DroneDJ

Utah-based counter-drone specialist Fortem Technologies has landed $17.8 million in new funding to scale and meet the growing demands across multiple regions and market sectors in airspace safety and security. Key industry investors in the round include Lockheed Martin Ventures, Hanwha Aerospace, and AIM13|Crumpton Venture Partners. Existing investors DCVC and Signia Venture Partners have also contributed funds.

German developer of electic vertical of takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), Volocopter, has reenergized its longstanding activities in Japan by commencing the certification process of its VoloCity air taxi in the country, concurrent to similar work with three other regulatory bodies already under way.

Aviation services company Blade Air Mobility has teamed up with next generation sustainable ALIA-250 aircraft developer BETA Technologies to undertake the first test flight of an electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) plane in the greater NYC area.

After an investigation revealed that an in-flight software failure had led to an Astro commercial drone crashing, UAS manufacturer Freefly is urging all operators to ground their fleet until they have updated the aircraft firmware to v1.1.18.

Despite DJI’s decision last April to halt importation to and sales of its products in Russia and Ukraine as a means of undermining their use in the war between the two countries, news reports now reveal the company’s drones continue surreptitiously flowing to Russian armed forces with the help of collaborators in China, the Middle East, and Europe.

UAS4STEM is an annual educational youth drone competition organized by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), the largest association of model aircraft and drone hobbyists in the US.

Europe’s first licensed drone delivery airline, Dronamics, said it has raised $40 million in pre-Series A funding for the launch of its innovative strategy of providing middle-mile aerial transport services in a sector that has largely focused on last-mile activities.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has taken another step in its increasing use of drones as tools in inspecting and managing its vast infrastructure by obtaining a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waver for beyond visual line of sight flights (BVLOS) at its Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project, in partnership with Skydio.

Innovative European enterprise drone company FIXAR is continuing its global business expansion with an entry into Brazil’s robust beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) services market, partnering with local aviation company Helisul Aviação to do so.

Drone components manufacturer Lumenier says it’s ready to release the “most illuminated drone” the light show market has ever seen. The new ARORA drone from the company comes with highly-impressive endurance and 12 super-bright LEDs, which we are told, are six times brighter than what competitors offer.

DJI has released a new firmware update for its modular action camera, Action 2. With this update, the Action 2 has become DJI’s first action camera to offer compatibility with Gyroflow, an open-source post-processing video stabilization software.

Drone services and delivery company Spright says it has obtained what it calls a “first of a kind” waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for specific beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) inspection missions.

Leading US Part 135 cargo airline Ameriflight is moving to diversify the business it operates for clients like UPS by supplementing its fleet of traditional aircraft with next-generation heavy-lift drones ­– most recently the brawny UAVs from Oxnard-based startup Sabrewing.

Logistics and transportation company Aramex says it has successfully tested drone and roadside bot deliveries in Dubai. These tests were conducted as part of the company’s “Future Delivery Program,” aimed at enhancing last-mile logistics using smart shipping solutions to enable quicker, more sustainable, and cost-effective deliveries.

Drone company Volatus Aerospace has been issued a drone cargo license by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).

California-based Fullerton College has launched a new internship initiative called Hornet Drone Piloting Apprenticeship Program. It’s a first-of-its-kind federal- and state-registered apprenticeship program for drone operators focused on providing opportunities for underrepresented communities.

Continued US uproar over spy balloons from China has drifted across the Atlantic, where UK authorities are now sounding alarms over the abundance of Chinese surveillance technologies used by official administrations – including the dominance of DJI drones in police fleets.

Canadian UAV hardware and software company Draganfly has reinforced its emphatic support of Ukraine in its battle against invading Russian forces with the delivery of the first of three Situational Assessment Drones for the nation’s emergency and rescue units.

AirModo, a new drone insurance app that allows operators to instantly purchase either hourly or annual policies depending on their needs, has launched a reward program in collaboration with Unmanned Safety Institute (USI).

HevenDrones is pursuing its efforts to produce longer-lasting, sustainable alternatives to lithium battery-powered UAV flights with today’s introduction of its first hydrogen-fueled H2D55 drone.

Dubai has renewed a previous pledge to be one of the world’s early deployers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), this time setting a 2026 launch objective for air taxi services in the city-state and commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

If the war in Ukraine has taught the world anything, it’s that UAVs have proven their utility in waging war today, and demonstrated their promise for larger deployment in future conflicts. And that evolution doubtless explains why the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now endeavoring to create super swarms of drones capable of overwhelming enemy defense systems, and attacking targets they identify once past those.