Department of Defense (DoD)

The US Army just made one thing very clear: small drones aren’t just helpful anymore; they’re essential. In a record-setting move, Skydio has secured an order worth more than $52 million to supply over 2,500 of its X10D drones to the Army. That makes it the largest small drone procurement from a single manufacturer in Army history — and perhaps even more surprising, the entire process from bid to award wrapped up in under 72 hours.

Fly your drone in the wrong place in the US, and it could cost you more than just your gear. It could hit your wallet with fines exceeding $100,000, and even land you behind bars.

California-based battery company Lyten has announced a new national security initiative to help power next-generation defense drones using its lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery technology. The goal: to support US military and aerospace needs with batteries that are lightweight, high-performance, and sourced entirely from within the United States.

Auterion, a global leader in drone software, has just scored a major win with the US Department of Defense (DoD), securing a high-stakes contract to develop One-Way Attack drones. This deal cements Auterion’s position as a key player in the US administration’s $50 billion defense push and expands its footprint in long-range autonomous drone systems.

In response to the escalating challenges posed by drones, the Department of Defense (DoD) has launched a comprehensive strategy to address this evolving security threat. The initiative, detailed in an unclassified fact sheet, outlines measures to protect US interests against adversaries increasingly leveraging drones enhanced by artificial intelligence, autonomy, and networking technologies.

The Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have jointly issued an interim rule prohibiting federal agencies from purchasing or operating drones made in countries deemed adversarial to the United States.

DJI, the world’s leading drone manufacturer, is taking the US Department of Defense (DoD) to court, seeking to remove itself from a list of “Chinese Military Companies.” The Shenzhen-based company, which holds a substantial share of the US drone market, argues that the Pentagon’s designation is both inaccurate and harmful, causing financial losses and damage to its reputation.

Public safety drone consulting specialist Skyfire has announced its acquisition by Echelon AI, a company that develops advanced AI algorithms for drones. The two companies will combine to form SkyfireAI, a new entity aimed at propagating the use of AI in drone technologies for public safety and global defense applications.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and several tech companies, recently conducted groundbreaking flight operations to demonstrate a new system for managing drone traffic. This three-day event at the New York UAS Test Site evaluated the integration of advanced technologies to ensure drones can operate safely and efficiently in the national airspace.

US government agencies, public safety agencies, and private industry conducting sensitive aerial missions can now refer to new guidance before purchasing any drones. The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have released a memo with procurement guidance and recommendations for security-focused drones. The development comes at a time when a bill proposing to ban DJI drones is expected to move in Congress amid data security concerns.

US drone manufacturer Skydio is harvesting the fruit of its decision to shift from consumer drones to specialization in enterprise and defense applications with news that its cutting-edge X10D has made the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Blue UAS list.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has indicated considerable progress has been made accelerating large-scale drone production necessary for its Replicator program, which seeks to overpower the brute strength of adversaries’ military systems with huge numbers of UAV impossible to fend off. Officials said deliveries of the first of those craft have been made.

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) says it has signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The agreement establishes a pathway for drone component manufacturers with Green UAS certification to directly share their data with DIU. The goal is to potentially incorporate Green-certified components onto DIU’s Blue UAS Framework list.

A couple of fairly clear elements have arisen about the Pentagon’s otherwise secretive future UAV plans. The first is it intends to initially invest $1 billion in its expendable swarm program known as Replicator, with the second being participating drone makers had better be in permanent revision mode to be to produce continuously upgraded craft. 

The highly geeked out unit of the U.S. Department of Defense has issued a $10 million contract to develop its long contemplated Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay system (POWER), which will likely use drones as airborne platforms to conduct electric refueling for other vehicles – or for re-juicing their own batteries.

Manufacturer of high capability security and defense UAVs, Performance Drone Works (PDW) has announced its C100 heavy-lift C100 quadcopter has been named to the Blue sUAS list of drones approved for US government operation.

Drone companies with working ties to the US Department of Defense should find out by mid-December if their craft are among those selected for the first developmental tranche of the Pentagon’s Replicator program, which looks to match the enormous weapons systems of countries like China and Russia with the power-in-numbers might of swarms of smaller UAVs.

Producers of specialized drones or craft with effective tech adaptable to defense purposes may be in for a boost in activity under the Pentagon’s new “Replicator” initiative, which seeks to supplement the traditionally huge, multi-year US defense programs by creating an array of fast, responsive “attritable autonomous systems” – with an anticipated emphasis on quickly manufactured UAVs.

Defense and security UAV and robotics group Red Cat Holdings has announced its new contract to supply a US government agency with over 150 of its Teal 2 drones, which will be used for the monitoring and protection of US Air Force bases.

If the war in Ukraine has taught the world anything, it’s that UAVs have proven their utility in waging war today, and demonstrated their promise for larger deployment in future conflicts. And that evolution doubtless explains why the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now endeavoring to create super swarms of drones capable of overwhelming enemy defense systems, and attacking targets they identify once past those.

Defense and security drone specialist Flightwave Aerospace has announced its Edge 130 Blue series of UAVs and related tech have been added to the Blue UAS 2.0 list by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), joining a select group of craft approved for use by US military and governmental agencies.