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China

Export controls, the Shenzhen supply chain, and the geopolitics of the world’s drone-manufacturing superpower.

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Croatian Drone Maker Orqa Scales Up for Pentagon Demand
Drone Companies

Croatian Drone Maker Orqa Scales Up for Pentagon Demand

Orqa, a leading drone maker from Croatia, has opened a larger production facility in the city of Osijek, as Defence-Blog reports. The company says the upgraded plant can now build as many as 280,000 NDAA compliant drones every year, a major increase aimed at meeting the rapid rise in Western military demand. The company explains…

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

Chinese Man Sends Flying Swords Into the Sky

When you grow up watching Chinese fantasy shows, you expect flying swords to stay on the screen, not hover past your window like confused mosquitoes with attitude, yet here we are. Fan Shisan, an influencer from Sichuan, has decided gravity is optional and swords should move like flocks of well trained metallic pigeons. Futurism reports…

Taiwan’s Drone Takeover Plan Sparks Big Security Debate
Counter-Drone

Taiwan’s Drone Takeover Plan Sparks Big Security Debate

Taiwan is moving fast to build new systems that can stop small commercial drones from flying near airports, power plants, and other key sites, as SCMP reports. Part of the plan includes takeover technology. This tech can jam a drone, spoof its signals, and even hack it so operators can land it safely. At a…

Chinese Businessman Takes 5% Stake in Sanctioned Russian Drone Maker, Then Russia Deletes the Evidence
China

Chinese Businessman Takes 5% Stake in Sanctioned Russian Drone Maker, Then Russia Deletes the Evidence

A Chinese drone parts supplier has taken an ownership stake in one of Russia’s most important military drone manufacturers, according to a bombshell Financial Times investigation published today. The revelation marks the first documented case of direct Chinese equity investment in a sanctioned Russian defense company. Wang Dinghua, owner of Shenzhen-based drone parts company Minghuaxin,…

Iowa Senate Advances Bill to Expand Drone Restrictions Over Farmland - National Security Takes Flight in China's Drone Laws - Revolutionary DJI Mavic 3 Pro Drone: Triple-Camera Aerial Mastery Unleashed
Skydio

GOP Senators Break With DJI Hawks As December Ban Deadline Looms

Republican infighting over Chinese drone restrictions could determine whether DJI survives in the American market. A Capitol Hill push by GOP China hawks to impose new restrictions on DJI is facing unexpected resistance from Republican senators who warn the company’s drones have become critical tools for U.S. farming and energy firms, according to Politico. The…

$28 Million MQ-9 Reaper Drone Crashes Into Yellow Sea Off South Korea
South Korea

$28 Million MQ-9 Reaper Drone Crashes Into Yellow Sea Off South Korea

A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone plunged into the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s west coast Monday morning, triggering recovery operations in waters where China, North Korea, and South Korea all have strategic interests, according to the New York Times. The crash comes just two months after the Pentagon permanently deployed Reapers to the…

Oregon Exposes the Real Cost of the DJI Ban - No Audit, No Agency, No Due Process: DJI Reveals Why December 23 Ban Will Happen By Default DJI Warns FAA’s Proposed BVLOS Rules Could Ground Most Drones
Skydio

No Audit, No Agency, No Due Process: DJI Reveals Why December 23 Ban Will Happen By Default

DJI published its most comprehensive public statement addressing the looming U.S. market ban, confirming that no federal agency has begun the security audit mandated by Congress—despite the company requesting the review nine months ago. With just 30 days until the December 23, 2025 deadline, DJI’s official blog post reveals a bureaucratic trap: the National Defense…

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