Washington and the drone industry: legislation, procurement, security reviews, and agency policy beyond the FAA.
US government drone policy coverage tracks the federal agencies actually setting the rules, separately from the state and local coverage found elsewhere on the site, because a Congressional bill and a city drone permit move on entirely different tracks.
The FAA generates the largest volume of coverage, from rulemaking to the 1,000-plus agencies now cleared for Drone as First Responder flights. The FCC has become just as consequential lately through certification, not flight rules: it functions as a chokepoint for any drone sold in the US, which is how DJI models have ended up blocked without a direct FAA ban attached.
Defense spending moves the largest dollar amounts of anything covered here. The Pentagon committed $1.3 billion to drones in two days, split between counter-drone systems and domestic parts manufacturing, and the White House summoned 40 drone companies as a tariff deadline and Beijing loomed, pulling industry directly into a policy meeting usually reserved for agency staff. The Department of Defense desk tracks these contracts as they land.
NASA, the Department of Homeland Security and FCC filings round out the federal picture. Every US government drone story is in the feed below.
Last updated October 27, 2026 — the feed below updates with every new story.
Wing plans to open about seven Walmart drone hubs across St. Louis at once, from 12 stores it has not published. Manchester hears the pitch Nov. 2.
A judge blocked the Pentagon's lobbyist rule for Alibaba, which says it cost it every lobbyist. DJI's filings show two outside firms working for it.
Ullman and Lord Richards want tens of thousands of NATO drones to ease US troop demand. NATO's commander wants cheap drones alongside the high end.
Army Apache crews downed target drones over Germany in Skyfall II, cued by a ground radar. Russia's jet Geran-4 flies faster than an Apache can chase.
The White House Olympics task force hosts a counter-drone forum Nov. 9, a week before states apply for FEMA's next $250M. California gets $18.7M.
US Special Operations Command bought Tekever drones after acceptance testing. Tekever won't name the model, quantity or price. Its record points to one.
An Army official says the Pentagon is artificially inducing drone demand. PDW's CEO wants 12,000 drones a year. No Gauntlet I order reached half.
Unusual Machines closed its Upgrade Energy deal, worth up to $52M, on Oct. 19. Upgrade's store says some packs may use cells from China-based Tenpower.
The FAA, by a wide margin, covering everything from Drone as First Responder waivers to airspace rulemaking. The FCC has become the second-most consequential agency recently through its certification decisions affecting DJI specifically.
Through equipment certification. Any drone sold in the US needs FCC authorization for its radio components, which has made FCC certification labs and their guidance on drone screening a real chokepoint, blocking new DJI models even without a direct FAA flight ban.
Both. The Department of Defense desk covers major contracts and programs, such as the Pentagon committing $1.3 billion to drones in two days, alongside the civilian rulemaking coming out of the FAA and FCC, because the two increasingly move together on China-related restrictions.
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