Rafael Suárez

Rafael Suárez

Rafael Suárez is a drone journalist and content creator with more than 20 years behind the lens. He began in film photography in 1998, moved to digital in 2005, and has been flying and filming with drones since 2016. As a commercial videographer he has produced work for premium brands including BMW, Porsche, and MINI, and his documentary work champions a #flysafe mentality across the industry. Based in Quito, Ecuador, he covers drone news, hardware, and the policy and business shaping the industry for DroneXL, and shares reviews and cinematic flight on his YouTube channel. A dad and a lifelong aviation nerd, he's happiest when something is in the air.
Knoxville Weighs Drones For 911 Response

Knoxville Weighs Drones for 911 Response

Knoxville City Council is set to vote Tuesday on a major expansion of drone operations for public safety, one that would allow drones to respond directly to 911 calls before police officers arrive on scene, as WATE reports. The proposal…

Pentagon Moves Toward Counter Drone Marketplace

Pentagon Moves Toward Counter Drone Marketplace

The Pentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has taken an early step toward creating an online marketplace for counter drone technology with its first acquisition under the Replicator 2 effort, as Air and Space Forces reports. The task force, which…

Russia’s Geran-5 Jet Drone Uses Western Electronics

Russia’s Geran-5 Jet Drone Uses Western Electronics

Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency GUR says Russia has deployed a newly identified jet powered attack drone called the Geran-5, a platform that departs sharply from earlier Geran models derived from Iran’s Shahed series, Business Insider reports. Unlike the familiar delta…

Michigan High School Trains Future Drone Pilots

Michigan High School Trains Future Drone Pilots

As commercial drone use expands across industries, Ypsilanti Community High School and Lincoln High School is preparing students to enter the workforce as certified drone pilots and future aviation entrepreneurs, as reported by WEMU. Through a year long Career and Technical…

Arlington Police Expand Drone First Response Program

Arlington Police Expand Drone First Response Program

The Arlington Police Department is increasingly relying on drones as part of its frontline response strategy, sending quadcopters to incidents before officers arrive on scene. These aircraft launch either from patrol controlled deployments or from automated rooftop stations installed at…

Dji Matrice 400 Gains Delivery Mode In New Firmware

DJI Matrice 400 Gains Delivery Mode in New Firmware

DJI has released a new firmware update for the Matrice 400, pushing the industrial drone deeper into logistics, inspection, and precision operations. The new Firmware version v16.01.08.06, released on January 19, 2026, introduces new task modes, sensor improvements, and a…

Windracers Ultra Mk2 Pushes Drone Range To 2,000Km

Windracers Ultra Mk2 Pushes Drone Range To 2,000km

British drone manufacturer Windracers is quietly but confidently stretching the limits of what uncrewed cargo aircraft can do, and this time the numbers are hard to ignore. The company has confirmed that its dual use Ultra Mk2 heavy lift drone…

Eaglenxt Moves Global Hq To Allen, Texas

EagleNXT Moves Global HQ to Allen, Texas

Allen, Texas is about to become a serious node on the U.S. drone map. EagleNXT, formerly AgEagle Aerial Systems, is relocating its global headquarters from Kansas to a 33,000 square foot facility at 505 Century Parkway, with operations scheduled to…

Los Alamos Warns Drone Pilots To Stay Far Away

Los Alamos Warns Drone Pilots to Stay Far Away

Los Alamos National Laboratory is again reminding drone pilots that its airspace is not a suggestion, not a gray area, and not a place where optimism and a fresh battery will save the day. Since 2018, the Laboratory has worked…

Lace Folds A 3D Printed Drone Into A Backpack

Lace folds a 3D printed drone into a backpack

A student led nonprofit is pushing 3D printing far beyond hobby frames, with a foldable 800 mm drone designed to be built almost anywhere, repaired fast, and used for real research work. A foldable research drone built to be printed…

Ukrainian Raybird Makes Combat Debut As Hydrogen Drone

Ukrainian Raybird Makes Combat Debut as Hydrogen Drone

Ukraine has quietly crossed a new line in military drone history. The Raybird reconnaissance UAV, developed by Ukrainian manufacturer Skyeton, has become the world’s first hydrogen electric drone confirmed to fly real combat missions, as UNITED24MEDIA reported. According to Ukrainian…