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The US Department of Defense issued a statement Friday saying its position is that “systems produced by Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) pose potential threats to national security.”

We realized we haven’t done a recent roundup of recommended drones. We also realize that many drone buyers want to get in under the $1,000 price point. So we figured: Let’s highlight what are, in our opinion, the best standard drones for under $1,000 in this Buyer’s Guide.

It’s on. After a year-long delay, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have finally begun, albeit in the shadow of COVID-19. The opening ceremony today at the $1.5 billion Olympic Stadium was an extravaganza that was both celebratory and subdued. But our favorite part came right toward the end when more than 1,800 drones took to the skies to form a globe over the stadium as artists from five continents sang Imagine.

It’s a troubling time on this planet. We’ve seen continued wildfires in western North America and massive flooding in parts of Germany and Belgium. In the latest cataclysm, a region of China was hit with a year’s worth of rain in just three days. And drone videos help give us a better sense of the scale of the flood damage.

The ultra-lightweight Hubsan Zino Mini Pro, a 249-gram drone that looks like a solid DJI Mini 2 competitor on paper, has been available for pre-order in the United States since May 2021. However, its estimated shipping date has remained a mystery. But now, it appears a launch could be imminent. And that’s because the Zino Mini Pro has just turned up on the database of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – which is usually the final step before a product is released commercially.

DJI is slowly and steadily expanding the geographies where its cheapest drone yet, the Mini SE, is available. After hitting the shelves in Southeast Asia and South America some three weeks ago, the Mini SE is making a debut in its home market, China. There, the 249-gram drone is shipping with a price tag of 1,999 yuan, which roughly converts to $309.

The problem with being a world leader in any activity means everyone else on the planet will be working hard to take you down. Just ask China’s drone giant DJI, which has now been hit with a US lawsuit for patent violations in addition to other recent challenges it has had to battle.

Despite the advent and surge of the COVID-19 virus commanding most of the world’s medical attention, pre-pandemic threats to life and health around the globe remain as active and dangerous as ever. In addressing one of those, Kenya has said it will begin using drones in its long and ongoing battle against malaria.

One sure sign of a budding sector about to blossom for business is aspiring companies siccing corporate lawyers on each other. That’s exactly what’s happening now in a misappropriation lawsuit between electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) rivals Archer and Wisk Aero.

We’ve been seeing drones made by this German company pop up in our social feeds recently, so we thought we’d take a closer look. And yes, we do think the Quantum-Systems Trinity F90Plus, along with its other models, are pretty cool. Have a look; perhaps you’ll agree.

An estimated 10 million HIV patients around the world are unable to access life-saving medications. Often, it’s because they are located in areas so remote that ferrying the drugs becomes an extremely slow and time-consuming process. Johnson & Johnson wants to change that. That’s why the company is funding a drone program in Uganda, East Africa, to deliver HIV treatments.

Skydio, the largest US consumer/enterprise drone manufacturer – and the leader of the pack with autonomous skills – is continuing its push to become a global force. Now, enterprise and public sector customers in Australia and New Zealand can start buying – and flying – Skydio products.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted $11.8 million to German small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) company Quantum Systems to keep pace with spiking business demands. The Munich-based startup will use the funds to boost its small craft solution activities for mapping and surveillance clients, and pursue continued expansion according to strict environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.

There are many reasons for drones to be quick. The professional drone racing circuit aside, speed bodes well when you are searching for survivors on a disaster site, or delivering cargo, or even inspecting critical infrastructure. But how do you get something done in the shortest possible time with limited battery life when you have to navigate through obstacles, changing speeds, and altitude? You use an algorithm.

After deadly floods upended life in Western Europe last week, now it’s China that is enduring the wrath of extreme weather. At least 33 people have died in what is being described as the “heaviest rainfall in a millennium” in central China’s Henan province. Drone videos show the extent of the devastation…

Some stories provide great examples of “drones for good” activity. This one might be described more as “drones for God.” A small village in the southwest of France this week deployed a drone to clean the façade, roof, and bell tower of its church in a mission usually carried out by scaffolding-perched workers. The time and costs saved in that were nothing short of miraculous.

Score it as multiple stupids in a single act. A drone pilot flying over a Scottish nature reserve provoked scores of protected seals to stampede in fear – filming the mass flight before circling back for an overhead selfie of his group. Now the cops are checking images from the internet upload to cite the flier for violation of laws prohibiting harassment of wildlife.

People are still recovering — and will be for some time — following last week’s catastrophic weather event that hammered Germany, Belgium, and some other locations. Now, a new FPV drone video shot in Belgium reveals that some people endured a double-disaster: Flooding and fire. And the pilot was able to assist firefighters gain better situational awareness on two house fires.

DJI released a new video today, providing a complete overview of a drone solar installation inspection in China. It’s pretty impressive.

There’s a lot we can learn — and a lot we have learned — from observing the natural world. Specifically, how evolution has perfected certain aspects of animal and plant life for greater efficiency, resilience and more. After seeing a new video of a hawk today, we couldn’t help but think how certain drone features mimic features seen in nature. Let’s take a spin.

Drones have become an essential storytelling tool for news organizations, freelance reporters, and citizen journalists across the globe. Many people make money by selling drone footage to local news channels and stock content aggregators. But which drone can you buy for less than $1,000 to get the best newsworthy photos and videos?

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.

You know that saying: Everyone’s talking about the weather? Well, these days people really are talking about the weather, but in much more urgent tones. There’s also another saying: A picture is worth a thousand words. And in this case, drone photos showing the results of what many scientists believe is climate change in California are shocking.

Another Wednesday, another discussion of drone-related news. The more the merrier, so if you’ve got about 30 minutes, come hang out with DroneDJ‘s live panel gang.