US Government

Washington and the drone industry: legislation, procurement, security reviews, and agency policy beyond the FAA.

1,521

Articles

149

Beats covered

Reporters on beat

Nov 11

Last updated

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.

Key facts

What this covers: Federal drone policy and spending: FAA rules, defense contracts, FCC certification, and White House and Congressional action
Largest sub-desk: FAA, covering rulemaking, waivers and DFR approvals, followed by the Department of Defense
The current flashpoint: DJI's FCC certification status and the tariffs tied to it, moving fast enough to change week to week

Start here

White House Summons 40 Drone Companies As Tariff Deadline And Beijing Loom — August 20, 2026
Pentagon Commits $1.3 Billion To Drones In Two Days: $500 Million To Shoot Them Down, $820 Million To Build Parts America Doesn't Make — August 2, 2026
FAA Cleared Over 1,000 Agencies for Drone First Responder Flights in 10 Months, and the Full List Is Now Public — August 7, 2026

Last updated November 11, 2026 — the feed below updates with every new story.

White Zipline Platform 2 delivery drone, tail number 126, docked on a charging tower against a blue sky with its delivery pod clipped in beneath it

US Government · Zipline

Katy Approves Zipline Drone Hub, the Only Part Texas Lets It Decide

Katy approved a six-tower Zipline drone hub off I-10 after questions on schools, storms and cameras. Texas law gives cities no say over the flights.

Haye KestelooNov 115 min read

Amazon

Amazon Wants Kids Inside for Drone Drops. Homewood Says It Wasn't Told

Amazon says its Markham, Illinois drone site generally hits its 300-order daily cap and wants kids inside. Homewood says it got no warning.

Haye KestelooNov 11

Amazon

Nampa Wants Amazon's Drone Flight Data. It Holds the Hub's Permit

Nampa has asked Amazon for Prime Air flight data after about 20 to 25 resident calls and emails. In May it said the hub's permit is revocable.

Haye KestelooNov 11

Dark gray DJI Matrice 30 quadcopter flying against a blue sky above snow-covered mountains

DJI

German Military Bans DJI Drones Again After Its 2023 Ban Didn't Stick

The Bundeswehr is pulling DJI and other Chinese drones from its bases, a year after signing for 500 DJI M30Ts despite a 2023 ban.

Haye KestelooNov 11

A black hexacopter with an orange top cover flies against a blue sky during NASA UAS traffic management research flights

FAA

FAA Touts 2.2 Million UTM Drone Flights at AUVSI. Part 108 Still Waits

At AUVSI the FAA cited 2.2 million deconflicted UTM flights and a type certification rethink, but gave no date for the Part 108 BVLOS rule.

Haye KestelooNov 10

Skyways V2 hybrid VTOL drone flying over the sea toward a low sun, with clouds behind it

FAA

FAA Clears First Coast-to-Gulf BVLOS Flight for Skyways and Shell

The FAA cleared Skyways to fly its V2 drone from Shell's Gibson, Louisiana facility to a Gulf platform under a Section 927 waiver, not Part 108.

Haye KestelooNov 10

Gray DJI Mini 5 Pro drone hovering in front of blurred green trees, its camera gimbal facing forward

Drone Software

AutoPylot Maps Nearly 2,000 Local Drone Rules That LAANC Doesn't Cover

AutoPylot's Pilot Reports puts nearly 2,000 local drone rules that LAANC doesn't cover on its flight map, each with its source, and pilots can add more.

Haye KestelooNov 10

Gray flying-wing GJ-11 stealth drone on a runway, seen head-on with its landing gear down and a line of trees behind it

China

China's GJ-11 Stealth Drone Lost Its Target in Cloud, Then Hit It

CCTV footage shows the GJ-11 stealth drone's weapon bays and says it found its first live-fire target only on a second pass through cloud.

Haye KestelooNov 9

Frequently asked questions

Which federal agency generates the most drone news?

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.

How is the FCC involved in drone policy if it isn't an aviation regulator?

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.

Is defense spending on drones covered here or just civilian policy?

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.

US Government

Key facts

Start here

Frequently asked questions

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.