Drone industry

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.

Alva Industries, a Norwegian company specializing in electric motor technology, has released the second generation of its ALTUS X60 industrial drone propulsion system. The new ALTUS X60 Duo boasts several improvements over its predecessor.

European drone group Parrot’s struggles with long sales cycles are no secret. The company, which relies on orders from government institutions and armed forces, has undertaken several measures to reduce its cash consumption amid tepid drone sales. But ahead of the third-quarter revenues next month, Parrot is now warning investors that the group’s growth may be hampered even further.

Iowa-based agriculture spray drone service provider Rantizo says it has raised more than $6 million in an oversubscribed Series A financing round. The funding was led by Leaps by Bayer and included investors Fulcrum Global Capital and Innova Memphis.

Sniffer Robotics, whose SnifferDRONE methane leak detection system is the only drone-based solution approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) for use at municipal solid waste landfill sites, has raised $2 million in seed funding.

Drone mapping and surveying software specialist Propeller Aero says it has scooped up $15.35 million in fresh funding from new and existing investors. The round was led by VC firms and longtime Propeller supporters, Blackbird and Costanoa, with additional investments coming from Australian industry fund Aware Super, Canva founder Cliff Obrecht, and serial entrepreneur Leigh Jasper.

PrecisionHawk, one of the first US drone businesses to raise big VC money, has been scooped up by European technology company Field. The acquisition gives Norway-based Field a foothold in the US and plans are in place to operate PrecisionHawk under the Field brand name by the end of the year.

Germany-based research firm Drone Industry Insights (Droneii) has released its annual flagship report, ranking the companies that manufacture drones. The research team assessed around 500 global companies whose core business is to build drones, and concluded that the top drone manufacturers in the world are based in either China or the US. Here are the best drone companies of 2022, as per DII’s report…