Drone News Update

Latest Episodes:

Drone News: Cost of Ban Exposed, DJI in US, Export Rules, Drone Deer Scouting, 900ft Drone Rescue Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have five stories for you this week. First, Oregon exposes the real cost of the DJI ban. Second, the FAA reveals DJI makes up 96% of US drones. Third, the Commerce Department updates drone export rules. Fourth, Indiana prosecutes illegal drone deer scouting. And finally, a drone assists in a 900-foot tower rescue. Let's get to it.

First up, the Oregon Department of Aviation has released a white paper exposing the real-world cost of the federal DJI ban. They surveyed 25 state transportation departments, and the numbers are staggering. Across those states, at least 467 drones are currently grounded or restricted. The total national exposure is estimated to be anywhere from $50 million to $2 billion! Wisconsin reported that 100% of its fleet is grounded. Colorado lost 90% of its capacity, and Oregon itself has exactly ONE compliant drone still operational out of 22. The white paper is recommending a waiver until September 2027 to give our drone industry time to catch up.New FAA-funded research puts a hard number on DJI's market dominance. The ASSURE A83 2025 Annual Report analyzed Remote ID telemetry data from 64 monitoring locations. DJI platforms make up more than 96% of detected drones in US airspace. Skydio accounted for just over 1%, and all other manufacturers combined made up less than 2.4%. Looking at the specific models, the DJI Mini 4 Pro alone accounts for 19% of all detected platforms. The Air 3 sits at 13%, and the Mavic 3 Pro holds 8%. More than 93.7% of the top 22 detected platforms weigh 3 pounds or less. Heavy-lift models like the Matrice 400, Agras T50, and FlyCart 30 remain a tiny fraction of overall flights. The US Commerce Department is streamlining drone export controls. The Bureau of Industry and Security published an interim final rule that makes two big changes. It removes the license requirement for commercial drones with a maximum endurance under one hour when exported to allied nations. Second, it opens a faster pathway for certain longer-range systems, like heavy-lift 25-liter agricultural sprayers and cargo delivery drones. Previously, these drones were caught up in the Missile Technology Control Regime, which was designed to restrict systems capable of carrying a 500-kilogram payload at least 300 kilometers. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is bringing its first-ever prosecution for illegal drone deer scouting. Under Indiana law, you can legally use a drone to recover an animal that has already been harvested, but using it to scout or locate game during the season or 14 days prior is strictly illegal. Conservation officers seized a drone and pulled the forensic data. The GPS logs, timestamps, flight paths, and other data reportedly showed hundreds of images systematically tracking a specific trophy buck to a baited area. The suspects are allegedly facing charges for drone scouting.In Texas, two people were trapped in a hot air balloon basket that collided and became snagged on a communications tower 925 feet in the air. Longview Fire and first responders had to execute a highly complex high-angle rescue, assisted by drone. The passengers were safely rescued after a four-hour operation, but the crew still had to remove the tangled balloon using a cage and cable system. That’s all we’ve got this week, we’ll see you in the community for Post Flight where we share our opinions that aren’t suitable for YouTube. Have a great weekend! https://dronexl.co/2026/03/03/oregon-exposes-real-cost-dji-ban/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/02/indiana-drone-deer-scouting-prosecution/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/02/925-feet-down-one-drone-call/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/01/us-commerce-department-drone-export-controls/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/03/faa-research-dji-us-drone-platforms/

Drone News: DJI Takes FCC To Court, Apple TV Drone Show, and BRINC Teases a New Drone Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, We have three stories for you this week: DJI takes the FCC to court, Apple TV sets a massive new drone light show record over Los Angeles, And BRINC teases a brand new drone, but we’ll have to wait for release.

