LEAK
DJI Neo 3 Box Leaks With an RC Mini the FCC Already Approved
A leaked DJI Neo 3 box shows full prop guards and a DJI RC Mini, a controller name that cleared the FCC before the Covered List cutoff.
All Coverage
The full firehose — every story on DroneXL, newest first. Breaking news, deep dives, reviews, and the deals ticker archive.
8,827
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Sep 20
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Amazon
Amazon Moved Omaha Drone Routes for Eagles as Neighbors Complain
Amazon rerouted its Papillion drones 1,000 feet from bald eagle nests. Residents counting 50 flights an hour got the FAA's address instead.
Matternet
Matternet to Fly Repair Parts to Technicians, No Launch Date Set
Matternet will fly replacement parts to AVI-SPL field technicians in congested metro areas. No launch date, no city, and no fleet size were disclosed.
Technology
Electra CEO Keynotes Ohio Air Mobility Forum, EL9 Not Flying Yet
NAAMCE hosts its fifth advanced air mobility forum in Springfield on October 15, with Electra CEO Marc Allen keynoting a day about reaching production.
FAA
Zipline Asks FAA For 220,000 Texas Drone Deliveries A Day
The FAA's draft environmental assessment for Zipline covers Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Amarillo and El Paso. Public comments close October 11.
Drone Delivery
Wing's First Washington Drone Hub Surfaces in a Tacoma Permit
A permit at a Tacoma Walmart is the first public sign of Wing in Washington, a state whose attorney general fought the FAA's delivery shortcut.
Europe
Unifly Now Owns The Auditor And The Consultancy EU Operators Use
EuroUSC-Benelux is now Unifly Compliance. EU law bars a Qualified Entity from selling into the market it audits, and accreditation records are not public.
Iran
Pentagon Counts 30 Reapers Lost in Iran War, No Line to Rebuild
The first official Pentagon accounting of the Iran war lists as many as 30 MQ-9 Reapers destroyed, more than every crewed aircraft loss combined.
Technology
DARPA Runner-Up MTech Missed 4:1 By One Overheating Motor
Luke Maximo Bell's build log for MTech's second-place DARPA Lift Challenge run shows heat, not battery capacity, ended the team's 4:1 attempt in Dayton.
Ukraine
Ukraine's Drones Broke The Diesel Market. Trump Wants Them Stopped.
European gasoil margins hit about $94 over Brent as Ukrainian drones cut Russian refining to a 24-year low. US diesel just passed $6 a gallon.
Police
Police Seize Drone in Luton Airport Zone, Make No Arrest
Bedfordshire Police seized a drone inside Luton Airport's restriction zone during a festival, tracked the pilot home, and issued words of advice.
Legal
Yale Expert: Civilian Drone Builders Risk Losing Legal Protection
Two drone experts warn that civilians who build and move attack drones may forfeit noncombatant status, and the texts deciding it date to 2009.
Counter-Drone
NATO Jets Down a Drone Over Lithuania, Days After Chasing Birds
Italian Typhoons shot down a drone over Lithuania early Tuesday, the first ever downed in Lithuanian airspace. Two days earlier, the alert was birds.
Drone Incidents
UPS Pilot Reported A Drone At 5,000 Feet. It Was A Bird.
A UPS crew told ATC they hit a drone or balloon at 5,000 feet. UPS confirmed a bird. Why drone is now the first word pilots reach for.
Louisiana
Prison Drone Flew $31,000 of Meth Back to Its Launch Site
A Grant Parish deputy found the drone on the ground with the meth still strapped to it. A dying battery had flown it home, and two Texas men are in jail.
Drone Service Providers
The Drone Industry Is at a Crossroads: What Drone Service Providers Should Do Right Now
I sat down with revenue operations specialist Amy Wiegand to talk through the drone market squeeze, the Part 108 question mark, and the decisions drone service providers should be making today.
Drone Delivery
Dexa Takes Its FAA-Certified Drone Airline To TechCrunch Disrupt
Dexa, the Dayton drone delivery operator with a Part 135 certificate, made TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 and pitches at Disrupt in October.
Amazon
Amazon Brought a Drone to a Car Show. Tracy Got No Comment Period
Amazon displayed its MK30 at a Tracy car show before launch. The FAA has published no environmental assessment for the site, and no comment period opened.
Drones for Good
Two Drones Flew a Rope to a Climber on a 10-Inch Ledge at Night
Squamish Search and Rescue flew a floodlight drone and a line-delivery drone to get a roped-out climber off the Stawamus Chief. Here is how it worked.
Drone Delivery
Amazon Made 500 Drone Flights. Now It Wants a Whole UK Town
Amazon asked the CAA to fly Prime Air across all of Darlington after 500 flights, against a permission that already allows 100 deliveries a weekday.
Counter-Drone
NATO Jet Scrambled, Vilnius Airport Closed. It Was a Flock of Birds
A NATO jet scrambled and Vilnius airport shut for 38 minutes over a radar contact that turned out to be birds. Poland made the same call eight days ago.
China
Beijing Bans Owning A Drone, Then Offers To Buy Yours Back
Beijing bans drone possession citywide on November 15, voiding the May registration deal and paying owners subsidies to sell at designated buyback sites.
DJI
DJI SDR Transmission 2 Hits Amsterdam. US Crews Still Can't Buy It
DJI is showing SDR Transmission 2 at IBC in Amsterdam, with pricing due September 17. China pays 1,999 yuan. The FCC Covered List keeps US crews at zero.
Amazon
Amazon Drone Lands Itself Beside a Baton Rouge Road, Two Months In
An Amazon MK30 set itself down on a Florida Boulevard grass strip Friday, props intact, as storms crossed the parish. Amazon has not said why.
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