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Wildfire
DHS Creates Permanent Counter-Drone Office: What the $115 Million Announcement Actually Means for Drone Pilots
After months of tracking the administration’s counter-drone buildup, the bureaucratic shoe finally dropped. The Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday the creation of a new Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-UAS, a permanent office that will outlast…
Congress Wants Counter-Drone Powers at Wildfires, Not Just Stadiums
Three days after the House passed the SAFER SKIES Act authorizing local police to take down drones at stadiums, a bipartisan group of lawmakers quietly introduced the next phase of counter-drone expansion. The Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act (H.R. 6618)…
FCC Drone Ban Starts Countdown That Will Affect Every American
I am well aware that many people within the drone community have grown tired of hearing about the Federal Communications Commission’s December 23 action that restricted the import of new foreign-made drones into the United States. But today, I want…
How UC Santa Cruz Is Using Drones to Help Communities Read Air Quality Before It’s Too Late
If you live in a community that gets hammered by wildfire smoke, agricultural drift, or industrial emissions, “check the air quality” can be easy advice to give and hard advice to follow. The closest official monitor might be miles away,…
Drone Rescue, XPrize Wildfire Competition, 4-Hour Flight Record, and FAA Waiver Changes
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. I have four stories for you this week that show just how much is happening in this industry right now, from a life-saving rescue in Kentucky to regulatory changes you need to know…
Drones Race to Beat Wildfires Before They Explode
From a distance, the scene looked almost relaxed. A large black drone rested on grass. A small fire crackled on stacked pallets. Hanging underneath the drone was a red balloon filled with water, looking less like cutting edge technology and…
FCC Bans All Foreign And DJI Drones: America Just Made Itself Weaker, Not Safer
We’ve been tracking the December 23 deadline for months, expecting DJI to land on the FCC’s Covered List through bureaucratic default. What the FCC actually did today goes far beyond anything we predicted. They didn’t just ban DJI. They banned…
How The DJI FlyCart 100 Can Save Countless Lives
The DJI FlyCart 100 has officially made its global debut, and it’s the most well-equipped heavy-lift system drone I’ve ever seen. It also comes jam-packed with extra vision and obstacle avoidance systems to ensure safe passage of whatever precious cargo…
Cal Fire’s Drone Team Rises As A New Force In Emergency Response
Cal Fire’s San Benito Monterey Unit did not plan to become a state leader in drone operations, but a simple act of generosity changed everything, as a local photographer donated two drones back in 2021, and those small aircraft pushed…
DJI Drone Helps Find Missing Elderly Man in the Cold
A DJI drone helped rescue a missing 90-year-old Atoka County man who spent nearly 12 hours lost in freezing temperatures. Wagoner County Emergency Management deployed its team after Oklahoma officials called for help. Ground crews, horses, and even the National…
Why the “Pain” of a DJI Drone Ban Means Lives Lost, Not Just Lost Profits
In a recent Bloomberg Opinion piece, columnist Thomas Black argues that the forced transition from Chinese-made drones to American alternatives is a “necessary pain” required to secure our national supply chain. He frames this transition as a messy spreadsheet calculation,…
Danish Researchers Prove Arctic Drones Can Transform Search and Rescue in Greenland’s Extreme Conditions
Danish and Greenlandic researchers have successfully demonstrated how off-the-shelf drones can revolutionize search and rescue operations in the Arctic’s harshest conditions, completing 32 test flights in Greenland that generated critical data for developing next-generation helicopter-integrated rescue systems. Researchers from the…