First up, DJI is taking the FCC to court. They filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, challenging the December 22nd decision that blocked new equipment authorizations for their products. DJI argues the FCC never actually proved they're a threat. Here’s the full statement from DJI, and I’m not going to read it for you, but if you’d like to pause and read it, here you go. Basically, DJI says the NDAA gave the government a full year to conduct a security audit, and DJI even sent letters asking to be examined. But no audit happened. Instead, the FCC banned all foreign-made drones just two days before the deadline. So, what does this mean for you right now? Nothing changes for current operators. If you have a drone authorized before December 22nd, you can still fly it. This includes the Air 3S, Mini 4 Pro, and Mavic 3 series. However, new models are currently blocked. This is the second suit DJI has against the federal government at the moment, and we’ll be watching closely. Next, Apple TV launched a 3,000-drone light show over Los Angeles to promote season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The display reached up to 500 feet above the city and stretched across an area equal to about three football fields. They recreated massive images of Godzilla, King Kong, and the new villain Titan X, and the show even integrated fireworks into the choreography for key transitions. According to Apple TV, this set a world record for the tallest aerial display of a fictional character formed by drones, surpassing a 2024 formation of Wolverine. I’m sure the approvals for this one took a bit! And third this week, BRINC Drones is teasing a brand new aircraft. They'll reveal a next-generation Drone as First Responder on March 24th, nearly a month away from this recording. The teaser campaign is called Command the Night, and it looks like this drone is built specifically for low-light law enforcement operations. Teaser images show a large dome sensor housing, which could be new sensors or upgrades to their existing thermal or visual systems. BRINC CEO Blake Resnick claims this is their best product ever. Night operations have always been a weak point for DFR programs. Standard cameras struggle in the dark, and bolt-on thermal sensors just add unnecessary weight and complexity. A purpose-built night drone could be a massive game changer. BRINC is growing fast after raising 75 million dollars last year, bringing their valuation to over 400 million dollars. It’ll be interesting to see if we’re able to get our hands on this new drone to test it out! That's all for this week join us in the premium community where we share our opinions for post fight and we will see you next week. Have a great weekend.https://dronexl.co/2026/02/24/dji-takes-fcc-to-court/https://dronexl.co/2026/02/23/apple-tv-drone-record-los-angeles/https://dronexl.co/2026/02/24/brinc-teases-next-gen-dfr-drone-march-24/

Drone News: TFR Over El Paso, DJI VP of Sales Detained, KCP C-UAS Authority, Pilot Faces Charges Feb 20, 2026

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Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: the FAA abruptly shut down all airspace around El Paso, Texas, DJI's former Vice President of Sales has been detained in China on bribery charges, a new bill could give Kansas City police the authority to take down drones during the 2026 World Cup, and a drone pilot is facing federal charges after flying over a highly sensitive military site and posting the video on YouTube. Let's get to it.

First up, a major story out of Texas where a reported dispute between the FAA and the Pentagon led to the complete shutdown of airspace around El Paso International Airport. The FAA issued a NOTAM classifying the airspace within a 10-nautical-mile radius of the airport as "National Defense Airspace." The order was effective for 10 days and even authorized the use of deadly force. This grounded everything: commercial flights, cargo, and even air ambulance operations. According to reports from CNN and CBS News, this drastic measure was a result of the Pentagon's plan to test a high-energy counter-drone laser at nearby Fort Bliss. The problem was, they hadn't received the final safety sign-off from the FAA. The Pentagon reportedly wanted to use the laser to target cartel drones crossing the border, but the two agencies had a meeting scheduled for a week later to finalize safety protocols. It seems the Pentagon wanted to move faster, and the FAA responded by shutting everything down.Next up, some big news from inside DJI. The company's former Vice President of Sales has been criminally detained in China on suspicion of accepting bribes. The executive, identified only by his surname Yuan, was in charge of DJI's global sales operations from May 2019 through May 2024. According to reports, he is suspected of accepting "huge" amounts of money through illicit deals involving "channel partnerships and order allocations." This is a sell-side problem, meaning it's about corruption in how DJI's drones were sold and distributed, not how they were built. In our third story, Kansas City police could soon have the authority to take down drones during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A new bill has been introduced called the Counter Drone State and Local Defender Act. It would temporarily grant state and local law enforcement the power to intercept and disable drones that pose a threat. Currently, only federal agencies have the legal authority to use counter-drone systems to jam, seize, or shoot down a drone. This bill would create a pathway for local agencies to get that power and this legislation could become a model for how security is handled at future large-scale events like the Super Bowl. And finally this week, a story that serves as a perfect example of what not to do. A drone pilot in Maryland is facing federal charges after allegedly flying his drone over the Raven Rock Mountain Complex and then posting the footage to his YouTube channel. If you're not familiar with Raven Rock, it's often called the "second Pentagon." The airspace above it is classified as restricted national defense airspace. According to the court affidavit, a military official saw the video on YouTube and reported it to the FBI. Investigators then traced the video back to the pilot, searched his home, and seized the drone. He's now been charged with a knowing or willful violation of national defense airspace, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison. That’s it for this week, We’ll see you in the premium community for Post Flight, our show where we talk about these stories and share opinions that aren’t always suitable for YouTube and on Monday for the live Q&A! https://dronexl.co/2026/02/17/drone-second-pentagon/https://dronexl.co/2026/02/16/dji-former-sales-vp-bribery-charges/https://dronexl.co/2026/02/17/kansas-city-police-drones-world-cup/https://dronexl.co/2026/02/11/faa-el-paso-airspace-pentagon-laser-test/

