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UK orders DragonFire laser to blast drones for just $13 a shot
The United Kingdom has approved a 316 million pound contract for MBDA UK to deliver the DragonFire laser weapon to the Royal Navy, as Defense News reported. This marks a major milestone for European directed energy weapons. The system will…
Reporter Films Shocking Escape From Drone Strike In Donetsk
RFE/RL correspondent Serhiy Horbatenko set out to document a civilian evacuation near Lyman in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. It was supposed to be another day on the front line. Tough, risky, but familiar. Instead, he ended up filming his own near…
FBI Seeks AI-Powered Surveillance Drones With Facial Recognition As Police Departments Rapidly Expand Warrantless Aerial Monitoring
The FBI is actively seeking to equip surveillance drones with artificial intelligence capabilities including facial recognition, license plate readers, and weapon detection systems, according to federal procurement documents published by The Intercept Thursday. The move comes as approximately 1,500 US…
Dutch Military Fires on Drones Over NATO Air Base as European Incursions Escalate
The Dutch military fired weapons at unidentified drones flying over Volkel Air Base on Friday night, marking a significant escalation in Europe’s response to mysterious aircraft incursions over NATO facilities, Reuters reported. Security personnel at the southeastern Netherlands base spotted…
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…
Omaha PD Launch Nebraska’s First DFR Drone Program
As First Alert 6 reports, the Omaha Police Department is taking a big step forward today with the official launch of Nebraska’s first Drones as First Responders program and city leaders are ready to show how drones will help officers…
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,…
Florida’s DJI Drone Ban: A $200 Million Disaster With No Evidence
Florida destroyed $200 million in functional public safety drones citing Chinese espionage threats, provided only $25 million for inferior replacements that catch fire and fall from the sky, and never published the security analysis that was supposed to justify it…
France Races Year-End Deadline For Ukraine Drone Deals As UK And Germany Dominate Funding
French drone manufacturers are scrambling to finalize co-production agreements with Ukraine before 2025 ends, but face stiff competition from Britain and Germany, which have already established direct funding channels and secured battlefield-proven partnerships. The November 17 meeting between Presidents Emmanuel…
Florida Turns Banned Chinese Drones Into Military Target Practice for Counter-Drone Training
More than 500 Chinese-made drones confiscated under Florida’s controversial 2023 ban are getting a second (short) life as target practice for US Special Operations Command, according to Bloomberg News. The quadcopters, originally headed for the incinerator, will instead be shot…
NYPD Drone Flights Surge 3,200% as Watchdog Warns of Unchecked Surveillance
The New York Police Department conducted 6,546 drone flights in the first six months of 2025, representing a 3,200% increase since 2022, according to a new report by civil rights watchdog Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.). The explosive growth raises…
Police Drone Injures Child in Kent Crash, Wisconsin Deputies Save Missing Man with Thermal Drone
Welcome to your weekly US news update from Pilot Institute. We have three important stories this week that show both the risks and benefits of drone operations. A police drone crashed and injured a child. A thermal drone helped rescue…