Drone industry

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…

Continuing its recent growth and acquisition spree, Canadian drone firm Volatus Aerospace has signed a new agreement, agreeing to buy New York-based UAS distributor and integrator Empire Drone Company.

With thousands of companies working with drones all around the globe, you may wonder which are the ones who are truly making a difference. Research firm Drone Industry Insights (DII) took stock of nearly 850 organizations whose core business is to offer drone services to third parties. Here are the top drone companies of 2022, according to DII’s assessment.

Germany-based drone start-up Quantum-Systems has bagged $17.5 million in new funding from investors, including billionaire tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel who cofounded PayPal and was the first outside investor in Facebook.

Drone mapping platform DroneDeploy is joining forces with interior reality capture specialist StructionSite to accelerate automation in the construction and energy industries.

Canadian drone startup Spexi Geospatial has secured $5.5 million in seed funding to fuel the world’s first standardized “fly-to-earn” drone imagery platform powered by blockchain technology.

Miami-based drone services company Airborne Response has been scooped up by safety and security solutions specialist Safe Pro Group.

Commercial UAV Expo, one of the most highly-anticipated drone trade shows of the year, opens next week in Las Vegas with more than 225 organizations showcasing their solutions to over 2,500 drone professionals from across the world. One of these organizations is India’s ideaForge, which is using the conference as the first step toward building a local presence in the North American market.

The drone industry, which saw more than 40 mergers and acquisitions in 2021 alone, may do well to take some advice from AgEagle Aerial Systems on both acquisitions and negotiation strategy.

In a development that many didn’t see coming, Ondas Holdings has announced a deal to acquire drone-in-a-box solution provider Airobotics. The news comes barely a year after Ondas’s acquisition of American Robotics, a fellow player in the fully automated drone ecosystem.