Drone News: FAA Issues Fines, New Knighthawk 2.0, GAO Reports Safety Gaps, Amazon Drone Crash Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: the FAA has issued several large fines to pilots, Paladin Drones launches a new NDAA-compliant drone, a new GAO report flag s major safety gaps for BVLOS integration, and an Amazon delivery drone crashes in Texas. Let's get to it.

First up, the FAA is sending a very clear message: The days of claiming ignorance are over. The agency posted a public enforcement summary detailing fines and license actions against drone operators, and the penalties are steep. The largest fine was a whopping $36,770 for an operator who flew a drone near emergency response aircraft during a wildfire back in April 2023. Two other fines involved flights in TFRs, with one operator getting hit for over $20,000 and another having their license revoked entirely. The FAA also fined an operator $14,790 for flying near State Farm Stadium during the Super Bowl in 2023. Beyond fines, the FAA is also taking licenses. They suspended the license of an operator involved in that drone light show incident in Florida, where a 7-year-old boy was seriously injured. They also suspended the license of a pilot who flew over an NFL game in Baltimore. The agency has updated its policy to require legal action when a drone endangers the public, violates airspace, or is used in a crime. Don't be that guy. Check your airspace, use B4UFLY, and fly safe. Next up, Houston-based Paladin Drones has launched its new Knighthawk 2.0. The new Knighthawk 2.0 is fully NDAA-compliant. For years, Paladin has built its DFR programs on modified DJI hardware like the M30T and M350, which works great but creates issues for agencies concerned about federal restrictions. This new drone was revealed at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia, which suggests Paladin may be looking for market globally instead of remaining domestic. The new Knighthawk 2.0 was created in partnership with the Polish Company, Beyond Vision. This gives them a clean supply chain and credibility for international defense sales.Now for the specs. Paladin claims the Knighthawk 2.0 has a flight time of over 40 minutes, a top speed above 40 mph, and can get to a 911 call scene in under 70 seconds. That’s a 20-second improvement over their previous claims. It’s equipped with 4K wide and zoom cameras, a 640p thermal imager, and 5G/LTE connectivity. Next up, a new report from the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, is raising some serious questions about the future of drone integration. The report flags significant safety gaps in the FAA's plans for integrating drones into the national airspace, especially for Beyond Visual Line of Sight, or BVLOS, operations. And finally this week, a story that shows exactly why that GAO report is so important. An Amazon Prime Air delivery drone crashed into the side of an apartment complex in Richardson, Texas. According to local officials, the drone struck the building, fell onto a nearby sidewalk, and began smoking. Thankfully, no one was injured, and while smoke was visible in the video, the drone never actually caught fire. This isn't the first time an Amazon drone has crashed during testing. In fact, we saw two Amazon drones crash into a crane in Arizona last year. Incidents like this, even when they're minor, highlight the real-world challenges of operating autonomous aircraft in dense residential areas. And thankfully, there have been no injuries, but this is even more evidence that these operations NEED FAA oversight. Join us later for Post flight, where we’ll be talking about the El Paso TFR and sharing some opinions about these stories that aren’t suitable for YouTube! https://dronexl.co/2026/02/08/amazon-delivery-drone-north-texashttps://dronexl.co/2026/02/07/faa-names-and-shames-drone-pilots/https://dronexl.co/2026/02/09/paladin-ndaa-knighthawk-2-drone/https://avweb.com/flight-safety/gao-flags-gaps-in-drone-integration-plans/

