California
California Drones: Get the latest drone news and regulations in California. Learn about drone activities and technology shaping the state.
Pyka Fires Up Hybrid Power on New DropShip Drone
Pyka has hit a key milestone in the development of its new heavy cargo drone. The California company released video showing its first DropShip airframe running its hybrid propulsion system for the first time. The test took place earlier this…
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…
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…
Portland, Maine City Council Rejects Police Drone Program Despite Search-And-Rescue Benefits
Portland, Maine’s City Council voted 4-3 Monday night to reject the police department’s proposal to purchase a $45,000 drone for search-and-rescue operations and accident reconstruction, marking another rare example of sustained citizen resistance to police drone adoption as most U.S.…
Brooklyn Park Approves $4.6M Drone First Responder Program With Skydio After Legislator Killing
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota’s City Council unanimously approved a $4.6 million expansion of its police technology contract to implement a Drone as First Responder program, bringing the department’s total 10-year agreement with Axon Enterprise to $12.4 million. The November 10 vote…
MQ-9 Predator Drones Monitor US Protesters for First Time Since 2020
The Department of Homeland Security deployed MQ-9 Predator drones over Los Angeles anti-ICE protests in June 2025, marking the first time since 2020 that military-grade surveillance aircraft have monitored domestic demonstrations on U.S. soil. The deployment represents a significant departure…
Syracuse Police Drone Program Stalled Again As Lawmakers Withdraw Approval For Fourth Time In 2025
Syracuse lawmakers have once again grounded the city’s controversial drone-as-first-responder program, marking the fourth time in 2025 that city councilors have delayed approval of software needed to launch autonomous police drones that would respond to 911 calls. Councilor Chol Majok…
From Teenage Drone Racers To $121M Defense Contractors: How Two 20-Somethings Are Building America’s FPV War Machine
Soren Monroe-Anderson was just 20 years old when he walked into the Pentagon with his friend Olaf Hichwa, trying to sell drones they’d built in his parents’ garage. A senior Department of Defense official shut them down immediately: “You can’t…
Drone Helps Reunite Lost Dog With Her Owner in Mission Viejo
In Mission Viejo, California, a drone typically used for public safety and inspection work helped bring a missing dog home. The city’s Animal Services department deployed its new DJI drone, equipped with a state-of-the-art thermal imaging camera, to locate and…
DJI Drones Catch Orcas Hunting Great Whites in Mexico
We often use our drones to capture beautiful, peaceful sunsets. Or sunrises. But every now and then, a drone captures something truly raw, a scene that rewrites what we thought we knew about the planet. This is one of those…
Concord PD Expands Drone-as-First-Responder Program with Skydio X10
The Concord Police Department in California is taking a major step toward the future of public safety and Kron4 News investigate about it. Officials have announced an expansion of their Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, which will use advanced…
DJI Drone Helps Firefighters Save Tiny Dog From California Canal
A DJI drone played a key role in saving a small dog fighting for his life in a California canal, proving once again how aerial technology can make a real difference in emergencies. As The Dodo told us, In August,…