X10, autonomy software, and the American drone maker betting everything on enterprise and defense.
Welcome to your weekly US news update. I have three stories for you this week. The Skydio CEO walks back their no-weapon pledge, which is an interesting one. A Sacramento sheriff uses a DJI Avata 2 to disarm a suspect, which is kind of another crazy story. And then finally, the FBI seizes over 300…
The St Paul Police Department’s new dock-based Drone as First Responder program flew 472 missions in its first four weeks, already passing the 436 patrol-drone flights the department logged in all of 2025. The three rooftop Skydio X10 drones went live on May 30 and now reach calls in under 90 seconds, a number St…
Hayward has approved an expanded Drone as First Responder program for 911 calls, putting eight new drones into a Bay Area policing model that promises faster scene awareness while raising familiar questions about privacy, protests, and how far “reactive” drone use can stretch before it starts looking proactive. Hayward Moves Drones Ahead Of Officers Hayward’s…
A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office pilot flew a consumer FPV drone into a garage, found a barricaded parolee holding a knife, and pulled the blade out of his hand with a magnet before any deputy stepped into the room. The agency calls it a nationwide first. The aircraft that did it is a DJI Avata…
Boynton Beach is getting a police drone first responder program, but not without a fight over the bill. On June 16 the city commission approved an Axon drone package in a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Aimee Kelley the lone no after she questioned the timing of the purchase during early budget talks. The drones will…
The Orlando Police Department activated its automated Drone as First Responder network on June 17, four months after council approved the $6.83 million contract amendment to deploy 11 Skydio drones across nine rooftop docks. The system is now responding live to 911 calls involving life-threatening situations, major property damage, and time-sensitive emergencies. Orlando is the…
The Normal Police Department will add a Flock Drone as First Responder unit to its existing six-drone fleet under a one-year pilot, after the Town of Normal Council approved the $50,000 purchase at its June 15 meeting. The seventh aircraft is the department’s first Flock platform and the first one in the fleet designed for…
Skydio CEO Adam Bry published a long-form article on X on June 8 making a direct case against the trend of building large quadcopters for Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs. His argument is not marketing. It is a physics-driven attack on the entire premise that a bigger drone with a bigger camera is the…
One email with the drone news that matters — DJI, FAA, public safety, and everything in between, straight from the newsroom. No spam, no fluff.