Drone News: NOTAM No-Fly Zones, FAA Reopens Comments, SkyeBrowse's New AI Feature, Drone Saves Woman Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: FAA NOTAM creates invisible no-fly zones, the FAA has reopened the comment period for BVLOS rulemaking, SkyeBrowse launches a new AI feature to improve 3D models for crash scenes, a DJI drone helps save a 96-year-old woman from a fire in Texas. Let's get to it.

First up this week, the FAA has issued a security notice creating new "invisible" no-fly zones that could affect pilots nationwide, especially in urban areas. The notice, NOTAM FDC 6/4375, was issued on January 16th. It prohibits drones from flying within 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet above stationary and mobile assets from the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security. The FAA is classifying this as "National Defense Airspace." The big problem here is that there's no practical way for us pilots to know where these moving restricted areas are. Unlike a TFR for a stadium, these assets aren't going to show up on B4UFLY or other mapping apps, because that would be a major operational security issue for federal agents.Next up, another important update from the FAA. They are reopening the comment period for the Beyond Visual Line of Sight, or BVLOS, rulemaking. But you have to act fast. The comment period is only open for two weeks, from January 28th to February 11th, 2026. The FAA is specifically looking for feedback on electronic conspicuity. The original proposal from last year suggested giving drones presumptive right-of-way over manned aircraft, unless the manned aircraft was broadcasting its position with something like ADS-B Out. As you can imagine, that got a lot of pushback from the general aviation community.Now, the FAA is asking seven specific questions to get more data before finalizing the rule. They want to know what alternate electronic conspicuity devices exist, how quickly they could get to market, and if their performance standards should match ADS-B. This is a critical moment for our drone industry. The outcome of this will determine who bears the cost of airspace safety—drone operators or manned aircraft pilots.Next up this week, some cool new tech for our first responders. SkyeBrowse, the 3D modeling platform, just released a major update that uses AI to solve one of the biggest headaches for public safety drone pilots: inconsistent model quality. The new feature is called "SkyeBrowse Thinking." It automatically analyzes a 3D model as it's being processed. If the AI detects that the model doesn't meet quality standards, it automatically re-processes it with optimized settings, all without the user having to do anything. In addition to this, Skyebrowse is also reporting 40% faster website performance, 2x faster internal tooling, and the ability to upload 10 videos at once. And finally this week, a real-world drones-for-good story! A DJI Matrice 30T drone is being credited with helping save the life of a 96-year-old woman during an apartment fire in Euless, Texas. Fire crews were called to the scene around 1 a.m., but before the first engine even arrived, a drone was automatically launched from a nearby fire station as part of the city's DFR program. The M30T's thermal and zoom cameras immediately gave the incident commander a clear view, showing heavy fire already breaking through the roof.Based on that live aerial feed, the fire chief was able to call for a second alarm and request mutual aid from other cities right away. This was critical because when firefighters got on scene, a bystander told them a woman was trapped inside. Because the chief already knew that backup was on the way, the initial crews were able to focus entirely on the rescue. They entered through a window and pulled the woman to safety. Join us in the community for Post flight, our show where we’ll recap these stories, share opinions that aren’t suitable for YouTube, and discuss some drone parts suppliers that are shutting down.

Drone News: Two New UAS Test Sites, Weather Forecasting Drones, Aerial Crop Intelligence Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week the FAA is adding two new UAS test sites, NOAA is officially using drones for daily weather forecasting operations and SiFly and Taranis are teaming up to scale up aerial crop intelligence. Let's get to it.

