DroneDJ

The payloads carried by UAVs are as diverse in application as they are varied in size. But arguably nothing quite as weighty has yet been loaded onto drones as the responsibility the next sheriff of Las Vegas wants to give them in aiding police battle the city’s violent crimes.

In a huge milestone for the US commercial drone industry, the AgEagle Aerial Systems eBee drone series has secured FAA certification for flying over people or moving vehicles without any additional waivers.

DJI is teasing us again. The world’s largest consumer drone maker is preparing to launch a new product next week, and it has just offered a little glimpse of what’s to come on its social media channels.

Given the rapidly spreading popularity of lighted UAV choreographies, it’s little wonder that the Third International Drone Show Competition is set to be bigger and more diverse than ever – and taking entries now until November 20.

Lilium’s effort to market its electric takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) around the world has gotten a boost from a 100-craft deal with Saudi Arabia’s national airline, Saudia – its first foothold in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

The DJI Fly app has received a fresh update (version 1.7.8) today. And it’s packed with some incredible new features for Air 2S and Mini 3 Pro drone users.

As anticipated, DJI has rolled out a new Air 2S combo, giving users the option to use one of the company’s most popular drones with the new DJI RC remote controller.

Automotive giant Hyundai’s unit dedicated to developing next-generation advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, Supernal, has turned to aerospace company BAE Systems to create and produce the flight control tech for its future electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.

British Transport Police are teaming up with Network Rail – the owner and operator of most of the UK’s train infrastructure – in deploying drones to combat what has become a very time- and money-consuming problem in recent years: delays due to trespassers on or around tracks.

DJI has released a fresh firmware package for the newly launched Mavic 3 Enterprise and Mavic 3 Thermal drones. With this update, the Mavic 3E and 3T drones gain support for Remote ID requirements in the United States.

Drone maker Yuneec has struck a deal with Czech startup Dronetag to have Remote ID broadcast capabilities built into its new commercial hexacopter, the H850 RTK. This new partnership will also see Dronetag add-on devices for remote identification of drones being sold on the Yuneec online store.

Drone delivery and diversified aerial services provider DroneUp has announced it will be working with public and private officials in Utah to help prepare for the arrival and operation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) services.

Law enforcement agencies have been among the many public service and business entities that have used drones to improve their operations, but police in Pittsburgh are reportedly still sitting on a $62,000 unused UAV investment due to concerns about negative public reaction to the craft.

Wing continues to build on its drone delivery momentum in its Australia – its most vibrant market thus far – with the launch of what it calls the first store-to-home service in the Gold Coast area in partnership with supermarket chain Coles.

One-click drone reality capture platform SkyeBrowse now offers a free version of its 3D modeling app that is used by more than 300 organizations across the US.

Looks like EagleView and Skydio’s partnership is entering its next phase with the geospatial technology company announcing the imminent availability of Assess autonomous roof inspection drone.

Two European UAV sector leaders have joined forces to permit Drone Harmony’s automated mission software to be used with ANAFI Ai aboard Parrot drones, improving data gathering performance on mapping and inspection flights.

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.

Chargie is a device that prolongs phone and drone batteries’ lifespan by cutting off battery charging before it’s completely full.  It was invented and developed by a guy who one autumn afternoon almost lost his flight home because of a misbehaving phone battery. The device now has over 25,000 customers worldwide, is at its 4th generation and has been protecting lithium ion batteries since 2019.

The Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights across the entire expanse of its 50-mile corridor in central New York – a liberty that will considerably enhance its efforts to develop a safe and reliable UAV U-space.

In the third and last installment of DroneDJ’s interview with Bobby Healy, the irrepressible Manna Aero CEO pivots from his plans to introduce drone delivery around Europe to discuss his strategy for launch in the potentially enormous US market. That involves certification of Manna’s proprietary UAVs; introduction and expansion of drone transport through widening suburban “cohorts of scale”; and raising the considerable capital that will require with, most likely, a Wall Street flotation. Should he get the company there, Manna might well have reached the solid, advanced state of growth to allow Healy to move on to his next challenge.

European aircraft and aerospace giant Airbus says it successfully tested a small-scale demonstration version of its future “cargo copter” drone, which is designed to transport 250 kg of payload across a maximum range of just over 300 kilometers.