News

Bristol-based drone company adds Innovate UK backing and a fresh check from Investing for Purpose alongside follow-on from Loggerhead Ventures and One Planet Capital. Perceptual Robotics has secured more than £4 million (about $5.3 million) so far in 2026. The Bristol-based company will use the capital to expand its wind turbine inspection platform. It announced… Read more: Perceptual Robotics Gets £4 Million to Scale Turbine Inspection Drones

Halo is the commercial variant of Archer’s jointly developed dual-use platform, launching with Japan’s Marubeni Aerospace as first strategic partner. Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) unveiled Halo, the commercial variant of a jointly developed dual-use platform built with Anduril Industries to serve both defense and commercial markets. The Archer Halo autonomous VTOL was announced July 22,… Read more: Archer Unveils Halo, the Commercial Autonomous VTOL Built With Anduril

By Dronelife Features Editor Jim Magill ABZ Innovation, a five-year-old Hungarian company that has become a leading manufacturer of spraying drones, is continuing to climb along its rapid growth trajectory, releasing new products, entering into partnerships that expand efficiencies of its UAV’s, and preparing to open the largest facility in Europe for the manufacture of… Read more: ABZ Innovation Milestones Point to Company’s Growth

Powerus deals point to growth in U.S., international markets By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A Florida-based company that manufactures heavy-lift drones for defense and commercial applications has launched a new agriculture division to market its products in the United State and overseas. Powerus said the new business unit will be operated under the umbrella… Read more: Powerus Expands U.S.-Made Heavy-Lift Drones Into Agriculture

Funding will support larger-scale silicon anode manufacturing as demand grows across drones, defense, AI, and electric vehicles Sila has raised $300 million in new private funding to expand production of its silicon-carbon battery anode technology in the United States. The investment will help the company increase manufacturing capacity at its Moses Lake, Washington, facility as… Read more: Sila’s $300 Million Raise Targets a Critical Weak Link in the U.S. Drone Supply Chain

Defense publication argues drone threats must become a routine security challenge, not an exceptional one The U.S. Department of War’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has released a new guide that offers more than another overview of counter-drone technology. Small Drones, Big Problems: A First Principles Approach to Countering-UAS signals a broader shift in how… Read more: Is the ‘Happy Time’ for Drones Coming to an End? New Government Guide Signals a Shift in Counter-UAS Strategy

Part 1 of DRONELIFE’s Exclusive Series: The Human Edge: People, Perception, and the Future of Drone Operations  In this three-part DRONELIFE guest series, transportation and aviation experts Aloha Ley and Giovanni Carnaroli examine the human dimension of drone operations through the lens of current research and operational experience. Rather than focusing solely on technology, the… Read more: Mind Over Drone: How Cognitive Load and Pilot Fatigue Are Reshaping Flight Safety

Danish airspace deconfliction company eyes U.S. market By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill As the FAA wrestles with the best way to manage the low-altitude airspace to accommodate the anticipated explosive growth of traffic from UAVs and advanced-aviation vehicles, a European technology innovation company is offering a solution, based on mathematical algorithms, instead of artificial… Read more: As Drone Traffic Grows, Skypuzzler Makes the Case Against AI for Airspace Safety

Agency extends trusted drone exemptions while seeking comment on broader commercial restrictions for certain foreign-made systems The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking another step in its effort to reshape the U.S. drone market. The agency announced Tuesday that it is seeking public comment on whether to prohibit the import, marketing, or sale of certain… Read more: FCC Eyes Next Step in Drone Supply Chain Overhaul With Proposed Sales Ban on Military-Grade Foreign Drones

Elistair’s Khronos DroneBox integrates with Exail’s DriX unmanned surface vessel to give operators a shore-controlled, persistent view from the deck up.   Elistair and Exail have partnered to integrate the Khronos automated tethered DroneBox on Exail’s DriX unmanned surface vessel, delivering tethered drone maritime surveillance from an autonomous platform. The pairing gives naval, coast guard… Read more: Elistair and Exail Bring Tethered Drone Maritime Surveillance to Autonomous Vessels

