Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, we have three stories for you this week; DJI audited by US-Based Cybersecurity firm OnDefend, a custom FPV drone hits 730 kilometers per hour, and SkyeBrowse rolls out another major product update. Let's get to it. First up this week, DJI released the findings of an independent security assessment conducted by U.S.-based cybersecurity firm OnDefend on May 28, 2026. The assessment evaluated the DJI Air 3S with RC 2 controller and the Matrice 4E with RC Plus...
May 29, 2026•6 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week; Autel fights back against the FCC's Covered List, the Michigan House passes two drone procurement bills while stalling on airspace restrictions, a drones-for-good story where a thermal drone saves a life in freezing temperatures. Let's get to it. And first up this week, Autel Robotics has filed a reply with the FCC, arguing that their addition to the Covered List is based on secret evidence and allegations that were...
May 22, 2026•3 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. First, the FCC extends the firmware waiver for foreign drones, the FAA announces strict No Drone Zones for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and lastly, Pierce Aerospace is building a massive Remote ID network for NASA. Let's get to it. First up this week, we have some interesting news regarding the FCC and foreign-made drones. The FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology just released Public Notice DA 26-454. This notice e...
May 15, 2026•5 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have five stories for you this week; the FAA dropped Section 2209 NPRM, the public comment window is closing on DJI's FCC Covered List challenge, a record-breaking 218 drone incursions over wildfires last year, ACSL is Partnering with Draganfly, and today marks 7 years of uninterrupted drone news! First up this week, the FAA has finally filed its long-overdue Section 2209 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or NPRM. This opens a 60-day comment window that wi...
May 08, 2026•7 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, We have three stories for you this week: DJI reveals that 25 unreleased products are stuck in regulatory limbo, Reliable Robotics raises 160 million dollars for autonomous cargo flights, and Starlight Aerial Productions makes history at Sun N Fun. Let's get to it. First up this week, DJI has filed a sharply worded brief in its Ninth Circuit court fight with the FCC, and they finally put specific numbers on how much the current ban is hurting their pipeline...
May 01, 2026•5 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, we have four stories for you this week: The FAA launches the DETER program, pricing and specs leak for the new DJI Lito 1 and Lito X1, DJI releases the massive FlyCart 200 and T200 heavy-lift drones, and SiFly shares aircraft location on ADS-B Exchange. Let's get to it. And first up this week, the FAA has announced a new drone enforcement program called DETER, which stands for Drone Expedited and Targeted Enforcement Response. This went into effect on Apri...
Apr 24, 2026•7 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, we have three stories for you this week, the Pentagon cites classified intelligence to oppose DJI's FCC petition, the FAA clears the military to use anti-drone lasers in U.S. airspace, and DJI officially teases the new Lito drone launch. Let's get to it. First up this week, the Department of Defense has officially filed a memo with the FCC opposing DJI's petition to be removed from the agency's Covered List. The Pentagon stated that their national security...
Apr 17, 2026•7 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week, a major confirms nobody is replacing DJI in the consumer market, the FCC opens public comments on drone spectrum reforms, and Oregon tells the FCC to build drone test sites in the mountains. First up this week, a major report from The Verge confirms what we have been saying for months: nobody is coming to save the consumer drone market. According to the report, massive defense contracts have absorbed almost every Am...
Apr 10, 2026•5 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, we have three stories for you: the ACLU releases a major report on drone surveillance and airspace restrictions, the House unanimously passes the ACERO Act for wildfire drone operations, and a questionable South Carolina bill . Let's get to it. First up this week, the American Civil Liberties Union has published a major report arguing that U.S. drone policy is locking ordinary people out of the skies. The report is titled "Drones For Them But Not For Us?" ...
Apr 03, 2026•4 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week. The Avata 360 is out, Second, DJI sues Insta360 just days before a major product launch, BRINC launches their new Guardian drone with Starlink integration, And micro-drones finally reach the bottom of the Fukushima nuclear reactor. Let's get to it. First up, the Avata 360 is out! It comes with 8K, 360° imaging, a 1 inch equivalent sensor, and 8K/60FPS in HDR! The Avata 360 also comes with the ability to fly the drone...
Mar 27, 2026•6 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week: the FAA escalates enforcement on the controversial DHS TFR, that same TFR gets its first federal court challenge, and the Forest Service updates their filming rules. Let's get to it. First up this week, the FAA has given some serious teeth to a very controversial NOTAM. Back in January, the FAA issued NOTAM FDC 6/4375. This bans all drones within 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically of any Department of Ho...
