Drones

Appeals for government transparency over drone reports have led to media statements from John Kirby, National Security Council spokesman, yesterday; a classified briefing for lawmakers on Capitol Hill today; and a public briefing at the Pentagon, also today, from U.S. Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, who serves as Press Secretary for the U.S. Department […]

U.S. Representative Jefferson Van Drew, R-NJ 2nd District, today called for shooting down the drones that have been flying over New Jersey and parts of New York, claiming he has “credible evidence” they are being launched and operated from an Iranian “mothership” off the East Coast. The Pentagon has quickly denied Van Drew’s claims. Deputy […]

A flood of nighttime drone sightings over northern New Jersey has nearly every level of local law enforcement and government concerned and confused, but no one has been able to get satisfactory explanations. NBC News reported that New Jersey State Senator Jon Bramnick today proposed a limited state of emergency banning all drone flights until […]

Ten companies from five European countries have demonstrated a sense and avoid system for large drones they intend to certify in the next few years. The European Detect and Avoid System (EUDAAS) was installed on a Leonardo Falco Xplorer drone and demonstrated at Trapani Birgi Airport and did well enough to advance to the next […]

A Vancouver-based film company and its drone operator were fined $30,000 for unlawfully flying a drone too close to endangered killer whales in 2021. Wildlife production company River Road Films pleaded guilty to the charges and was subsequently fined $25,000 while the drone pilot was fined $5,000. According to DroneDJ, the case marked the first […]

A developer of uncrewed traffic management and operational technologies has demonstrated drone inspection capability with the New York Power Authority (NYPA). ANRA Technologies announced today (Aug. 14) that, using multiple drones to inspect power lines, it has “displayed the advanced features of its [Mission Management] software, including real-time monitoring, tracking of multiple simultaneous drone operations, […]

For the first time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared commercial drone operators in Dallas to fly beyond their operator’s sight. According to the agency, Zipline International and Wing Aviation have received approval to conduct package deliveries—ensuring their drones remain safely separated through the use of new Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) technology. […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today (July 30) it has authorized the first commercial drone flights without visual observers. The green light comes in Dallas-area airspace and goes to Zipline International and Wing Aviation. The two entities may now deliver packages while keeping their unmanned aircraft separated using technology provided by Unmanned Aircraft System […]

The FAA has approved the use of a parachute-equipped drone for use over gatherings of people without waivers. It’s the first such approval for drones and the key is the parachute, which was developed by Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions. In this case the chute is on a DJI M3D or M3TD and can fly over […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Amazon’s Prime Air drone program permission to conduct flights “beyond visual line of sight” (BVLOS), allowing the company to scale its drone delivery operation. To obtain the BVLOS approval, Amazon said it conducted several flight demonstrations showing how its drone used onboard detect-and-avoid technology to navigate away from […]