DroneDJ

With Congress only hours away from deciding tech giant DJI’s future in the United States, here’s what the “Countering CCP Drones Act” (HR 2864) means for the drones you already have.

Jasper Ellens might just be the first to leak information on the Mavic 4 drone that will hopefully be released soon. It looks like beta testers are out in China getting the product ready for launch.

In a late night vote, the House Rules Committee voted 9-4 for the National Defense Authorization Act to be voted on by the full House of Representatives tomorrow, June 12. Attached to this bill is the “Countering CCP Drone Act,” which will ban the use of FCC communication infrastructure by DJI drones.

Utah has embarked on an ambitious project to revolutionize air transportation in the state. Spearheaded by the innovative aerospace company 47G, in collaboration with the Utah Governor’s Office, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), the Utah Inland Port Authority, and various industry stakeholders, Project Alta (Air Logistics Transportation Alliance) seeks to establish an advanced air mobility (AAM) system throughout Utah by 2034.

Volarious, a Singapore-based tech company specializing in tethered drone systems, has announced the launch of V-Scan software that identifies, follows, and records multiple objects ⁠— including people and vehicles ⁠— with exceptional clarity and precision. The sophisticated software is available exclusively for Volarious app users.

A wounded Ukrainian warrior found himself in a bad spot, and with no way to get off a battlefield after his unit was attacked by Russian forces. Meanwhile, drones above scanned the field for intel and inspecting anything they saw. Dmytro had an idea: show his military ID to a passing drone, and hope it’s friendly so someone can send for help.

Canadian aerospace company Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions (AVSS) has announced the launch of the PRS-M3E, a new parachute system for the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise and Mavic 3 Thermal drones.

As drone maker DJI prepares to end its flight sync capabilities for US pilots on June 12, drone fleet and airspace management specialist Aloft is making sure that historical logs of its users are synced to the encrypted Aloft Air Control platform.

Drone Industry Insights (Droneii), a Germany-based research firm focusing on the commercial drone industry, is seeking inputs for its annual Drone Industry Barometer report. Here’s why it matters to you.

DJI recently announced it will permanently disable the option for US drone pilots to sync their flight logs to DJI’s servers. The drone maker says this decision has been taken following an evaluation of the company’s data policy in line with market demands and privacy expectations. The change will start reflecting in the DJI Fly app from Wednesday. The same day, a bill proposing to ban DJI drones in the US has been scheduled for a Senate hearing amid data security concerns.

Earlier this year, Anzu Robotics announced its entrance into the US drone market with the launch of the Raptor and Raptor T industrial drones. Both drones are based on the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise platform but the country of origin for the Raptor series is Malaysia, not China. As Congress weighs new legislation to completely ban DJI drones inside the US, here’s a detailed look at how Anzu Robotics and DJI are ensuring that US enterprises retain their access to world-class, affordable technology.

Retail giant Walmart says it is bringing the drone delivery ordering experience directly to its shopping app later this month. Customers can order thousands of items ranging from baby wipes to birthday candles via drone delivery and receive them in 30 minutes or less. In some cases, deliveries can take place as fast as 10 minutes.

DJI has announced that starting next week, it will disable the option for US drone pilots to sync their flight records to DJI’s servers. The change comes at a time when a bill proposing to ban DJI drones has been scheduled for a Senate hearing amid data security concerns.

Swiss drone maker Wingtra has launched new drone data planning and collaboration software, WingtraCLOUD, emphasizing on several time-cutting and user-friendly features.

The US Senate will soon deliberate on a significant piece of legislation that could impact your ability to access and operate DJI drones. The bill in question is the “Countering CCP Drones Act” (HR 2864), and it aims to ban new DJI products from entering the US market.

DJI’s FlyCart 30 made history by flying the first drone mission to a camp on Mount Everest, the company revealed. The test sparked a movement by Nepal to encompass more drones in delivering equipment and removing trash, saving lives.

US government agencies, public safety agencies, and private industry conducting sensitive aerial missions can now refer to new guidance before purchasing any drones. The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have released a memo with procurement guidance and recommendations for security-focused drones. The development comes at a time when a bill proposing to ban DJI drones is expected to move in Congress amid data security concerns.

Canada has ordered the dissolution of anti-drone solutions company Bluvec Technologies on national security grounds. Bluvec has developed a portable solution to detect drones and drone operators in real-time.

Reality capture and drone data management specialist DroneDeploy has released a new security product to enhance the security of DJI Dock and Dock 2 automated drone nests.

DJI has released a new firmware update for its most pocket-friendly beginner drone, the Mini 2 SE.

One-click drone reality capture platform SkyeBrowse says it is joining forces with immersive training simulation technology specialist RSET. The partnership will allow SkyeBrowse users to transform their 3D models into walkable environments, thus gaining a deeper understanding of spatial dynamics and improving situational awareness.

This week Yifei and Seth discuss Amazon’s BVLOS approval by the FAA, a big firmware update to the Avata 2, and more drone news.

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