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Healthcare provider Michigan Medicine says it plans to more than double the number of prescriptions its in-house pharmacy fills each year by using the new quick drone delivery system Zipline revealed last month.

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California-based drone delivery company Matternet says it has received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that allows it to operate up to 20 aircraft with one remote pilot.

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If you fly the DJI Mini 2 or the Mini 2 SE drone, a new firmware update is now available to download and install.

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In a development that will please pilots sick of being harassed by drone-hating antagonists, a man in the UK now awaits sentencing for having brandished a gun while accosting a real estate agent doing aerial work near his home.

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In a move likely to send millions of previously disinterested people rushing to get their hands on a drone – or conversely expand the ranks of those demanding a universal ban on all UAVs – a contributor to Reddit has generated much amused commentary with his modification of a DJI craft to simulate a pigeon defecating on objects from on high.

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UK aerial surveying specialist Plowman Craven has produced a drone data collection solution specifically designed for owners and operators of rail networks across the nation and globe – including lines where physical access to infrastructure isn’t feasible.

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Advanced air mobility company Vertical Aerospace has announced several significant developments in its work advancing its VX4 aircraft toward air taxi service, including reception of what it says is the first Design Organization Approval issued by UK regulators for a passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL).

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In another setback to global drone giant DJI’s efforts to keep its consumer and enterprise products from being used in the conflict provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, officials in Kyiv said this week a small army of 300 Mavic 3T UAVs had been procured and sent to the eastern front in the space of just a few days.

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The DJI Mini 3 Pro has received a new firmware update, and it’s one that you don’t want to miss because it will allow you to capture much more smooth and cinematic footage with your drone.

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DJI has released a new firmware package for the compact and ultra-lightweight Mini 3 drone, allowing the 4K flying camera to capture 48MP RAW photos as well.

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It has long been rumored that after fighting off the brutal winter offense Moscow has waged since the New Year’s holiday, Ukraine  plans on unleashing a spring onslaught against Russian forces in the east – which, if it occurs, may feature thousands of explosive-packed FPV drones.

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Air taxi developer EHang is closing out March with a pair of announcements on its activities preparing for future advanced air mobility (AAM), including news its unpiloted passenger craft has entered the final phase of certification with China’s regulators.

EHang reported on the progress of its EH216-S air taxi in a communiqué on its 2022 financial results. In it the company said the craft had entered “the final phase of Demonstration and Verification of Compliance” with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). It also suggested the vehicle might have advanced even closer toward final type certification (TC) if it hadn’t been for considerable disruptions caused by COVID-19 peaks in the country.

Read: Archer, United announce air taxi link between Chicago and O’Hare

In describing progress of EH216-S testing, EHang said “more than 90% of the entire TC process has been completed, which is believed to be the fastest progress among all TC projects of electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) aircraft worldwide.”

 EHang added it had received over 100 orders for the future air taxi from customers in China, and that it continues adding to its over 34,000 test flights of the craft already made around the globe.

“At present, several EH216-S conforming aircraft, which were manufactured in EHang’s Yunfu production facility, have successfully passed the manufacturing conformity inspection by CAAC and are undergoing required compliance tests at flight bases in Guangzhou and Hezhou as well as laboratories in other locations,” the company said. “Based on the CAAC-agreed compliance test plans, more than 70% of tests have been or will be completed soon, including laboratory tests, ground tests and inspections, flight tests and data analysis.”

Read: EHang air taxi aids European testing of UAM air traffic projects

This week EHang also announced the successful completion of testing of an autonomous airborne beacon designed to improve positioning information on drones and AAM craft like air taxis.

The company said the year-long BAUD project with Spain’s Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies and government ministries had been wrapped up with all objectives met. The system uses the UAV-transported beacon to interface with positioning platforms like Global Navigation Satellite Systems, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, and Galileo to communicate information on drone and AAM craft status, remote identification information, and other tactical data to surrounding U-Space operators. 

“We are delighted to announce the successful completion of the BAUD project, achieving all of its goals and objectives,” said Victoria Xiang, EHang chief operating officer for Europe and Latin America. “EHang welcomes public-private partnership opportunities for research, development, and investment in the UAS field in Spain. This has encouraged EHang to execute several innovation projects, share EHang’s world-leading technology and extensive international experience on Urban Air Mobility, and strengthen our wide technological collaboration network in Europe.”