First up, the FAA has announced it's adding two new UAS Test Sites, which is a huge deal because it’s the first time they’ve expanded the program in almost ten years. The new sites are in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. This brings the total number of federal test ranges up to nine, joining the existing sites in Alaska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Virginia. If you aren’t familiar, the whole point of these test sites is to create a space for real-world testing to collect the data needed to safely integrate drones into our national airspace.According to the FAA, this is all about advancing Beyond Visual Line of Sight, or BVLOS, operations, as well as things like cargo delivery and managing multiple drone operations at once. The Choctaw Nation site will focus on practical applications like delivery services, infrastructure inspection, and emergency response missions across tribal lands. Meanwhile, the Indiana site will concentrate more on industrial and commercial uses, like cargo logistics, energy infrastructure, and agricultural monitoring. This expansion allows the FAA to gather the data they need to finally build the safety cases and regulations for these advanced operations. Next up, weather drones are officially moving from testing into operational use for US weather forecasting. For decades, forecasters have had a major blind spot in the lower atmosphere, which is where a lot of disruptive weather forms. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is partnering with a company called Meteomatics to fill that data gap.Meteomatics’ autonomous "Meteodrones" will be flying vertical profiles through the atmosphere to measure temperature, humidity, and wind. This data will be fed directly into the National Weather Service's daily forecasting operations. This is a big step up from a research program that started back in 2024 in North Dakota. Now, it's not just research; it's part of the daily toolkit for forecasters. An initial pilot program is already running in Oklahoma through April of 2026, with drones being managed from a remote "Meteobase." Better data at these critical altitudes means more accurate forecasts and more timely warnings.And in our final story this week, two companies are partnering to tackle one of the biggest challenges in agricultural drone use: scale. SiFly, a U.S.-based manufacturer of long-endurance VTOL drones, and Taranis, a leader in AI-powered crop intelligence, have launched a joint Field Validation Program. The goal is to prove out a new operational model for collecting crop data over massive areas. The star of the show here is SiFly's Q12 drone, with a three hour flight time. This improves the efficiency of data collection and makes the data itself more consistent. The flight time introduces a problem though, data management, which is where the Taranis comes in, processing the data in real time. The program will run during the 2026 growing season to validate how this combination of long-endurance flight and AI analysis can make aerial intelligence more scalable and affordable for farmers and agronomists.That’s it for this week, we’ll see you on Monday for Post Flight, our show where we share our opinions that aren’t always suitable for YouTube and for the live! https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sifly-and-taranis-launch-field-validation-program-to-accelerate-aerial-crop-intelligence-at-scale-302666560.htmlhttps://dronelife.com/2026/01/14/faa-adds-two-new-uas-test-sites-to-advance-drone-integration/https://dronedj.com/2026/01/16/meteomatics-meteodrones-noaa-weather-drone/

Drone News: Foreign Drone Ban Updates, DHS Creates Counter Drone Office, Super Bowl LX No-Fly Zone Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week, Updates to the Foreign Drone Ban, the Department of Homeland Security is creating a new permanent counter-drone office, and the Super Bowl LX no-fly zone. Let's get to it.

