Haye Kesteloo

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.

6,255

Articles

271

Beats covered

2020

Writing since

Aug 23

Latest story

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P dual-lens gimbal camera in white and black on a lit pedestal

DJI

DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Gets A July 30 Global Launch Date, And The US Is Still Not On The Map

DJI confirms the Osmo Pocket 4P worldwide launch for July 30, 2026 at 12:00 GMT. The dual-lens gimbal camera has no US path under the FCC Covered List.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Hands holding a spray drone battery whose female terminal has burned and fused, from Agri Spray Drones' battery maintenance video

Drones for Agriculture

Agri Spray Drones Shows How One Worn Battery Terminal Can Bring Down a Spray Drone

Agri Spray Drones' new maintenance video shows how a worn battery terminal arcs, spreads damage to every charger and drone it touches, and can fuse mid-flight, and the five-minute daily inspection that prevents the crash.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Three Skydio Dock for X10 stations on a rooftop with the Tampa skyline behind them

Blue UAS

Skydio Lands Entire Drone Lineup on Blue UAS Cleared List, and the Grant Money Follows

Skydio's X10, Dock for X10, and R10 join the X10D on the Blue UAS Cleared List, unlocking federal grant eligibility and cementing its DFR lead while rivals stay locked out.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Ukraine

GRU Officer Who Ran Russia's Drone Parts Pipeline Out of Tokyo Flees Japan After Press Exposure

Maksim Filchenkov, the GRU officer sourcing Japanese components for Russian drones and missiles, has fled Japan after a press investigation blew his cover. The pipeline he built stays open.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Fikaxo E1 clone drone used as the cover image for the FCC foreign drone sales ban story

DJI

FCC Proposes Sales Ban On Foreign Thermal, LiDAR, And Docking Drones

The FCC extended Covered List exemptions for trusted drones through January 1, 2028, but in the same move proposed cutting off imports and sales of foreign-made thermal, LiDAR, docking, spraying, swarming, defense-integrated, and 55-pound-plus drones. That combination gives approved U.S.-aligned manufacturers more runway while putting public safety, agriculture, and survey fleets on notice.

Haye KestelooJul 22

Ukraine

EU Launches Drone Alliance With Ukraine, Putting 18 Companies Behind A 2026 Joint Production Target

The European Commission has formally launched the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance, pairing nine EU companies with nine Ukrainian manufacturers behind a joint drone and counter-drone production push targeting the end of 2026. The move turns months of bilateral defense-industrial deals into formal EU policy and puts companies like Quantum Systems and Vyriy on the founding board.

Haye KestelooJul 20

Section 2209

NPPA Tells FAA Its Section 2209 Drone Rule Ignores The Press, And Drone Pilots Already Asked For The Same Fixes

The National Press Photographers Association told the FAA its proposed Section 2209 drone rule would create opaque, potentially permanent no-fly zones with no expiration, no review clock, and no practical protection for newsgathering — the same structural fixes drone pilots already asked for.

Haye KestelooJul 20

Northwestern University's Phantom Twist drone shown spinning in flight as a faint blur

Stealth Drone

Northwestern's Phantom Twist Drone Spins Itself Invisible, And Drone Detection Just Became A Lot More Interesting

Northwestern University says its single-motor Phantom Twist drone is roughly ten times harder to see in flight than a same-size quadcopter, turning persistence of vision into a real-world drone-detection problem.

Haye KestelooJul 19

Haye Kesteloo

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.