Category - China

EHang firefighting drone passes technical examination

Chinese passenger drone developer EHang announced this week that its manned EHang firefighting drone, the EH216F AAV, has successfully passed a technical examination by China’s National Fire-Fighting...

July 19, 2021

Drone show in China goes horribly wrong: dozens of drones crashed

Drone shows are often touted as an eco-friendly and safe alternative to traditional fireworks. But that safety is only relative, according to a recent drone incident in Shanghai. There, during a drone show...

July 7, 2021

Category - China

DJI Company

China demands companies like DJI to surrender with absolute loyalty

July 20, 2021

4 min read

EHang firefighting drone passes technical examination

July 19, 2021

3 min read

Drone Light Show

Drone show in China goes horribly wrong: dozens of drones crashed

July 7, 2021

3 min read

Drones form scannable QR code over Shanghai skyline

A drone light show with no less than 1,500 drones above the Shanghai skyline in China recently ended in a very special way. The luminous aircraft together formed a gigantic scannable QR code. Anyone who scanned the code...

April 30, 2021

3 min read

Counter Drone Technology

Illegal drone jammers bought on Chinese trading platform

Although the purchase and use of jammers is not allowed in most countries, it appears to be no problem to get illegal drone jammers via Chinese suppliers. This is shown by research by the magazine Engineering &...

March 26, 2021

4 min read

EHang

EHang hints at new air taxi with 240-mile range

The Chinese developer of advanced aerial vehicles (AAVs) EHang has hinted via Twitter about the arrival of a new model air taxi with a much longer flight range than the current two-seater EH216. The new eVTOL is rumored...

March 10, 2021

3 min read

Drones for Good

DJI drones featured in Chinese first responders promo videos

Many DJI drones, including DJI Inspire 2s, Zenmuse Z30s, and DJI CrystalSky displays are featured in these impressive Chinese first responders promotional videos.

February 18, 2021

3 min read

Drone Light Show

Vincent Van Gogh drone light show breaks world record

A drone light show that depicted the life of Vincent Van Gogh broke the Guinness World Record for the longest animation performed by drones. The show counted 600 unmanned aircraft and lasted 26 minutes and 19 seconds.

February 10, 2021

2 min read

Trump orders security risk assessment of Chinese-made drones

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order that requires all U.S. agencies to assess the security risks of drones that are made in China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia that are present in any government drone...

January 19, 2021

4 min read

EHang offers tourist sightseeing flights by drone in China

Want to make a sightseeing flight by passenger drone? Nowadays it is possible in the Chinese city of Henqin. Last week, 36 tourists made a scenic flight in the EHang 216 AAV, an electrically powered multirotor drone...

January 13, 2021

3 min read

Huawei patents new AI drone control system

Chinese technology giant, Huawei patented a new drone control system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to manage unmanned aircraft.

January 6, 2021

2 min read

China Drones

China is a major exporter of armed drones

Since 2011, China has become a major exporter of armed drones, says a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M University.

November 23, 2020

3 min read

EHang

EHang demonstrates synchronous flying air taxis

The Chinese developer of heavy lift drones EHang has put a new video online showing how five electrically powered air taxis perform a flight in a nicely synchronized manner. With the demonstration, the company wants to...

November 18, 2020

4 min read

DJI Agras

As DJI officially announces the Agras T20, it launches the T10 and T30 in China

DJI officially announces the agricultural drone, the Agras T20, while at the same time introducing its new flagship, the Agras T30, and smaller T10 in China, during the DJI Dajing conference in Shenzhen.

November 10, 2020

1 comment

12 min read

EHang

EHang presents cargo drone with a payload of 440 Lbs

Chinese company EHang – known for its electric air taxis – has announced a freight version of the EHang 216 autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV). The EHang 216L heavy-lift multirotor cargo drone is capable of...

