DJI
Why is DJI Acting Like a Company With Nothing To Lose?
I was about to start writing about the DJI Neo 2 (which, although I still don't have in my hands, with so much info available and so many videos to
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The full firehose — every story on DroneXL, newest first. Breaking news, deep dives, reviews, and the deals ticker archive.
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Police
Raleigh’s Drone Park Rules Expose Nationwide Federal Authority Confusion
Raleigh, North Carolina’s newly published drone park guidelines showcase a problem plaguing municipalities across America: cities can’t seem to figure out where their authority ends and federal airspace control begins. The confusion isn’t just an academic legal debate—it directly impacts every recreational and commercial drone pilot trying to understand which rules actually apply to their…
Brinc
Victorville Becomes First Contract City To Launch BRINC Drone First Responder Program With $832K State-Funded Deal
The City of Victorville is set to become the first contract city with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to implement a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, following a unanimous City Council vote earlier this month that approved an $832,000 three-year contract with BRINC Drones. The initiative positions the Southern California desert city at…
North Carolina
North Carolina’s ‘Drone Audition’ Model Shows How Pentagon Plans To Accelerate Military Innovation Beyond Failed Replicator Program
Based on reporting by Dan Barkin for Business North Carolina A first-of-its-kind drone competition in rural North Carolina is quietly prototyping how America might finally close its innovation gap with Ukraine’s battlefield laboratories—by letting military commanders “audition” new systems at civilian facilities and buy them within months instead of years. Dan Barkin attended and reported…
United States
Pentagon Chief Pitches U.S. Drone Technology to Counter China’s South China Sea Aggression
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Southeast Asian nations to deploy unmanned surveillance technologies in a unified network to counter what he described as China’s escalating aggression in the disputed South China Sea. Speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday, Hegseth urged the bloc to…
Firefighters
Large Remotely Piloted Experimental Aircraft Crash Sparks 83-Acre Colorado Wildfire as Lithium Batteries Intensify Blaze
An experimental remote-controlled aircraft crashed near Calhan, Colorado on October 30, igniting an 83-acre wildfire that forced evacuations and highlighted the growing fire risks posed by lithium battery-powered drones in wildfire-prone regions. The 6-foot wingspan aircraft, operated by a commercial company conducting experimental aircraft testing in eastern El Paso County, crashed around 12:30 P
Anduril
Anduril’s YFQ-44A Autonomous Fighter Drone Completes First Flight, Marking New Era In AI-Powered Air Combat
Anduril Industries successfully flew its YFQ-44A jet-powered combat drone for the first time on October 31, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the U.S. Air Force’s effort to field autonomous “loyal wingman” aircraft that can operate alongside fighter jets. The Los Angeles-based defense tech company and the Air Force confirmed the semi-autonomous flight demonstrates rapid…
Pix4D
DroneDeploy Unveils AI Agents and Ground Robots as Construction Tech Pivots From Aerial to Embodied Intelligence
DroneDeploy rolled out three operational AI agents and revealed plans for autonomous ground robots at its Horizons 2025 user conference in Newport Beach, signaling the reality capture company’s transformation from drone-focused mapping platform to comprehensive construction AI and robotics provider. The announcements position DroneDeploy to compete directly with established construction tech playe
Department of Defense
Pentagon’s DOGE Unit Seizes Control Of Drone Program After Replicator Failures, Targets 30,000-Unit Buy
The Pentagon’s Department of Government Efficiency unit is leading a previously undisclosed effort to overhaul the U.S. military drone program, aiming to acquire at least 30,000 cheap drones in the coming months—a dramatic intervention that positions Red Cat, Skydio, and other American manufacturers for significant contract wins after years of bureaucratic delays, according to a…
Anduril
Peter Thiel-Backed Stark Defence Fails All Four Strikes In Military Trials, Exposing Silicon Valley’s Defense Tech Reality Check
A German defense drone startup valued at $500 million suffered a catastrophic public failure during October 2025 military trials when its AI-powered strike drones missed all targets across four separate attempts, raising serious questions about whether venture capital can replicate battlefield-proven innovation. Stark Defence’s Virtus loitering munitions—marketed as autonomous strike drones capabl
Contraband
Gangs Deploy Super-Drones to UK Prisons — Is Jailbreak 2.0 Here?
