News

Pilot Institute analysis finds 98.6% of readable filings opposed the proposed restrictions as writte Review of 3,824 readable filings finds 3,770 opposed the FCC proposal as written, as commenters raise concerns about economic impact, public safety, agriculture and commercial drone operations The comment period has closed on a Federal Communications Commission proposal that could restrict… Read more: FCC “Military-Grade” Drone Proposal Draws Overwhelming Opposition in Public Comments

Blue UAS manufacturer Inspired Flight sees an open payload ecosystem as a way to extend aircraft value and give operators more choices As the U.S. commercial drone market adjusts to new restrictions on foreign-made technology, operators face a difficult question: how can they invest in a platform today without limiting the missions they can perform… Read more: Open Platform Strategy Offers Flexibility as the U.S. Drone Market Shifts: DRONELIFE Exclusive Interview

The two appointments deepen Wing’s engineering bench as the residential drone delivery operator prepares to reach 40 million Americans and expand internationally in 2027. New Engineering Leadership Wing appointed two engineering executives to its C-suite. The moves position the company to scale residential drone delivery ahead of a 2027 U.S. and international push. Brandon Jones… Read more: Wing Names New Engineering Leadership

Despite different regulatory frameworks, aviation officials at Commercial UAV Expo pointed to common challenges in risk, data and managing increasingly busy low-altitude airspace. The United States and Europe have taken different paths toward enabling advanced drone operations. As both markets move toward more routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight, however, regulators are confronting… Read more: Beyond Part 108: FAA and EASA See Collaboration as Key to Scaling BVLOS

Native color digital lidar joins TrueView 1 payloads and LP360 software for utility corridor and large-scale infrastructure mapping across the U.S. Ouster (Nasdaq: OUST) and GeoCue announced a strategic partnership on September 1, 2026 from San Francisco. The two companies will integrate Ouster’s Rev8 OS1 Max digital lidar into GeoCue’s TrueView product line. The sensor… Read more: GeoCue Integrates Ouster’s BABA-Compliant Rev8 OS1 Max Lidar Into TrueView Drone Payloads

The new flagship of the MicaSense portfolio captures synchronized multispectral, panchromatic and radiometric thermal data in a single payload for research and defense customers. AgEagle Aerial Systems (NYSE: UAVS), doing business as EagleNXT, unveiled the Altum-PT Pro on September 3, 2026. The launch took place at the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas. The sensor… Read more: EagleNXT Launches Altum-PT Pro Sensor at Commercial UAV Expo

FAA officials at Commercial UAV Expo discussed how regulation, information sharing, airspace modernization and security must work together as advanced aviation scales As the FAA works toward a regulatory framework for routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, the challenge goes beyond determining who can fly and under what conditions. At Commercial UAV… Read more: Scaling Drone Operations Will Require More Than Part 108

At Commercial UAV Expo, Juan Plaza outlined how drones supported rescue, damage assessment and recovery after the June earthquakes, while warning that disaster response requires a plan for coordinating the aircraft overhead. When two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, drones were in the air within minutes. They gave authorities an early view… Read more: Venezuela Earthquakes Show the Power of Drones, and the Challenge of a Crowded Sky

AB 2113 would restrict unauthorized drone flights near large outdoor entertainment venues, but aviation attorneys say questions remain over state authority. By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill The California State Assembly has passed a bill that would prohibit the operation of a drone within 400 feet of an outdoor ticketed entertainment event or amusement park,… Read more: California Passes 400-Foot Drone Restriction for Concerts, Raising FAA Pre-Emption Questions

New 56,000-square-foot Virginia facility launches a planned nationwide UAS manufacturing networ Heven AeroTech has opened a 56,000-square-foot production facility in Winchester, Virginia. The site is the company’s first manufacturing operation on the East Coast. The facility launches a planned national network for producing hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft systems. It also expands Heven AeroTech’s existing manufacturing base… Read more: Heven AeroTech Stands Up Hydrogen Drone Factory in 90 Days