October 23, 2020

3 min read

On Thursday, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced the issuance of new guidance that bans the use of agency grants to purchase drones and other unmanned aerial systems from foreign groups deemed threats. Certain foreign-made drones cannot be bought with DOJ grant funds No funds awarded or made available by OJP, through a contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or otherwise, to a state, local, tribal, or territorial government (including via subcontract or subaward, at any tier) may be used to purchase, use, or operate any unmanned aircraft system that is manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity. And the DOJ defines a covered foreign entity as follows: “Covered foreign entity" means any entity that is determined or designated, within the Department of Justice, to be subject to or vulnerable to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government. While issued on Monday, the guidance was only made public on Thursday. The new DOJ policy aims to increase the security of drones by requiring that OJP loan applicants can mitigate any ‘cybersecurity and privacy risks posed by these systems and that the applicant has a plan to address any civil liberties-related complaints that could arise’, according to The Hill. The new DOJ policy does not single out any specific country, but it is not hard to imagine that the guidance applies to Chinese-made drones. The policy refers to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that are “manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity.” It does not specifically mention drones that are made in the United States, but that still contain Chinese-made parts as do all the so-called ‘Blue sUAS’ do. The House-passed 2021 National Defense Authorization Act contains a provision that would ban the federal government from purchasing certain foreign-made drones, including UAS from China, because of national security concerns. Over the last few years, the world’s largest and also Chinese drone maker, DJI has come under increased scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and federal government agencies. DJI has always maintained that they do not share any information with the Chinese government, and that drone users can decide if they want to share any information from their UAS with DJI. The company went as far as to create a Local Data Mode on some of its drones to prevent any information from being shared online. DJI developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior a special ‘Government Edition’ for select DJI drones that provides even more data security. “We take seriously concerns about the use of foreign-made UAS and the potential for related data compromise,” Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said in a statement Thursday, according to The Hill. “It is paramount that funding recipients take effective measures to safeguard sensitive information and the public’s privacy and civil liberties while operating these systems in a safe and secure manner.” The new policy from the Justice Department was released the same week Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt issued separate guidance allowing the department to buy ‘American-made, but still containing Chinese-made parts’ drones, or so-called Blue sUAS, as defined by an initiative of the Department of Defense. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of the Interior temporarily grounded its entire fleet of 810 3DR Solo and DJI drones from use in non-emergency operations because of cybersecurity concerns. “While drones are important to critical Interior missions, the Department needed to ensure the technology used for these operations is such that it would not compromise our national security interests,” Interior Department press secretary Ben Goldey wrote in an email to reporters this week. The data security concerns related to Chinese-made drones are part of a larger effort by the current administration against China and Chinese companies. Previously, Huawei and TikTok have come under intense scrutiny. DJI has pushed back against the allegations and also responded to the new guidance from the Department of the Interior and pointed out that the Blue sUAS are three to five times more expensive than comparable DJI UAS. “The new DOI guidance finally acknowledges that the grounding of its drone fleet was never about national security, but rather thinly-veiled economic protectionism. Five manufacturers were just handed an unfair advantage in the marketplace, as they can build their drones with Chinese parts while other companies cannot. The Blue Drone companies also charge three to five times more than a comparable DJI platform, meaning U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for expensive military-grade drone technology from defense contractors for non-military activity such as prescribed burns, wildlife conservation and geological surveying.” In September, the Alliance for Drone Innovation, which also represents DJI sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees pointing out that banning federal use of drones from certain companies could be “detrimental to the U.S. drone industry.” “Manufacturing a drone simply cannot be done today without parts and knowledge from all over the world, and a country-based ban would hurt the Americans who build drones as well as the Americans who use them for recreation, business, conservation, and even saving lives,” the alliance wrote. - Only approved drones, so-called Blue sUAS are exempt from the PMB approval and reporting procedures, opening the door for the Department of the Interior to rebuild its drone fleet and start using it again for non-emergency missions.

Breaking News

Certain foreign-made drones cannot be bought with DOJ grant funds

On Thursday, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced the issuance of new guidance that bans the use of agency grants to purchase foreign-made drones and other unmanned aerial systems from...

October 9, 2020

6 min read

Breaking News

DJI training at Whampoa Military Academy is not just a weekend team-building event

The four-day DJI training at the historic military academy is not merely a weekend team-building event, as explained by a DJI spokesperson. Nor is it a corporate paintball adventure, as suggested by some of our readers...

September 27, 2020

2 comments

6 min read

Breaking News

DJI military training required for all employees in China to ‘prepare for war’

Ok, here’s the latest. DJI military training is required for all employees in China to ‘prepare for war’ as the world’s largest drone maker is undergoing radical changes in company culture and...

September 24, 2020

12 comments

6 min read

FAA moves slowly on Type Certification of drones

Earlier this year the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a notice on the Federal Register about the type certification of drones. 67 individuals and organizations commented among whom Brendan Schulman from...

September 21, 2020