Can you imagine high-tech drones buzzing over prison walls, not just smuggling tiny parcels, but lifting actual inmates to freedom? Sounds like
DJI
FCC Grants Itself Authority to Retroactively Ban Drones, DJI Neo 2 and L3 LiDAR Leak, Plus $300K Fireworks Fine
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, Halloween edition, where scary politicians create scary laws. I have three stories for you this week: The FCC votes on new powers, DJI drone and payload leaks, and a California homeowner facing a massive $300,000 fine based on—well, you’ll see—drone stuff. FCC Votes to Grant Itself Retroactive Ban…
DJI
Extreme Condition Flying With The Mini 5 Pro: Waterfalls
Today is another day of pushing the DJI Mini 5 to its physical, mental, and emotional limits. I travel all over Ecuador to get the best landscapes
US Army
101st Airborne Soldiers Build $740 Combat Drone After Telling Leadership ‘I Can Build That’
Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are building disposable combat drones for less than $800 each, dramatically undercutting commercial alternatives that cost up to $11,000 while delivering the same battlefield capabilities. The Attritable Battlefield Enabler, or ABE 1.01, costs just $740 at scale and provides small units with reconnaissance, target acquisition, and the ability to…
DJI
Trump–Xi Truce Pauses BIS ‘50% Affiliates’ Rule — But DJI Still Faces Dec. 23 FCC Deadline
A one-year U.S.–China trade truce announced after President Trump met President Xi in Busan includes a pause of the Commerce/BIS “50% affiliates” rule, tariff trims, and commitments on soybeans, fentanyl precursors, and rare earths. It does not stop the NDAA clock that could put DJI on the FCC Covered List on December 23, 2025 if…
DJI
DJI NEO 2 Hands-On: Chinese Reviewer Shows Omnidirectional Obstacle Avoidance and Dual-Axis Gimbal in Action
Chinese drone specialist Huaiba from “怀爸疯科技” (Huaiba Crazy Tech) has published an extensive hands-on review of the DJI NEO 2, providing the first detailed look at how the upgraded palm-launched drone performs in real-world conditions. His YouTube video demonstrates the NEO 2’s new dual-axis gimbal, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system, and dramatically improved tracking capabilities through…
DJI
DJI Mini 5 Pro DLOG M Color Recovery – Easy Color Grading In The DJI Fly App
Good day folks. Shawn here from Air Photography. If you’re brand new to the DJI Mini 5 Pro drone and want to unlock the benefits of shooting in D-LOG M without spending months learning color grading, I’ve got great news: all the tools you need are built right into the DJI Fly app. In my…
DJI
DJI Neo 2 Launches In Asia With Major Camera And Safety Upgrades As U.S. Availability Remains Uncertain
DJI officially launched the Neo 2 drone in Asia on October 30, 2025, bringing substantial upgrades to its palm-launched platform including a larger 1/2-inch camera sensor, dual-axis gimbal stabilization, and comprehensive obstacle avoidance sensors. The Neo 2 represents DJI’s most capable sub-250-gram drone yet—but American drone pilots face an uncertain path to accessing one. The…
DJI
DJI Urges U.S. Government To Complete Security Review As Retroactive Ban Powers Take Effect
DJI issued its first official statement to DroneXL following the FCC’s unanimous vote earlier this week, warning that the company faces automatic addition to the agency’s Covered List in 55 days—potentially triggering retroactive bans that could affect recently released drones, such as the DJI Mini 5 Pro. The statement from Adam Welsh, Head of Global…
DJI
Drone Detective Bot Tracks DJI-Linked Companies Through Wireless Frequency Fingerprints
Security researcher, Konrad Iturbe has created an automated system that identifies companies selling DJI-based drones under alternative brand names by detecting the unique wireless “fingerprints” embedded in their FCC filings—a technical paper trail that reveals the true origins of drone hardware regardless of corporate branding. Iturbe’s detection methodology, detailed in his October 25, 2025 res
Police
Canada’s First Anti-Drone Prison Task Force Cuts Contraband Drops 50% in Nine Months
A basketball stuffed with tobacco and cellphones. Ceramic knives that slip past metal detectors. Drones equipped with deep-sea fishing release mechanisms. These are just some of the seized contraband items displayed by a groundbreaking joint task force in Kingston, Ontario—Canada’s first dedicated anti-drone smuggling operation targeting correctional facilities. After nine months of coordinated op
DJI
DJI’s $400 Million Problem: Italy Investigates Drone Giant For Squeezing Retailers
A $400 million fine. Raids on retailer locations. Allegations of supply threats against independent dealers. While DJI battles U.S. security reviews, Italy just opened an investigation into the company’s alleged price-fixing scheme—and the evidence was seized from distributor offices last week. Italy’s competition authority has opened an investigation into Chinese drone maker DJI and its…
DJI
DJI NEO 2 DELAYED – China First. Europe Release Date In November
For everyone outside Asia excited to order a DJI Neo 2 tomorrow…. I am sorry, but you won’t be able to. There are a number of reasons why this might be happening, but one of the more prominent explanations is that DJI is changing tactics and is going full “China first” with their marketing. But…
Zipline
1X’s $20,000 NEO Humanoid Robot Launches With A Catch: It Needs Humans To Do Your Chores
California-based 1X Technologies opened pre-orders this week for NEO, the first consumer-ready humanoid robot designed to handle household tasks—but Wall Street Journal testing revealed a surprising reality. The $20,000 robot that promises to fold your laundry and load your dishwasher can’t actually do any of that autonomously yet. Every task requires a remote human operator…
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