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say they’ve created an automated system allowing drones to select safe flight trajectories with what trials indicated was a 100% collision-free success rate.

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Drones are being used to inspect structures, deliver lunches, shuttle transplant organs, rush defibrillators to cardiac victims, and capture incredible first-person footage to thrill and entertain. Now the Ford Motor Company is looking to expand that list of UAV applications by cutting the waiting time for drivers with flat car batteries needing a jump start.

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Avata, DJI’s palm-sized ready-to-fly FPV drone, has received a big firmware update that not only makes the aircraft compatible with new peripherals but also introduces several features to improve flight safety.

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The DJI Fly app is getting an upgrade. In addition to bringing compatibility with a couple of new DJI products, the latest version of the flight app for both iOS and Android also brings several new features to the Mini 3 drone series.

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Nearly a year after introducing its Avata first-person view (FPV) drone, global camera UAV giant DJI today announced the release its Integra goggles and RC Motion 2 joystick products, both of which are designed to enhance user experience with the craft.

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Fast-moving drone delivery startup Flytrex had an eventful 2022, during which it considerably expanded its zones of operation as well as its list of retailers and restaurant partners. Today the company released its annual barometer of activity showing a corresponding jump in clients served last year – a whopping seven-fold increase over 2021 to “21,350 orders” flown.

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French advanced air mobility (AAM) startup Ascendance Flight Technology says it is revving up its push to finalize the prototype of its ATEA hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) plane, thanks to  new investment of €21 million ($22.6 million). 

Toulouse-based Ascendance said it had raised the new financing from existing backers and several new investors including Bpifrance, a public-private fund that supports France’s most promising tech startups. Ascendance said the infusion will be used to finish the full-scale prototype of its ATEA VTOL, and begin test flights to prepare for certification and eventual large-scale production of the AAM plane.

The company says it has already signed 245 memos of understanding with customers keen on buying the aircraft. 

Last October, Ascendance signed an agreement with Air France-KLM maintenance, repair, and operations unit AFI KLM E&M, making the Franco-Dutch airline group not only a potential buyer of ATEA VTOLs, but also a major industrial partner in servicing AAM craft.

Read more: AAM startup Ascendance links with Air France-KLM’s MRO unit

ATEA is designed to fly a maximum of 400 kilometers at 200 km/h, and boasts a quick 10-minute turnaround time. It is expected to take its first test flights this later year, before being featured in AAM demonstrations during the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024.

Unlike most AAM craft developers, Ascendance has conceived the five-seat ATEA VTOL to operate using a hybrid propulsion system. That Sterna solution uses distributed electric motorization compatible with both tradition or sustainable fuels, including hydrogen cells. 

The concept was created by Ascendance founders, who are veterans of Airbus’s E-Fan program that continues development of the aviation giant’s all-electric passenger plane. Aware of the limited capacities of current battery technologies, however, they devised Sterna to use combustible materials or hydrogen cells to drive generators that create electric power the craft relies on.

Read: HevenDrones unveils its first of three hydrogen-powered drones planned for 2023

The new $22.6 million in funding to get an ATEA prototype aloft to enable testing and certification work follows an $11.7 million infusion Ascendance received in September of 2021. 

Ascendance cofounder and CEO Jean-Christophe Lambert predicts the financing will prove essential to the company’s push to take its ATEA VTOL to market faster, and in so doing give France a prominent spot in the emerging AAM sector.

“This fundraising round is critical for sustainable aviation in France,” says Lambert. “It is a logical step forward in our roadmap for the industry’s energy transition. It will accelerate the technical and commercial development of our products while also contributing to our central aim: to build a sustainable model for cleaner air mobility.”

Japan Post is moving quickly with its plans to introduce mail drone delivery services in the country, and has staged its maiden parcel drop to a private home following the company’s first flight over a populated area.

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Drones operating in New York’s Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) development and research flight corridor are set to increase in girth under a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver that will allow routine testing of larger, heavier UAVs.

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Autel Robotics has issued a new statement regarding the end of service and support timeline for the popular EVO II drone series. The announcement comes months after the drone maker said it would stop supporting some EVO II aircraft from May 2023.

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