Drone industry

The United States National Drone Association (USNDA) has officially announced its formation, with offices in Washington, DC, and its national headquarters situated at Full Sail University in Florida. The USNDA aims to advance drone technology across various sectors by collaborating with students, faculty, and industry leaders through academic and technological partnerships.

Switzerland-based drone technology leader, Wingtra, has secured a solid $25 million backing in its Series B1 funding round, drawing investments from a diverse group of prominent US, Swiss, and Austrian funds and family offices.

DJI, or Da-Jiang Innovations, is the biggest consumer drone maker on the planet. Founded in a college dorm room in 2006, the company today commands nearly 70% of the global drone market, offering its products in over 100 countries. While competitors continue to innovate and deliver alternatives, DJI’s incredible offerings have made it impossible for others to surpass its market leadership. Naturally, observers have long wondered how DJI maintains such unparalleled dominance in the industry. The tech giant is now breaking its silence to reveal just how.

Cyberhawk, a drone inspection and surveying services company, has announced a remarkable 55% revenue growth for the fiscal year 2024. The company’s total revenue soared to $28.7 million, driven by strong performances in key regions such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Middle East.

US lawmakers may be trying hard to block Americans from using Chinese drone tech, but the Chinese government is busy paving the way for its drone companies to further dominate international markets. China’s Ministry of Commerce has announced a relaxation of export curbs on some of its most advanced consumer drones, effective Sept. 1.

Lithuanian startup Granta Autonomy has just come out of stealth mode, announcing a successful $1 million seed funding round to manufacture fully autonomous drones for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Baltimore-based custom industrial drone manufacturer Watts Innovations is shutting down after eight years in business.

EU Drone Port, a specialized testing center based in Barcelona, has been officially recognized by the European Commission as a Notified Body for drone certification. This recognition follows accreditation by the National Accreditation Entity and notification by the State Aviation Safety Agency, making it one of five drone certification gateways in Europe.

Arrive Technology, an Indianapolis-based drone delivery mailbox manufacturer formerly known as Dronedek, has announced its second rebrand in little over a year. The company is now called Arrive AI — a name that better reflects the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the autonomous last mile (ALM) industry.

Finnish defense company Patria has acquired commercial drone manufacturer Nordic Drones. Nordic has been making drones for over a decade now, focusing on mapping, measurement, inspection, control, and authority tasks.

Red Cat Holdings, a key player in drone technology, is acquiring California-based aerospace company FlightWave Aerospace Systems. FlightWave is known for its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, sensors, and software solutions. This acquisition will bring FlightWave’s advanced Edge 130 Blue sUAS offering into Red Cat’s range of uncrewed systems used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

Drone Industry Insights (Droneii), a Germany-based research firm focusing on the commercial drone industry, is seeking inputs for its annual Drone Industry Barometer report. Here’s why it matters to you.

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.

Drones as First Responder (DFR) tech specialist Aerodome has secured $21.5 million in Series A funding to enhance its solutions and expand its engineering and go-to-market teams. The funding round, led by CRV with contributions from Andreessen Horowitz, Karman Ventures, Immad Akhund, and Ford Street Ventures, brings Aerodome’s total funding to $28 million since its seed round in October 2023.

Republican leaders on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party are urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into the Drone Advocacy Alliance (DAA). The industry coalition group has been actively involved in the discussion surrounding the potential ban on DJI drones in the US and has vehemently opposed legislation that proposes a new tax system to radically increase DJI drone prices.

Lucid Bots, the manufacturer of cleaning drone Sherpa and other robotic products that automate dangerous, labor-intensive tasks, has raised $9.1 million in Series A funding to scale the operations team and expand its products into new markets.

Axon, the company behind the infamous Taser drone project, has announced plans to acquire Virginia-based counter-drone technology developer Dedrone. Axon says having drone solutions in its portfolio will help it protect more lives in more places.

America’s biggest non-military helicopter manufacturer, Robinson Helicopter Company, has acquired Ascent AeroSystems, a company that designs and manufactures rugged “coaxial” drones for the industrial, public safety, and defense markets. Through this acquisition, Ascent can now build its drones at Robinson’s cost-effective, vertically integrated manufacturing unit in California. 

The Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA) and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), both prominent organizations in the commercial drone industry, have jointly issued a guidance document to help drone operators stay compliant with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) remote ID rule.

Aerial tech and communications group Ondas Holdings has announced the establishment of Ondas Autonomous Holdings (OAH) — a new, wholly-owned subsidiary that would oversee drone sector subsidiaries American Robotics and Airobotics.

German research firm Drone Industry Insights (Droneii) has released its annual flagship report, ranking the companies that manufacture drones. The research team says it assessed more than 500 civil- and government-use drone makers around the world to build the report.