First up, according to a report from Reuters, the U.S. Commerce Department has withdrawn its plan to impose sweeping restrictions on Chinese-made drones. This was the result of the ANPRM we discussed last year, and it was targeting the entire supply chain. Including things like flight controllers, operating software, and data storage. Reports say it’s a diplomatic move, as the White House is reportedly freezing some actions against China ahead of a planned meeting between the President and Chinese President Xi Jinping in April. It’s also possible the rule is no longer necessary, as the goal has been achieved through the FCC’s actions. Speaking of, the FCC has clarified its own rule. The agency partially reversed its sweeping ban on ALL foreign drones, but with some major catches. The new rule exempts drones on the Pentagon's "Blue List"—so aircraft from companies like Parrot, Skydio, and Wingtra are now fine. It also exempts U.S.-manufactured drones, as long as domestic parts account for 65 percent of the cost—but that exemption only lasts until 2027. The most important part for our community is that the ban STILL covers DJI and others. And again, this does NOT ground your existing drone, it means no new DJI models can get the required FCC authorization to be sold in the U.S.Next up, the Department of Homeland Security is getting very serious about counter-drone operations. The DHS announced it's creating a new permanent office called the "Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-UAS." This is being launched with an initial $115 million investment to beef up security for the America250 celebrations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But that's just a small piece of the puzzle. This funding is on top of a $500 million counter-drone program announced last October and a potential $1.5 billion contract for Customs and Border Protection to acquire new counter-drone tech.DHS revealed it has already conducted over 1,500 missions to protect the U.S. from "illicit drone activities" since 2018. That works out to more than four counter-drone operations every single week, happening mostly under the radar. This new office will formalize and expand that capability. It will also serve as the coordination hub for local police departments, which were recently given authority to disable drones under the SAFER SKIES Act. So, what does this mean for you? The World Cup is basically the justification for building a permanent, nationwide counter-drone infrastructure. The equipment and training your local police get for the World Cup won't just disappear after the games. And finally this week, a very important public service announcement if you're going to be anywhere near Northern California for the Super Bowl. The FAA has released its advisory for Super Bowl LX, which is happening on February 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, and they are not messing around. In the days leading up to the game, from February 3rd through the 7th, there will be a TFR within a one-nautical-mile radius of downtown San Francisco, up to 1,000 feet AGL. On Game day, Feb. 8th, the TFR expands to 2 miles at 11:00 AM, and then to 30 miles at 2:30 PM. If you haven’t seen it already, the results of our survey on how the industry will be affected by the FCC ruling is out. So go check out that video and we’ll see you on Post flight, the show where we share our opinions that aren’t suitable for YouTube. Have a good weekend. https://dronexl.co/2026/01/13/dhs-permanent-counter-drone-office/https://dronexl.co/2026/01/10/commerce-department-drops-drone-restrictions/https://dronexl.co/2026/01/08/super-bowl-faa-drones/https://www.flyingmag.com/fcc-eases-foreign-drone-ban-dji/

Drone News: DJI Avata 360 Price leak, New World Record, Drones for Good Stories Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pilotinstitute/episodes/Drone-News-DJI-Avata-360-Price-leak--New-World-Record--Drones-for-Good-Stories-e3djpdf

Drone News: Drone Finds Missing Man, XPrize Competition, Unofficial World Record, FAA Waiver Process Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: a DJI drone finds a missing man in Kentucky after 29 hours, the XPrize competition that's using drones to autonomously fight wildfires, a new unofficial world record for the longest endurance multi rotor drone, and the FAA changes process to submit waivers. Let's get to it!
First up this week, a drones-for-good story out of Kentucky. On December 20th in LaGrange, a local man went missing after failing to return from his routine afternoon walk. As temperatures dropped and daylight faded, the Oldham County search and rescue team was called in. The search area included not just neighborhoods but also large, dense forests that were completely unreachable on foot or even by ATV.The county’s aerial response team deployed a mobile command post and launched several drones, including a DJI Matrice 4T. After hours of searching, the assistant chief pilot, Justin Hilliard, spotted a faint heat signature on his thermal feed. He said it didn't look like a person at first, more like a plastic garbage bag filled with water. But something told him to check it out. A team member was sent to the location on foot, and moments later, they confirmed it was the missing man. He was alive after 29 hours in the bitter cold but was unable to walk. Thanks to the drone, this was a rescue. Next up, we're looking at how drones are being used to fight wildfires before they even get started. The XPrize Wildfire competition is pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology with a massive challenge: to find and extinguish a wildfire inside a 1,000-square-kilometer area, all in under ten minutes. One team, called Crossfire, is using a two-drone system. The "eyes" of the operation is an off-the-shelf DJI drone equipped with thermal and optical cameras. Its video feed runs through a deep learning model trained on thousands of fire images, allowing it to spot a real fire and ignore false positives. Once a fire is confirmed, the "action" drone is deployed. This is a Freefly Alta X, a heavy-lift platform normally used for cinema cameras. It's tasked with carrying a water-filled balloon and dropping it with incredible precision just meters above the flames to extinguish the fire at its source.While a drone can't carry as much water as a helicopter, the precision is the key. Traditional aircraft drop water from high altitudes, where a lot of it gets scattered by the wind. This method puts the water exactly where it needs to be, wasting less and stopping a small fire faster. Of course, regulations around autonomous flight and payload drops are still a major hurdle. But this competition is important because it funds the research and lets engineers break things so that firefighters don't have to. I want to pause for just a minute to discuss an upcoming webinar we’ll be hosting. This webinar is all about how to land clients in 7 days. It’ll run for one hour, and you will need to preregister if you want to attend. Check out the link below and we hope to see you there! Next story comes from our friend Alex Suarez. He’s created a multi rotor drone that flies for 4 hours. Yes, you heard that right, a 4 hour flight time. And this isn’t a small aircraft either, it’s a large hexacopter spinning some huge propellers. Currently, we’re not sure what flight controller, batteries, or props were used, but this is an extremely impressive achievement, especially when you consider that this was 4 hours of hover time, not forward flight time. Alex is in the process of attempting a Guinness world record, and we’ll keep you updated when we hear more! For now, awesome job Alex! We’ll see you on Post Flight, our Premium community show where we share our uncensored opinions that aren’t always suitable for YouTube! Have a great weekend!https://dronexl.co/2025/12/26/drones-wildfires-explode/https://dronexl.co/2025/12/26/drone-missing-man-29-hours-cold/

