DroneDJ

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Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have proposed new legislation to increase the use of US-made drones in infrastructure projects. The bipartisan bill would authorize $100 million in competitive grants to help local governments leverage American drones in critical infrastructure inspections, maintenance, and construction activities.

A new bipartisan push to ban US government agencies from operating Chinese-made drones, including DJI, is currently underway in the Senate. This time, it’s the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that’s under the scanner for using more than a dozen drones that were manufactured in China.

Austrian aviation tech specialist Frequentis has been selected to provide its unmanned traffic management (UTM) system to Lithuania’s air navigation service provider, Oro Navigacija, in an effort to integrate drone traffic into the country’s wider airspace.

Officials in New York are proposing changes to rules that strictly regulate drone activity within NYC, but UAV businesses and other operators hoping to see the end of the city’s quasi-blanket ban on flights aren’t likely to be singing the praises of liberalization just yet.

A 41-year-old father of two, accused of illegally flying a drone into a “critical area” of Dublin Airport, is now facing the prospect of a jury trial after the charges against him were upgraded by the court.

Telecom company BT Group has released new research indicating the UK needs to take steps to catch up with other nations currently leaving it behind in terms of drone operation and service readiness – a somewhat counterintuitive finding given the nation’s innovative aerial efforts over the past couple of years.

Scaling efforts by Italian cargo and heavy-lift drone developer FlyingBasket have received further lift with longtime strategic partner and European aviation and defense giant Leonardo assuming a direct equity stake in the Milan-based company.

US drone maker Inspired Flight Technologies has unveiled a new medium-lift drone that can carry up to 3 kg of payload and yet fly for more than 40 minutes. According to the California-based company, its IF800 Tomcat drone will start shipping to customers before the end of the year.

German air taxi developer Volocopter has signed an agreement with Swiss-AS to incorporate the startup’s AMOS software to monitor, analyze, and manage notifications on the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) requirements of its electric takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

Leading US drone manufacturer and autonomous flight specialist Skydio has been granted broad, open-ended authorization to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions by aviation regulators in Japan – certification made all the more remarkable in being valid across the entire country.

If you don’t know who Aloft is, you’re either new to the drone world or maybe have some crazy unique drone use case. However, it has become the leading LAANC provider, as well as offering a plethora of other solutions for drone and fleet management. Today it announced an expansion of what it already provides.

Drone detection, identification, tracking, and mitigation tech specialist Dedrone this morning announced the launch of its agile DedroneTactical counter-UAV solution geared for security, military, and government users.

Infrastructure inspections are a routine task for businesses like Valmont Industries. But a recent mission from Valmont is making headlines because it saw the company flying a gas-electric hybrid drone nonstop for 77 miles! The drone flew for almost three hours, from Childress to Aspermont in Texas, inspecting vital infrastructure like power lines, railroads, bridges, and more.

Even as leading drone delivery company Zipline readies the operational launch of its new Platform 2 network for commercial clients in the US, the company is fêting the anniversary of its groundbreaking healthcare distribution work in Africa ­– an activity that has already benefitted millions of people, and which is now set to be extended and diversified with the backing of trans-Atlantic government partners.

Drone logistics company Aviant has announced the launch of its home delivery service, Kyte. Drones will now deliver groceries, takeaway food, and non-prescription medicines to sparsely populated areas and vacation homes in Norway. In addition, Aviant has landed $1 million in funding from Innovation Norway to autonomously deliver vital prescription medicines directly from pharmacies to people in remote and suburban areas.

A couple of important updates for SIRAS drone operators. New US state and regional maps are now available to download for the IP54-rated professional drone. In addition, Teledyne FLIR has released a safety-focused firmware update for the SIRAS to address a potential issue affecting the communication between the drone and its remote controller.

Drone maker Autel Robotics says it is ready to unveil its latest products – Titan, designed for transportation and delivery, and Alpha, a new enterprise drone.

German developer of strategic and military drones Quantum-Systems has inaugurated multipurpose centers in Ukraine to strengthen its support of the nation’s defense against Russia’s seemingly endless invasion.

Skyports Drone Services has moved to expand its international footprint and multiply its activities across Asia with new medical UAV delivery trials to remote destinations in Thailand.

One of Insta360’s biggest sales of the year is happening right now, and you can grab a whole lot of cool photography gear, including action cameras and selfie sticks, at great prices. Here are our top picks from the Insta360 summer sale.

It will come as no surprise to DroneDJ readers that political efforts have been afoot – and gaining momentum – to blacklist drones made by global leader DJI for the threats they allegedly pose of leaking user data to the spying eyes of officials in China. A new report offers an indication of just how steep – and expensive – that legislative push to sideline those UAVs across the US promises to be.

The dangers of AI are making headlines once again. Earlier this week, leaders from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and other artificial intelligence labs came out with a warning that future AI systems could be as deadly as pandemics and nuclear weapons. And now, we are hearing about a test simulated by the US Air Force where an AI-powered drone “killed” its human operator because it saw them as an obstacle to the mission.