In their boundless technological and economic wisdom, US legislators responsible for blacklisting DJI drones from use by federal agencies are now preparing a de facto ban of private companies and individuals flying them, too. If that happens, the only option would be what a Wall Street Journal report today calls “drones from American startups (that) have been deemed glitchy and expensive” in their disappointing deployment in Ukraine.

Will Joby become the Tesla of futuristic electric takeoff and landing craft (eVTOL) and operator of sustainable air taxi services while having to battle the kind of ferocious nay-saying that Elon Musk did? In some ways it already has, after attracting the unwanted attention of a hostile hedge fund that’s reinforcing its short positions on the company’s stock by circulating in-house research dramatically decrying the activity and revenue targets Joby presented to its investors as utterly unattainable.

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.

If a single person were to be designed the “Drone Meister” of US government aerial operations, it might well be Mark Bathrick – the recently retired director of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Aviation Services (OAS), who assembled and oversaw the increasingly diversified use of the world’s largest fleet of non-military UAS. Creator of the agency’s “Drones for Good” program, Bathrick spoke to DroneDJ about how those operations evolved over the past two decades and how it’s likely to continue in the future.

American Robotics CEO Reese Mozer has no beef with drone deliveries, but he thinks all the hoopla surrounding aerial transport of burgers and burritos is drowning out news about farther-reaching UAV activities that are dramatically changing the way businesses operate. He tells DroneDJ about that transformative innovation, and how American Robotics’s (AR) leading role in the complete automation of critical drone services to industry is set to take wing.

Flytrex co-founder and CEO Yariv Bash may not be out to change the entire world, but he is intent on revolutionizing the way goods are delivered on the planet with a tightly focused, carefully defined plan of making drones the primary force of that progress.

Everyone loves aerial light performances, but few people ever get a backstage peek at what goes into staging the spectacles. To remedy that, UK- and Singapore-based drone show specialist SKYMAGIC sat down with DroneDJ to offer an idea on how those work ­– and how the company differs from rivals in bringing the skies to life.

Well, this has been a long time in the making. But we were thrilled earlier today to have an opportunity to speak with Alexandru Duru, the CEO of Omni Hoverboards. Let’s dive in.

Drone manufacturer FIMI has released its latest drone, the X8 Mini, as a direct competitor to DJI’s Mini line of drones. The drone is designed to slot in at just under 250 grams, but with a catch. A “pro” battery must be used to keep it under the 250-gram weight limit.

Editor’s note: If you are new to First Person View drone flight, or would like a refresher on safety tips and drone regs, please read our story on the topic here.

It’s been one day since the release of DJI’s innovative new FPV drone, and many people have already ordered the product. We take a look at some of the main reasons why this might be the perfect fit for someone wanting to get into the world of First Person View flying – and a couple outlining why it might not be a fit for others. Let’s hop in.

After two images leaked online yesterday, we now have more pictures of the drone and what we can expect in the DJI FPV drone combo box. The combo appears to be the equivalent of DJI’s fly more package with everything you need to get the FPV drone in the air.

Leaks continue to show what the DJI FPV drone looks like before its release, and today is no different as we take a look at two recent ones that give us a possible release date timeframe and the sound the drone makes on startup.

The DJI Fly app on Android hasn’t been updated since November, with DJI asking users to download it from its website instead. This is resulting in users not getting the latest updates and features, but why is it happening?

On New Year’s Eve, London introduced drones to its fireworks display for the first time. We watched it and loved it so much that we shared it with all of you. We have put together a short exclusive piece on the show’s inner workings with the help of the company behind the drones, SKYMAGIC.

Drone company WeRobotics has announced it has been selected to work with Pfizer to develop a new drone to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. The pharmaceutical company has chosen to develop the cargo drone from DJI’s new Matrice 300 drone platform.

While it’s normal to hear about drones being used to aid in search and rescue missions worldwide, this story is a little different but still required a drone for a happy and safe ending.

Autel Robotics has released a few new drones at CES this year – its heavily leaked Dragonfish VTOL and the new EVO 2 RTK series of drones. Autel teased the launch of the new products last week, to which we then speculated about the drones it would release.

DJI has confirmed on Twitter that it currently has no plan to add DJI Mini 2 support to the DJI Smart Controller. The info was shared in response to a tweet from one of the biggest drone YouTubers, Aldryn Estacio, talking about a recent update to the controller.

DJI’s new FPV products have leaked over the last few months. Today, the V2 of the FPV goggles has been released by DJI itself. The new goggles feature new high frame rate displays and increased resolution, and keeps support with the older DJI FPV hardware.

Skydio held its last webinar of this unusual year on December 22. It featured panelists from the Enterprise and First Responder sectors, as well as more details about Skydio’s optional Autonomy Enterprise Foundation software and its Skydio Academy for pilots. Overall, the focus was the Skydio 2’s AI, and what that means for professionals.

We have now hit November, which means Black Friday is approaching, and there are less than 60 days until Christmas. So, it’s time to start gift shopping. Here are a few of the best drones to put under the tree this year for the tech junkie in your life or yourself.

UPDATE: DJI’s holiday sale is currently active with some pretty great deals on some of its latest drones. You can learn more about it here. Here at DroneDJ, we are giving away a brand new DJI Mavic Mini drone to one lucky winner in North America. You can enter here.

What looks to be the DJI FPV drone has just leaked on to Twitter along with possible specs and release date. All of the information has come from leaker OsitaLV and suggests we could see the FPV drone racing around the skies before the end of the year.

DJI’s interactive drone rescue map has hit a major milestone, displaying over 500 people rescued with drones. The map, which was introduced earlier in the year, has been an easy way for people and organizations to add their drone-aided rescues.

As you may now know, a man has been charged after a drone collided with a police helicopter in Los Angeles. DroneDJ has the inside story, including the original sworn complaint by an FBI agent.