DARPA challenges innovators to create muscular drones By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill Heavy-lift drones, the workhorses of the drone ecosystem, face a significant obstacle to their widespread adoption for military and commercial uses: their payload-to-weight ratio is low, typically far below one-to-one for multirotor UAVs. Hoping to solve this problem, the Defense Advanced Research… Read more: DARPA Launches $6.5 Million Challenge to Reinvent Heavy-Lift Drones

New motor and controller design aims to simplify drone production while improving payload capacity and system reliability ePropelled has introduced a new integrated propulsion system designed to simplify UAV manufacturing and improve aircraft performance. The company unveiled its SKYLARK™ Series at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, where it positioned the product as a solution for… Read more: ePropelled Targets Faster Drone Manufacturing with Integrated SKYLARK Propulsion

Don’t miss the HYFIX CEO on US drone technology!  In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Mike and host Randy Goers talk about why the U.S. is restricting foreign drone technology before domestic alternatives are fully ready, how fragmented drone systems create security and supply chain risks, and why integrated, U.S.-made systems could be… Read more: HYFIX CEO on Building U.S. Drone Technology – This Episode of the Drone Radio Show!

Electric aircraft developer argues that economics, infrastructure, and practical missions are bringing UAM closer to commercial reality. While much of the advanced air mobility discussion has focused on future passenger services, BETA Technologies is making a broader case. The company argues that electric aviation can succeed by solving practical transportation challenges first. Speaking at the… Read more: BETA Technologies Makes the Case for Advanced Air Mobility

Enforcement Bureau says companies failed to respond to investigations involving equipment added to the FCC Covered List The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed $25,000 forfeitures against eight drone-related companies after they allegedly failed to respond to Enforcement Bureau investigations examining whether they marketed equipment subject to U.S. national security restrictions. The proposed forfeitures, announced… Read more: FCC Targets Eight Drone Companies With Proposed Fines Over Unanswered National Security Inquiries

Partnership to aims to help law enforcement solve drone crime By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill Since the start of the World Cup last month, federal law enforcement agencies have reported seizing more than 600 drones flying too close to the sites of tournament matches and fan zones. Yet those seizures represent just the beginning… Read more: SkySafe and Cellebrite Bring Drone Forensics to Investigations

UC Berkeley research presented in Korea finds that dynamic fares could strengthen the business case for airport air taxi service Can Urban Air Mobility (UAM) work? Research presented at Korea Drone and UAM Expo suggests dynamic pricing could make airport air taxis economically viable. While much of the urban air mobility (UAM) conversation has focused… Read more: Uber-Style Pricing Could Be the Missing Piece for Profitable Air Taxis, Researchers Say

Regulators from the U.S. and European Union will close the September event in Las Vegas with a side-by-side comparison of transatlantic BVLOS rules. Commercial UAV Expo has announced its second and final keynote for the 2026 event, an FAA and EASA BVLOS keynote titled “Two Skies, One Conversation: Comparing FAA and EASA Approaches to BVLOS… Read more: Commercial UAV Expo Announces FAA and EASA BVLOS Keynote for 2026

Mountain View-based Matternet expands its multi-operator model with a new FAA Part 135 partner focused on Bay Area and Los Angeles BVLOS operations. Matternet, the only holder of an FAA Type Certificate for a drone delivery aircraft, announced July 15, 2026, an operational partnership with Beeline UAS to support expansion of its commercial drone delivery… Read more: Matternet Adds Beeline UAS to Part 135 Drone Delivery Operator Network

Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs are reshaping how law enforcement agencies gather information and respond to emergencies. In this guest commentary, former police chief Mike Moulton shares his perspective on why DFR represents the most significant advance in police situational awareness since the introduction of the police radio, while offering a practical assessment of… Read more: Drone as First Responder – and the 3 Questions Every Police Leader Should Ask Before Funding a Program