DEALS
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
Latest story
Sort
Apple TV sets drone record over Los Angeles
Los Angeles

Apple TV sets drone record over Los Angeles

Apple TV turned the night sky over Los Angeles into a floating billboard this week, launching a 3,000 drone light show to promote season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, as TechRadar reports. The 12 minute aerial display reached up to 500 feet above the city and stretched across an area equal to roughly three…

Overhead black-and-white view of a DJI Phantom quadcopter surrounded by folding DJI Mavic drones and other multirotors arranged on a white surface
United States

Army R.E.D. Drone With Arms Wins Innovation Title

At the U.S. Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition, one team showed up with something straight out of a robotics lab fever dream. A drone. With arms. That actually grabs things. And it won. Soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division took first place in the innovation category at the Army’s first Best Drone Warfighter Competition,…

Germany Weighs MQ-28 And Valkyrie Drones For 2029 CCA
Airbus

Germany Weighs MQ-28 And Valkyrie Drones For 2029 CCA

Germany is shopping for a robotic wingman that can fight, strike, think, and still find its way home if the signal goes dark. According to United24 Media, Berlin is evaluating several unmanned aerial vehicles for a future unmanned fighter bomber program. The goal is ambitious: an aircraft capable of air to air combat, ground strikes,…

Orlando to Vote on $6.8M Axon Skydio Drone Plan
Skydio

Orlando to Vote on $6.8M Axon Skydio Drone Plan

The Orlando City Council is set to vote Monday on a $6.83 million expansion of the Orlando Police Department drone program, a move that would formalize a Drone as First Responder system built around Axon’s Skydio aircraft, according to Orlando Weekly. If approved, the city would amend its existing contract with Axon to purchase 11…

Overhead black-and-white view of a DJI Phantom quadcopter surrounded by folding DJI Mavic drones and other multirotors arranged on a white surface
United States

Army Hosts First Best Drone Warfighter Event

The U.S. Army has added a new arena to its culture of elite competitions. This time, the battlefield fits inside a backpack and launches with a whine. From February 17 to 19, soldiers gathered at the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s UAS and Counter UAS Test Range for the inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition, as…

Overhead black-and-white view of a DJI Phantom quadcopter surrounded by folding DJI Mavic drones and other multirotors arranged on a white surface
Department of Defense

Swarm Aero Opens Arkansas UAV Plant

California based startup Swarm Aero has opened an 80,000 square foot Advanced Manufacturing Center at Drake Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas

— The DroneXL Briefing · Free

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.

One email with the drone news that matters — DJI, FAA, public safety, and everything in between, straight from the newsroom. No spam, no fluff.

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