Mar 20, 2026•3 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. First, DJI officially confirms the Avata 360 launch date and 8K resolution, Another SkyeBrowse update, and a $5,000 reward is being offered after military drones were stolen. Let’s get to it. According to industry reports, the Avata 360 will feature a brand new replaceable lens system. A dedicated lens kit will reportedly cost around 50 euros and include two replacement lenses and the necessary tools. So, if you scr...
Mar 13, 2026•5 min
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. ...
Mar 06, 2026•7 min
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 actua...
Feb 27, 2026•4 min
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 o...
Feb 20, 2026•6 min
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 ...
Feb 13, 2026•7 min
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....
Jan 30, 2026•8 min
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 Choc...
Jan 23, 2026•5 min
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 supp...
Jan 16, 2026•5 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week; leaked pricing for the upcoming DJI Avata 360, the world record for the fastest drone has been shattered, and public safety is starting the year off with a ton of drones for good stories! Let's get to it. First up thanks to a leaked pricing table from a Chinese retail store, we have what appears to be the final pricing for the DJI Avata 360. And yes, the Avata 360 is already FCC approved. Now for the prices. In Chin...
Jan 13, 2026•5 min
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 ...
Jan 02, 2026•6 min
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, Sen...
Dec 26, 2025•7 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week. First, the 2026 NDAA is set to give local police new counter-drone authority, SkyeBrowse releases its biggest update of the year with, a drones-for-good story out of Washington where a drone delivered a life jacket to a man trapped by a flood, and a man pleads guilty after flying his drone over the MLB All-Star game. Let's get to it. First up, the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, has passed the Ho...
Dec 19, 2025•6 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week, DJI gets FCC approval for a new Avata 360, NASA is testing new drone navigation software in Death Valley for future Mars missions, and Texas clarifies that using drones for fishing is illegal under federal law. Let's get to it. DJI just managed to get another product through the FCC certification process, the rumored Avata 360. The FCC filing shows two model numbers, which usually hints at different bundles or batte...
Dec 12, 2025•5 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week. DJI is ending support for some of its Matrice drones and payloads, an DJI Matrice 30 helps rescue a missing elderly man in Oklahoma, a suspect in Missouri reportedly fired shots at a police drone during a chase, and we'll look at a new super fast FPV drone! Let's get to it. First up, DJI has announced that on January 30, 2026, it will officially end all support for six of its legacy enterprise products. This is part ...
Dec 05, 2025•6 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: some GOP senators are pushing back against a potential DJI ban, UAS Nexus is launching a marketplace to solve the Blue UAS component shortage, Inspired Flight and Ascend Engineering are expanding their partnership to boost software for American-made drones, and an M30T Shoot down in Ohio. Let's get to it. First up, the push to ban DJI in the U.S. is facing some unexpected resistance from within the Republican party. ...
Nov 28, 2025•8 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week: A UK police drone crash injures a child, a drone helps rescue a missing 85-year-old man in Wisconsin, and a viral drone show proposal lights up the Dallas skyline. Let's get to it. First up, a serious incident out of the United Kingdom, where a police drone crashed and injured a child. According to multiple sources, on August 2nd, police in Kent were responding to an alleged assault in Sheerness. An officer deployed...
Nov 21, 2025•4 min
Watch Post Flight on the Community 👉 https://bit.ly/pilot-institute-communityWelcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week: DJI Releases and Rumors. The Syracuse Police drone program is stalled yet again, and a new spray drone made by an American company!
Nov 14, 2025•6 min
Watch Post Flight on Community 👉 https://bit.ly/pilot-institute-communityWelcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: DJI launches the new Zenmuse L3 LiDAR, a Utah drone maker gets an early win in a trade secrets lawsuit, Autel Releases new products, and an experimental drone crash sparks a wildfire in Colorado. Let's get to it. DJI has launched the Zenmuse L3. The L3 boasts a detection range of up to 950 meters, or over 3,100 feet; more than double the 450-me...
Nov 07, 2025•6 min
Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week: the FCC vote, DJI drone and payload leaks, and a California homeowner is facing a massive $300,000 fine based on drone surveillance. Let's get to it. First up, in a 3-0 vote, the FCC granted itself the authority to retroactively ban equipment from companies on its "Covered List." This new rule was driven by Chinese communication equipment issues and it closes two major loopholes. First, it prohibits the authorizatio...
Oct 31, 2025•7 min
