Skydio’s Weapons Reversal, a DJI Avata 2 Police Disarm, and the World Cup Drone Crackdown

Welcome to your weekly US news update. I have three stories for you this week. The Skydio CEO walks back their no-weapon pledge, which is an interesting one. A Sacramento sheriff uses a DJI Avata 2 to disarm a suspect, which is kind of another crazy story. And then finally, the FBI seizes over 300 drones so far at the World Cup stadiums. So let’s get to it.

Skydio’s CEO Distances the Company From Its 2020 No-Weapons Principles

First up this week, Skydio CEO Adam Bry recently went on The Verge’s Decoder podcast and made a statement distancing the company from what they published in 2020 — their principles that stated they would not put weapons on their drones. Bry confirmed that the US Army has already run experiments where they’re mounting grenade droppers on Skydio drones, and he argued that drawing ethical red lines is dangerously misguided.

Bry also said that elected leaders are better positioned to make the call about what the systems should be used for, saying that it’s not their place to tell them what they can and can’t do. This is obviously a big switch from the 2020 blog post titled “Skydio Engagement and Responsible Use Principles.” At the time of recording, the blog post is actually still on the website and contains the following statement: that they will not put weapons on their drones and will oppose fully autonomous lethal weapon systems. Their development process is focused on providing full automation, but the position was that lethal weapons should not be fully automated.

I’m going to let you share in the comments what you think about this one.

A Sacramento Sheriff Uses a DJI Avata 2 to Pull a Knife From a Suspect’s Hand

Next up, we have an interesting use of a DJI Avata, and one that arguably could be called an armed drone — maybe related to the previous story. This is in Sacramento County. The sheriff’s office used an Avata 2 to disarm a barricaded suspect who was holding a knife. Instead of sending deputies into a dangerous garage, the pilot attached a powerful magnet to the drone, flew it inside, and it literally pulled the knife right out of the suspect’s hand.

Now, granted, the suspect seemed to be unconscious, but still, I think this is a win nonetheless. It ensures a safe outcome for both the officers and the suspect. And I actually wonder — did they have the magnet already ready, or did they decide at the last minute to kind of rig it? I’m interested in the answer here. But kudos to the team, and to the pilot, for doing that.

The FBI Has Seized More Than 300 Drones at the FIFA World Cup

Last up, the FBI has intercepted more than 300 unauthorized drones so far at the FIFA World Cup 2026 across the United States in just the first 10 days of the tournament. Not a great showing for us as a community here. To give you some exact figures, this included 34 drones at SoFi Stadium in LA, 39 in Dallas, and 42 in Philly.

If you fly inside one of these active World Cup Temporary Flight Restrictions — or TFR for short — you face up to $100,000 in criminal fines, possible prison time, and of course the confiscation of the aircraft. Remember, the stadium ring is actually three nautical miles wide and up to 3,000 feet high on game day. Remember also that a Part 107 certificate or a LAANC authorization means absolutely nothing in this case inside the TFR. It does not give you approval. Make sure you check the TFRs before you go for a flight.

If you’re anywhere near the FIFA World Cup, please just stay grounded. Just don’t fly. The enforcement here is real, and the FBI is not really messing around. And if you have legitimate commercial work in that area, the FAA did create a Department of Homeland Security authorization path, but you have to apply well in advance. tfr.faa.gov is where you’d want to go to find those TFRs. And as always, don’t be that guy.

Until Next Time

The conversation here is going to continue in post-flight, where we talk about these stories uncensored in the premium community — there’s a link in the description. We’ll see you on Monday for the live Q&A. Have a great weekend, and again, don’t be that guy.

You can find more from me on the Pilot Institute YouTube channel, and you can read more of my coverage on my DroneXL author page.