Second-generation SiCore technology pairs higher energy density with a path to volume productio Amprius Technologies has introduced a silicon-anode battery cell designed for long-endurance uncrewed aircraft. The company says its second-generation SiCore cell delivers 500 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) at a 1C continuous discharge rate. The company expects to make the cell commercially available in… Read more: Amprius Targets Longer Drone Flights With New 500 Wh/kg Battery Cell

The integration combines Remote ID detections with telemetry, radar, weather, and other operational dat Dronetag and Airwise Solutions have announced an integration that brings Remote ID data into the Airwise Nexus common operating picture. The companies say the partnership will give operators a more complete view of activity in low-altitude airspace. Dronetag develops Remote ID… Read more: One Airspace View: Dronetag Remote ID Data Joins Airwise Nexus

DARPA Lift Challenge winner achieves a 3.84:1 payload-to-weight ratio with a purpose-built 29-pound aircraft By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A Canadian drone company has won a contest sponsored by a U.S. Department of Defense agency, by almost reaching a milestone that’s been compared to the first human breaking a supposed physical barrier by running… Read more: Avidrone Pushes Heavy-Lift Drone Performance Toward the 4:1 Barrier

After years of competing with limited resources, the Massachusetts high school team takes first place on the national stage By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill The results of a recent drone competition featuring middle and high school students from across the country proved that competitors don’t have to come from wealthy communities to be able… Read more: Brockton Students Beat the Odds to Win National Drone Competition

Amy Wiegand’s new AeroRev Co-Pilot aims to address a familiar challenge in the commercial drone industry: turning aviation skills into sustainable revenue. Earning a Remote Pilot Certificate gives commercial drone operators the credentials they need to get started. It does not tell them what to charge, which customers to pursue, or how to turn a… Read more: The Hard Part May Come After Learning to Fly: Helping Drone Pilots Build a Business

DRONERESPONDERS and the Commercial Drone Alliance sought more time as the FCC considers restrictions covering foreign-produced UAS with thermal imaging, LiDAR, docking stations and other capabilities. The Federal Communications Commission has denied requests to extend the comment period on a proposal that could restrict the continued importation and marketing of certain previously authorized foreign-produced drones… Read more: FCC Keeps September 2 Deadline for Comments on Proposed “Military-Grade” Drone Restrictions

The new dual-battery aircraft holds full control on a single battery if one fails, keeps a one-to-one flight-to-charge ratio on A2Z AirDocks, and stays under the 55-pound (25 kg) commercial ceiling. A2Z Drone Delivery unveiled the Longtail Dual on August 31, 2026 from Torrance, California. The multi-mission drone carries two batteries with true redundancy. It… Read more: A2Z Drone Delivery Launches Longtail Dual for BVLOS Urban Missions

Two same-day announcements from Tokyo position Terra Drone across the ASEAN defense market and peacetime infrastructure protection, extending the company’s defense push from March 2026. Terra Drone Corporation announced two defense-business moves on August 31, 2026. After entering the defense market in March 2026 with a U.S. subsidiary, the two new announcements extend that push into… Read more: Terra Drone Signs DEFTECH for Malaysia Defense Hub and Begins C-UAS System for Critical Infrastructure

Commercial UAV Expo returns September 1–3 as major regulatory changes reshape the U.S. drone market. Here’s what the DRONELIFE team will be watching, plus where to find our friends and partners on the show floor. Commercial UAV Expo returns to Las Vegas September 1–3, bringing more than 3,700 commercial drone professionals and 240-plus exhibitors to… Read more: Headed to Commercial UAV Expo 2026? Keynotes, DRONELIFE, and Friends and Partners to Visit in Las Vegas

By Dronelife Features Editor Jim Magill Tulsa builds a full drone industry ecosystem from the ground up. Tulsa Oklahoma, long identified as a capital of the oil industry, is striving to be rechristened as “The Drone Capital of the World.” The city seemed to be well on its way to securing that title last month… Read more: Tulsa Hopes to Become ‘The Drone Capital of the World’