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Oct 16

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A soldier in camouflage stands on a concrete riverbank holding a drone controller as a white quadcopter hovers above tall grass, with an orange buoy barrier in the river behind him.

Department of Homeland Security · FAA

FAA Bans Drones Along Entire US-Mexico Border Until October 2027

Three FAA NOTAMs ban drones within one nautical mile of the US-Mexico border from Monday to October 2027. CBP approves only listed missions.

Haye KestelooOct 164 min read

Soldiers in camouflage stand beside a green military utility vehicle on a dirt road along a tall steel border wall, with a gray quadcopter drone resting on the ground in the foreground.

Department of Homeland Security

CBP Logged 37,000 Border Drone Flights In FY2026, Down From 42,000

CBP counted 37,000 near-border drone flights in FY2026, down from 42,000. Its February data suggests the 42,000 included the Canadian border.

Haye KestelooOct 15

Man pointing at a redacted DHS report ranking the DJI Matrice 4T above competing drones, with the Matrice 4T on the table

Blue sUAS

DHS Tested DJI Against Blue UAS and Hid the Scores. Why Weren't We Told?

A DHS addendum obtained by DroneXL scores the DJI Matrice 4T at 4.6 and the Matrice 30T at 4.3 at Hudson Yards, above the Skydio X10D at 3.7. The public report left those numbers out. I think we're allowed to ask why.

Russ 51 DronesOct 2

Pilot Institute News Update week 385 thumbnail covering Blue UAS report, FAA lawsuit, DJI leak, and Skydio drone

Blue sUAS

DSPA Calls Congress Over Blue UAS Report as 15 States Sue FAA and Skydio Unveils the MegaDock

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. We have four stories for you this week: DSPA asks Congress to look at the DHS Blue UAS report, 15 states sue the FAA over drone delivery, DJI's next enterprise drone leaks in China, and Skydio unveils a fixed-wing drone and a robotic dock.

Greg ReverdiauOct 2

A gray DJI Matrice 4 series drone with a multi-sensor camera payload hovers in front of a glass office facade.

DHS addendum

DHS Left DJI's Scores Out of Its Blue UAS Report. Here They Are

A DHS addendum marked For Official Use Only scores DJI's Matrice 4T at 4.6 and Matrice 30T at 4.3 at Hudson Yards, against 3.7 for the Skydio X10D.

Haye KestelooOct 1

A Weber County Search and Rescue member in a red jacket with white crosses leans over a folding table beside a white van, fitting batteries into a DJI Matrice 30T drone sitting on a stack of black hard cases.

DSPA

DSPA Breaks Charter to Take DHS Blue UAS Report to Congress

DSPA's Vic Moss asks pilots to call Congress over DHS's Blue UAS test: name an agency to test every drone's security, stop banning by country of origin.

Haye KestelooSep 28

A gray Skydio X10D quadcopter hovers in front of the copper Vessel structure and high-rises at Hudson Yards in Manhattan during the DHS complex urban assessment.

DHS report

DHS Lab Grounds 3 of 5 Blue UAS in NYC, Withholds Chinese Drone Scores

DHS lab put Blue UAS before 26 public safety pilots: three of five could not fly Manhattan, links dropped at 50 feet, Chinese drone scores stay private.

Haye KestelooSep 25

A DJI Mavic 4 Pro hovering between pine trees, the kind of drone a service provider would fly under Part 108

BVLOS

TSA Plans Closed-Door Part 108 Security Talks After the Rule Lands

TSA is recruiting hand-picked operators for closed BVLOS security roundtables that run only after the Part 108 final rule publishes. Deadline October 19.

Haye KestelooSep 4

Department of Homeland Security

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