Drone News: FCC Adds Foreign Drones to The Covered List & DJI Mini 5 Pro Propeller Guard Leaks Dec 26, 2025

Show notes

In a twist of events, the FAA added not only DJI and Autel to the FCC-covered list, but also every drone produced in a foreign country, sending shockwaves throughout the industry. The FCC also added UAS Critical components produced in a foreign country to the covered list, including some that don't require FCC approval. A UAS Critical component is defined as Data transmission devices, Communications systems, Flight controllers, Ground control stations and UAS controllers, Navigation systems, Sensors and Cameras, Batteries and Battery Management Systems, and Motors.Before we go any further, I want to reassure you that YES, if you are a civilian flying your drone, you can still buy existing models of your favorite brand, foreign or not, while supplies last. No, your drone is not bricked. Only future models are affected. Being on the FCC Covered List means that the company cannot import, market, and sell NEW products in the United States. The FCC memo does mention a process by which the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security can make a specific determination that a given UAS does not pose a risk. At the moment, the process to do that is unclear. The news came through a 9-page memo in which the FCC explains that they bypassed the audit requirement that we have been talking about for a year now: "Although section 1709 requires a determination by an “appropriate national security agency,” rather than an Executive Branch interagency body, this determination satisfies the law because several appropriate national security agencies concurred in this determination." It is unclear who was part of the meeting but they indeed determined that "UAS produced in a foreign country pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons and should be included on the FCC’s Covered List"They also provide "supporting evidence" as to what the national security threat is, including the fact that "UAS are also playing a critical enabling role on the battlefield in many modern conflicts. In Ukraine and Israel-Gaza, low-cost commercial UAS inflict extensive damage and have caused significant loss of life." and that "Drug Cartels are also reportedly using foreign-produced UAS to smuggle drugs into the United States and carry out attacks." I'm going to read a long paragraph here from the document but I think it' important for you to understand why you can't buy a new DJI drone model to fly with your kid at the park or to photograph a house for a realtor:"Permitting UAS critical components from foreign countries into the United States undermines the resiliency of our UAS industrial base, increases the risk to our national airspace, and creates a potential for large-scale attacks during large gatherings. Even when marketed as “commercial” or “recreational,” certain legal regimes in foreign countries can compel entities to provide real‑time telemetry, imagery, and location data above U.S. soil, or to change the UAS behavior via remote software updates. This poses clear risks that foreign countries could leverage UAS produced with critical components made in a foreign country to engage in intelligence collection, acts of terrorism, attacks on critical infrastructure in the U.S. homeland, or massive supply chain disruption." I'm going to repeat that this decision does not affect existing drones models. If you are working on federally funded projects, you likely may not be able to use a drone or brand that's on the covered list, even if it's an existing drone. It appears blue UAS and those on already approved DOD lists can still be flown.

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