DroneDJ

US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Michael G. Whitaker to serve as chief of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Whitaker’s nomination comes days before the September 16 deadline for operational compliance with the FAA’s Remote ID rule for drone pilots.

Saskatoon, Canada’s most celebrated (and possibly only) drone manufacturer, Draganfly, is taking another step in its increasingly tight relationship and operational cooperation with police, fire, and other emergency aid services by hosting the Draganflyer Xperience: First Responder User Conference in Texas next week.

We already know from FCC filings that DJI is prepping to release a new sub-250-gram, Mini 4 Pro. However it appears that would not be the only drone DJI could launch in North America this month. The tech giant has also completed the FCC paperwork to bring two new Agras agriculture drones, T50 and T25, to the US market.

Recurring drone disruptions – and the political and business fallout produced by them – that plagued Dublin Airport earlier this year may now be drawing to a close, thanks to clearance from Irish regulators for the platform to begin using counter-UAV assets to deal with the invasive craft.

Drone giant DJI has released a series of product firmware updates, including the run-don’t-walk additional features available in new software for the Mavic 3 series of drones, as well as upgrades for the Osmo Action 4 camera and Osmo Mobile 6 handheld stabilizer.

So, DJI has just filed paperwork with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a new drone joining the Mini series. The official release of DJI Mini 4 Pro onto the FCC database indicates that the tech giant’s latest sub-250-gram drone could hit the market as soon as this month!

Global air services company Bristow Group is looking to diversify from its historic passenger transport activities by securing preferred delivery of medium-haul Elroy Air Chaparral drones to facilitate its expansion into cargo operation.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a trio of significant decisions late Wednesday, including issuance of type certification to Ondas Holding unit Airobotics’ Optimus-1EX automated drone platform, in what’s being touted as the “first non-air carrier drone designed for autonomous security and data capture.” 

Sony has announced an update to its camera remote SDK for commercial drones. Version 1.10 of the SDK will be available to download for free beginning September 13, 2023. Here’s what to expect…

Drone maker AgEagle Aerial Systems has announced that commercial production of its next-generation fixed-wing aircraft eBee VISION is officially underway. The company is now accepting orders from customers across the world.

DJI has released a fresh new update for its drone flying app, DJI Fly. Version 1.11.4 of the app comes with a host of new features for DJI’s flagship camera drones: Mavic 3, Mavic 3 Classic, and Mavic 3 Pro.

Canadian drone hardware and systems company Draganfly is extending the operational capacities of its Commander 3 XL UAV with the introduction of a hybrid-powered version that prolongs the craft’s flight time up to three hours.

A New Jersey man has been arrested by police for using his drone to drop damaging chemical dye into the pools of his neighbors.

Electronics giant Sony has introduced another of its top-shelf professional cameras with the new LX-LR1, a device whose image-capturing power is packed into tech small enough to mount on the drones its creators kept in mind during the design process.

Online leakers have alerted DJI fans to a looming firmware update to the Mavic 3 series that will add many powerful new features and capabilities to onboard cameras, image capturing applications, and automated flight and operating functions to the top-drawer drone.

Autel Robotics has released a massive new firmware update for its EVO Max drone series. Users of both EVO Max 4T and EVO Max 4N can look forward to a host of new features as well as bug fixes and optimizations with aircraft firmware version 1.6.0.71. Here’s the complete lowdown…

New cases of attempted aerial drops of contraband into prison grounds have been thwarted on both sides of the Atlantic, with police in the UK and Canada moving fast to confound illicit drone activity within restricted jail airspaces.

UK-based Unified Traffic Management (UTM) technology provider Altitude Angel is expanding the scope of its recently launched drone flight Approval Services platform to include property and large land estates.

Though police departments across the world have been making the most of UAV performance in public safety and law enforcement work, officials of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Saskatchewan are going further by making drones a standard issue asset for of the province’s 82 divisions.

Volarious, a Singapore-based tech company specializing in tethered drone systems, has launched a new floodlight called V-Light. Compatible with the DJI Matrice 30 (M30) drone series, the product provides 20,000 lumens of light that could illuminate some 5,616 square feet of land — the same size as two tennis courts.

Amazon is running a special DJI deal in which the tech giant’s most powerful sub-250-gram drone Mini 3 Pro, RC controller with built-in display screen, Fly More kit, and a ton of accessories are up for grabs at over $313 off this Labor Day.

The official launch date is definitely getting near. Photos of a DJI Mini 4 Pro retail box have leaked online, revealing the purported drone’s biggest features and specs. Here’s what we know so far…