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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.

1,179
Articles
144
Beats covered
2025
Writing since
Aug 18
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ACUA Ocean's Pioneer uncrewed surface vessel operating at sea
ACUA Ocean

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.

Yitong UAV System TP200 long-endurance drone parked on a runway in Yantai, China
TP200

China's TP200 Drone Flies 24 Hours Fully Loaded

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 Alta X Gen 2 hauling cargo during the Ama Dablam demonstration in Nepal
Freefly

Freefly Flies Ama Dablam After Nepal Blocked Everest Bid

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.

Paws Patrol LV thermal drone donation for animal rescue searches in Las Vegas
Search & Rescue

Paws Patrol LV Gets Two Thermal Drones After Sky Knockdown

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.

NYPD drone view of subway surfers riding atop a moving B train in Brooklyn
Police Drones

NYPD Drone Tracks Subway Surfers, Five Teens Arrested

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.

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8,400+
Articles published
340+
Beats & desks
2020
Covering drones since
100%
Independent