Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Founder of DroneXL.co, where he covers all drone-related news, DJI rumors and writes drone reviews, and of EVXL.co, for all electric vehicle news. Haye can be reached at haye @ dronexl.co or @hayekesteloo. Also on LinkedIn, Muck Rack, Instagram and YouTube.
We’re living in a strange paradox: the U.S. is willing to sell China the “brains” that power advanced AI systems (because it pays), while blocking Chinese-made “eyes” like DJI camera drones under the banner of security and human rights. Different agencies, different laws – sure. But if the standard is credible, evidenced risk, it should…
We have been tracking Russia’s hybrid drone campaign across Europe for months, but what happened during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s state visit to Ireland represents a dangerous escalation. Military-grade drones breached Ireland’s no-fly zone and flew directly toward the expected flight path of Zelensky’s aircraft as it approached Dublin Airport on December 1, missing his…
The Air Force Research Lab in Rome, New York just locked in $224.5 million in defense funding, including $5 million specifically for counter-drone detection systems. The timing is hard to ignore: this authorization comes exactly one year after the New Jersey “mystery drone” panic that federal investigators ultimately blamed on misidentified aircraft, planets, and stars.…
An early investor who helped fund DJI when it was struggling to survive is now selling a portfolio of luxury London apartments worth approximately £81 million ($108 million), Bloomberg reports. Lu Di, described as “a friend of Frank Wang’s father,” provided critical early funding when DJI founder Frank Wang was building the company from a…
The New York Times Editorial Board just issued one of the most alarming assessments of American military readiness in recent memory, and drones are at the center of it. In a sweeping editorial series titled “Overmatched,” the newspaper warns that cheap, autonomous drone swarms are reshaping warfare faster than the Pentagon can adapt, and that…
Arizona fire chief warns looming DJI ban will cost lives: "In my opinion, lives are going to be lost because this air capability is going to be taken away."
We’ve been tracking DJI’s fight for a fair security review since Congress passed Section 1709 of the 2025 NDAA last December. Today, with just 13 days remaining until the December 23 deadline, DJI shared with DroneXL what may be its final appeal: two letters sent December 1 to top federal officials, urging them to actually…
Pilot Institute launches survey on how U.S. drone regulations and DJI ban affect operators. Share your feedback before the December 23 DJI deadline.
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