
ACUA Ocean's Crewless Boat Flies Its Own Drone
ACUA Ocean and Teledyne FLIR Defense demonstrated a tethered SkyRanger R70 launching autonomously from the Pioneer uncrewed vessel for persistent maritime surveillance.

Rafael Suárez is a drone pilot and commercial videographer with more than 20 years behind the lens, flying and filming with drones since 2016. He wrote for DroneXL on drone news, hardware, and developments shaping the industry. Rafa is based in Quito, Ecuador.

ACUA Ocean and Teledyne FLIR Defense demonstrated a tethered SkyRanger R70 launching autonomously from the Pioneer uncrewed vessel for persistent maritime surveillance.

Ukrainian-born drone maker Skyeton will build Raybird reconnaissance aircraft at a 28,500-square-foot Fayetteville facility, creating 162 jobs with an average annual salary of $70,759.

China's TP200 fixed-wing drone completed its maiden flight with a design target of more than 24 hours of endurance at full load, a 440-pound payload, and a 1,860-mile range.

Freefly's Alta X Gen 2 completed high-altitude cargo flights on Ama Dablam after Nepal denied its Everest test permit, highlighting the regulatory asymmetry with DJI's quickly reinstated FlyCart 100.

A Montana hotel owner donated two thermal drones to Paws Patrol LV after people in a Las Vegas wash knocked the animal rescue group's $7,000 drone out of the sky during a search for an injured dog. The dog remains missing.

An NYPD drone spotted six people riding atop a moving B train in Brooklyn, tracked them from the air, and guided officers to arrest five teenagers. Police also recovered six stolen MTA keys from a 14-year-old suspect.

An Ocean County sheriff's drone dropped a Restube flotation device to a young swimmer caught in a rip current off Surf City after lifeguards had gone home for the day.

An Australian Strategic Policy Institute analysis argues Canberra still lacks rules governing where data from thousands of Chinese-made drones can go and who ultimately controls the software.
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