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News, deep dives, and analysis — every Countries story, newest first.

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234

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14

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Oct 27

Last updated

A commercial drone pilot in a lime high-visibility vest holds a controller with both hands while a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual hovers directly above him against a deep blue sky.

DOCKET 26-189

FCC Drone Deadline Is Tomorrow. Fewer Than 3,000 Comments Are In.

Fewer than 3,000 comments have been filed in PS Docket 26-189 against nearly half a million certificated remote pilots. The window closes September 2.

Haye KestelooSep 1

Greg Reverdiau and Matt Collins seated in white chairs on a blue-lit stage during a fireside chat at Commercial UAV Expo

UAV EXPO

Pilot Institute Warns Of A Drone Hiring Cliff In Two To Three Years

Greg Reverdiau told Commercial UAV Expo the affordable drone that created this industry is disappearing, and aviation already ran this experiment once.

Haye KestelooSep 1

Matt Collins presents a bar chart titled The Gap Is Skills, Not Headcount on stage at the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas.

UAV EXPO SURVEY

FCC Covered List Has 45.8% Of Operators Frozen, Expo Survey Finds

A survey of 885 drone professionals at Commercial UAV Expo found 45.8% in wait-and-see mode on fleet procurement, and only 13.8% actually moving.

Haye KestelooSep 1

AVIDrone Katana unmanned helicopter drone hovering against a clear blue sky, showing its main rotor, long tail boom, tail rotor and four-legged landing gear

Technology

DARPA Doubles Lift Challenge Payload After 5 Of 76 Teams Scored

DARPA brings the Lift Challenge back in summer 2028 with the minimum payload doubled to 220 pounds and the course doubled to 10 nautical miles.

Haye KestelooSep 1

Four panelists seated on stools on a dark stage during the FCC Covered List panel at the Commercial UAV Expo, one speaking into a handheld microphone.

COVERED LIST

FCC Covered List Doesn't Ground Your Drone. Repair Waits Do.

A Commercial UAV Expo panel spent the morning correcting the word ban. What bites operators is parts, repair queues and six to nine week lead times.

Haye KestelooSep 1

Alteon founder Samay Sanghvi seated in front of the company's fixed-wing dynamic-soaring aircraft

India

Alteon Raises $2.5M To Fly A Drone For A Year On Ocean Wind

Bengaluru startup Alteon raised $2.5 million led by Lachy Groom to build a drone that harvests ocean wind shear and stays aloft for over a year.

Haye KestelooSep 1

An XTEND multirotor drone in flight with a multi-sensor payload mounted under the airframe

Department of Defense

XTEND Hits the NYSE Friday Before the Pentagon Scores It

XTEND AI Robotics starts trading on the NYSE as XTND on September 4. The Pentagon has not yet scored the Gauntlet II contest the valuation rests on.

Haye KestelooSep 1

A WB Electronics FlyEye fixed-wing reconnaissance drone suspended above a WB Group trade-show stand, gimbal camera under the nose.

Poland Plant Fire

Poland Probes Sabotage After Fire At Drone Plant Supplying Ukraine

A figure on camera, a fire at 12:23 a.m., and Poland's ABW at the plant that builds drone parts for Kyiv and Warsaw.

Haye KestelooAug 31