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.
A jet-powered drone that launches vertically like a rocket, flies over 2,000 miles autonomously without GPS, and lands tail-first on a trailer could reshape air warfare—and it’s built by engineers who perfected SpaceX’s reusable rocket landings. Shield AI unveiled the X-BAT on October 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C., revealing a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL)…
The Department of Homeland Security deployed MQ-9 Predator drones over Los Angeles anti-ICE protests in June 2025, marking the first time since 2020 that military-grade surveillance aircraft have monitored domestic demonstrations on U.S. soil. The deployment represents a significant departure from longstanding government policy against flying such drones over protests due to First Amendment concer
XTI Aerospace closed a $40 million acquisition of Drone Nerds and secured a $25 million strategic investment from Unusual Machines on November 10, 2025, positioning both companies to capitalize on potential Chinese drone restrictions just 43 days before a critical federal deadline. The dual transactions mark a significant consolidation play in the U.S. drone market…
Syracuse lawmakers have once again grounded the city’s controversial drone-as-first-responder program, marking the fourth time in 2025 that city councilors have delayed approval of software needed to launch autonomous police drones that would respond to 911 calls. Councilor Chol Majok withdrew the proposal at a Public Safety Committee meeting on Monday, November 11, nearly one…
The UK’s top aviation regulator has issued a stark warning that British airports will face disruption from organized drone attacks, declaring it “not a question of if, only of when” such drone incidents occur. The warning from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) follows multiple shutdowns at Belgian airports in early November 2025 that stranded…
Soren Monroe-Anderson was just 20 years old when he walked into the Pentagon with his friend Olaf Hichwa, trying to sell drones they’d built in his parents’ garage. A senior Department of Defense official shut them down immediately: “You can’t just waltz into the Pentagon as 21-year-olds and sell weapon systems to the D.O.D.” Two…
Britain is deploying Royal Air Force counter-drone specialists to Belgium after a week of mysterious aircraft sightings shut down major airports and triggered shoot-down authorizations at military bases—but some of the “drones” may have been helicopters and airplanes misidentified by observers. UK Defence Secretary John Healey announced the deployment today following an urgent request from…
Germany is establishing rapid-response counter-drone units and has deployed military specialists to Belgium following a wave of mysterious drone sightings that forced multiple airport closures across Europe, exposing critical gaps in the continent’s airspace security infrastructure. “These anti-drone units are being established right now,” Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, who heads Germany’
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