, portability, and ambition to replace DJI in the skies.

With the release of the Mavic 4 Pro behind us—sorry, US pilots, I feel your pain too—we’re already wondering: what’s next for DJI? Well, an FCC filing and one of our favorite leakers could show us the way.