In an era where bipartisanship in the US Senate is about as improbable (and infrequent) as spinning straw into gold, there seems to be one topic on which politicians are willing to love it up across the aisle – the general threat to national interests posed by China as a whole, and particularly by drones made by sector leader DJI.
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Is DJI really the ominous data threat to its customers – and even to US national security – that detractors claim, or might it instead be the victim of a broadening effort of sector rivals and allied politicians to undermine the company’s favored status among both private and enterprise drone buyers? The question has arisen anew with a report this week in US media ringing alarm bells about a purported “Chinese drone spy threat” the company’s craft pose.
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Boston-based startup GreenSight is reporting a significant business breakthrough with the selection of its WeatherHive drone swarm atmosphere sensing tech for prototype development by the US Air Force (USAF) and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
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Security, defense, and law enforcement UAV specialist Teal Drones has continued expanding its business base by landing a $1 million-plus contract with the US Customs and Border Protection service to supply its high-performance Golden Eagle craft.
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Stakeholders in next-generation aircraft development and their future activity have hailed the signing of the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act into law by President Joe Biden, calling it a milestone in the effort to launch and expand AAM services across the US.
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US lawmakers, government officials, and even major sports organizations are stepping up to back a Biden administration call to create legislation that would considerably expand the number of actors permitted to undertake anti-drone measures to neutralize potential threats from UAVs.
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Global drone giant DJI is apparently having some success in opposing draft legislation that would formally prohibit US government agencies from buying its UAVs, according to a report in the Financial Times.
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HobbyKing, a retail site that develops and sources radio control (RC) products for aviation enthusiasts and FPV drone pilots, is being sued by the United States of America after the company failed to pay nearly $3 million in fines for marketing unauthorized drone transmitters.
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The Biden administration has asked Congress to dramatically expand the number of government and public agencies – from federal to local administrations – that are legally permitted to identify, track, and disable potentially malicious drones flying in US airspaces.
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The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which operates under the Department of Defense (DoD) to scale commercial drone technology across the US military, has unveiled the first drone to be fully authorized and approved under the Blue sUAS 2.0 program.
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A trio of US Senators has launched a bipartisan effort to create comprehensive federal law that will specifically criminalize most forms of dangerous drone use, from terror and trafficking activity to interfering with public responders to emergencies.
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While the US Department of Defense has been shouting itself hoarse over DJI drones being “potential threats to national security,” the FBI and the US Secret Service have bought at least 27 DJI drones in the past few months. So, what gives?
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A couple of days ago, we wrote about a leaked US government memo that exposed the Department of Interior’s stance on Pentagon-approved Blue sUAS drones. The internal memo verified by the Financial Times revealed that following a ban on China-manufactured drones, the DoI is being forced to spend eight to 14 times more for machines that were only 20% as effective. It was a scathing memo, alright. So now, a lobby group consisting of US-based drone manufacturers and a Europe-headquartered open-source software developer is hitting back.
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The Pentagon has spent roughly $18 million to test and identify drones that government agencies can use instead of those made or assembled in China. But how do these drones stack up against the competition? Not too well, according to an internal US government memo. The Pentagon-approved Blue sUAS drones are 8 to 14 times more expensive and only 20% as effective when it comes to vital conservation work, according to the Department of Interior (DoI).
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A US Africa Command spokesperson has shared that one of its MQ-1C drones has malfunctioned over Niger, Africa, while armed with a Hellfire missile. It’s not the first time the US drones have crashed in the region, with an MQ-9 Reaper crashing due to mechanical failure last year.
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According to Reuters, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly signed two deals with the United States to purchase 18 MQ-9 Reaper drones and 50 F-35 fighter jets. It is also reported that one of the deals was signed right before Biden officially took office, prompting him to look over the deal.
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US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will fast-track Chinese drones being removed from US agencies. The order will require all US agencies using Chinese drones to prioritize removing them from service.
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During a recent drill, Iran tested out its latest addition to the battlefield. A set of kamikaze or suicide drones as a show of power toward Trump and the US. The tension between the two countries has risen recently due to the anniversary of the death of one of Iran’s top generals caused by a US drone strike.
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The secretary of the US Department of the Interior (DOI) has issued a memo encouraging the purchase of specific US-made drones, including a link to those specific models. It’s the latest in a growing movement toward American-manufactured drones — and away from those made in China.
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China has added drones and other technology to the country’s revised banned export list in response to the US ban on Chinese tech companies. The ban comes as the US and China continue their trade battle, which seems to be getting worse.
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Two MQ-9 Reaper drones have reportedly fallen out of the sky after they collided with one another over Syria according to a defense official. The military drones are said to have collided yesterday with the burning drones seen tumbling toward the ground.
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DroneShield has delivered its handheld and portable anti-drone products to a US government agency for around $312,000 (AUD $450,000) in hopes of future orders being made for DroneShield’s other various products.
COVID-19 is pushing society to get creative with how we do business and use technology. That’s included calls to expand drone use for contact-free deliveries. Now two senators are calling on the FAA to waive rules that slow down development of drone delivery services.
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A few weeks ago we learned that drones are playing a crucial role in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. For instance, we recently saw the Spanish police using drones to urge people to stay home. But even earlier we saw drones being used in China to quickly spray large areas with disinfectants. Today we’ve learned that the U.S. Department of Defense has no plans to use drones to fight the coronavirus.