Belgian drone UTM company Unifly gets $10 million from Japanese investors

Bruce Crumley -
dronesUnmanned Traffic Management (UTM)Japan
Unifly drone UTM

Belgian uncrewed traffic management (UTM) tech company Unifly has received a significant boost to its drone navigation development capabilities with a $10.5 million capital infusion from two Japanese investors, including one co-financed by the government.

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German drone delivery firm Wingcopter deepens roots in Japan with new investor ITOCHU

Ishveena Singh -
Drone DeliveryJapanWingcopter

Wingcopter, an eVTOL manufacturer and drone delivery service provider based out of Germany, has finally roped in ITOCHU, one of the largest general trading companies (sogo shosha) in Japan, as a strategic investor and authorized partner. Wingcopter first hinted at this partnership in December 2021, when it announced an investment from Drone Fund, a Japan-based venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to the drone technology ecosystem.

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Japan developing a Blue sUAS-ish option to Chinese drones

Bruce Crumley -
DJIdronesChinaJapan

Taking inspiration from recent moves by US government agencies to blacklist Chinese tech companies – including global drone giant DJI – over potential security concerns, Japan has discreetly nurtured development of a home-grown alternative to UAVs from China that dominate its market – a top-down version of America’s Blue sUAS.

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Japan-based Drone Fund invests in Wingcopter

Ishveena Singh -
Drone DeliveryJapanWingcopterDrone Fund

In a run-up to its upcoming Series B round, German drone delivery startup Wingcopter has received funding from Drone Fund, a Japan-based venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to investments within the drone technology ecosystem.

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Drinking and droning don’t mix: Japanese man learns the hard way

Ishveena Singh -
Drone Regulationsdrone lawsJapan

Friends don’t let friends fly a drone while drunk. You know it, we know it. But it appears this 56-year-old man in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture doesn’t know it. For he thought it would be OK to take a long-forgotten drone out for a spin after guzzling eight 350 ml cans of beer.

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EHang completes its first auto, no-pilot AAV trial flight in Japan

Bruce Crumley -
EHangJapanUAMAAM

Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang says it has completed its first pilotless trial flight in Japan, where it hopes to begin passenger service by 2023.

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