News, deep dives, and analysis — every Drone Companies story, newest first.
In this week's US drone news update, I cover the DARPA Lift Challenge results, a drone-delivered defibrillator that saved a man's life in Sweden, and the FCC proposal that could pull already-approved DJI drones like the Mini 5 Pro and Air 3S off the shelves.
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro Creator Combo is selling for $3,500 on Amazon, a $499 cut from list. Deal sites call it a record low. DroneXL's archive says the same combo hit $3,400 in June. And the FCC's pending LiDAR proposal reaches this drone, which matters more than the last $100.
DJI put the Osmo 360 II on sale in China at 3,299 yuan, about $460, with native 8K60 panoramic video, swappable lenses, and 105GB of storage — while its US store answers the launch with a 404 page.
Insta360's X6 arrives August 12, 2026 with dual 1/1.1-inch Sony sensors, 8K50fps and in-camera Dolby Vision at $699.99. DJI answers 23 hours later with the Osmo 360 II, on every storefront except the American one.
I expected a blowout between DJI's Osmo Pocket 4P and the Insta360 Luna Ultra. Instead, the real separation came down to D-Log 2, slow motion in log, two very different remotes — and where you can actually buy one.
BRINC added live wildfire detections and smoke coverage to its LiveOps software at no additional cost, shipping the feature days after an engineer prototyped it. The layers run on NOAA satellite data that the agency itself labels strategic guidance rather than tactical fire intelligence.
Sen. John Kennedy told the FCC's own lawyer the agency scares him. He meant television. Drone pilots staring down Docket 26-189 know the feeling.
Cameras on the Royal Navy's K3 Scout sea drones sent heartbeat signals to a Chinese IP address. Kraken says the units were NDAA-compliant.
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