DJI Takes FCC to Court, Apple Sets Drone Light Show Record, and Brinc Teases New Night Drone

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. This week, we have three big stories: DJI is taking the FCC to court, Apple TV just set a massive world record with a drone light show over Los Angeles, and Brinc Drones is teasing a brand new aircraft built for night operations. Let’s get into it.

DJI Files Petition Against FCC in US Court of Appeals

DJI is taking the FCC to court. They filed a petition with the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, challenging the December 22nd decision that blocked new equipment authorization for their products. DJI argues that the FCC never actually proved that they posed a security threat.

In their full statement, DJI points out that the NDAA gave the government a full year to conduct a security audit — and DJI even sent letters requesting that examination. But the audit never happened. Instead, the FCC banned all foreign-made drones with just two days left before the deadline.

So what does this mean for you right now? Honestly, not much changes for current operators. If you have a drone that was FCC-authorized before December 22nd, you can still fly it. That includes essentially every DJI drone released to date — the Air 3S, the Mini 5 Pro, the Mavic 4 series — all still legal to fly. However, any future models DJI releases will remain blocked until the court of appeals makes a decision.

We got a hold of the full petition document that DJI submitted to the court — it’s a public document if you know where to look. One interesting detail: the FCC has invited oppositions and replies to DJI’s motion. Opposition letters can be submitted to the FCC by April 6th, and replies to those oppositions can be submitted by May 9th. It’s still unclear exactly who can submit letters at each stage, but we’ll keep you posted as we learn more. Keep in mind this is the second lawsuit DJI currently has against the federal government, and we’ll be watching this one closely.

Apple TV Sets World Record with 3,000-Drone Light Show Over LA

Apple TV launched a 3,000-drone light show over Los Angeles to promote Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The display reached up to 500 feet above the city and stretched across an area equal to three football fields. The drones recreated massive images of Godzilla, King Kong, and the new villain called Titan X — and they even incorporated fireworks into the show.

According to Apple TV, this sets a world record for the tallest aerial display of a fictional character formed by drones, surpassing a 2024 formation done for Volvo. I can only imagine the amount of approvals that had to come through for a show like this over an area like LA — but the result was pretty impressive.

Brinc Drones Teases Next-Generation Night Operations Drone

Brinc Drones is teasing a brand new aircraft. They’re set to reveal what they’re calling their next-generation drone for first responders on March 24th. The teaser campaign is called “Command the Night,” and from what we can see, the drone appears to be built specifically for low-light law enforcement operations.

Teaser images show a large dome sensor housing, which could indicate a new sensor or a major upgrade to existing thermal or visual systems. Brinc CEO Blake Reznik is calling this their best product ever — and honestly, that’s a bold claim worth paying attention to.

Night operations have always been a weak point for drone-as-first-responder 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 real game-changer for DFR operations. Brinc is growing fast after raising $75 million last year, bringing their valuation to over $400 million. It’ll be very interesting to see if we can get our hands on one of these to test it out.

That’s it for this week’s news. I’m Greg from Pilot Institute — you can also find more of my articles here on DroneXL. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week.