First Responders
First Responder Drones: Explore how drones are revolutionizing first responder operations. Stay updated on the latest technology and applications in emergencies.
Congress Wants Counter-Drone Powers at Wildfires, Not Just Stadiums
Three days after the House passed the SAFER SKIES Act authorizing local police to take down drones at stadiums, a bipartisan group of lawmakers quietly introduced the next phase of counter-drone expansion. The Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act (H.R. 6618)…
DJI’s Shell Company Gambit Backfired Spectacularly, and the Entire Drone Industry Paid the Price
I’ve spent months documenting DJI’s network of suspected shell companies, from Skyany to Spatial Hover to Jovistar. What started as investigative journalism became a front-row seat to watching a company outsmart itself into oblivion. Now that the dust has settled…
FCC Chairman Reveals New Drone Exemptions at CES 2026, Outlines Path to “American Drone Dominance”
I just watched the C-SPAN video of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s appearance at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, and while most tech coverage focused on his Wi-Fi and 6 GHz announcements, the drone community should be paying closer attention to…
Las Vegas Police Now Run America’s Largest Drone Program, But Won’t Say What It Costs
I’ve been tracking drone-as-first-responder programs across the country for years, and the numbers Las Vegas Metropolitan Police unveiled this week stop me cold. Ten thousand drone flights in 2025. More than any other law enforcement agency in the United States.…
AAIB’s “Record-Only” Kent Police Drone Crash Investigation Raises Troubling Questions About UK Police Drone Oversight
I’ve spent the morning going through the Air Accident Investigation Branch’s newly released findings on the Kent Police drone crash that injured a child last August, and I’m genuinely troubled by what I’m reading. While the headlines are focused on…
DJI Avata 360 Price Leak Undercuts Insta360 by Nearly Half, Plus World Speed Record Shattered
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. I have three stories for you this week, and this is the first of the year. We have leaked pricing for the upcoming DJI Avata 360, the world record for the fastest drone…
Super Bowl LX: FAA Grounds Drones Hard
Super Bowl Sunday is famous for wings, commercials, and at least one friend explaining formations like they invented football. Super Bowl LX, happening February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, adds one more tradition to the list: aggressively…
Bridgeport Launches Drone as First Responder Program
Bridgeport, Connecticut, has officially joined the growing list of U.S. cities adopting a Drone as First Responder program, marking a major shift in how police, fire, and EMS respond to emergencies, as reported by ABC7 NY. City officials say the…
Pilot Institute Survey: 8,056 Operators Reveal DJI Ban Will Devastate American Drone Industry
I’ve been warning about the consequences of a DJI ban for over a year. Now we have the data to prove it. Pilot Institute surveyed 8,056 drone operators across the United States, and the findings confirm our worst fears: the…
Runaway Retriever vs the Turnpike, Drones Win
Some dogs chase squirrels. Abbie chose the New Jersey Turnpike and somehow turned a bathroom break into a 26 mile endurance run. Thankfully, this story ends with a happy tail wag and not a traffic report by ABC7 NY. An…
Gilbert Tests Various Drones as First Responders
The Town of Gilbert, Arizona is quietly building one of the more serious Drone as First Responder programs in the Southwest, with its Police and Fire departments jointly testing autonomous drone deployments to improve emergency response times, as reported by…
FCC Drone Ban Starts Countdown That Will Affect Every American
I am well aware that many people within the drone community have grown tired of hearing about the Federal Communications Commission’s December 23 action that restricted the import of new foreign-made drones into the United States. But today, I want…