The defense bill that decides which drones American agencies may fly — Section 1709, the Covered List, and the compliance fight.
DJI has issued its first official response to the FCC’s decision to add foreign-made drones to the Covered List, calling the action “disappointing” and accusing the administration of protectionism rather than legitimate security enforcement. In a statement provided to DroneXL, a DJI spokesperson confirmed that existing DJI products are not affected by yesterday’s FCC action…
We’ve been tracking the December 23 deadline for months, expecting DJI to land on the FCC’s Covered List through bureaucratic default. What the FCC actually did today goes far beyond anything we predicted. They didn’t just ban DJI. They banned all foreign-made drones and critical components. Every single one. And they did it in the…
The Neros Archer is the first fiber-optic FPV drone that is NDAA-compliant, and that’s not the only reason it’s turning heads. The Archer is a newly announced fiber-optic FPV drone from Neros Technologies (US) and Kela Technologies (Israel). A growing percentage of FPV drones used on the frontline are beginning to move in reverse; armies…
We’ve tracked counter-drone legislation for years, but the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) changes everything for every drone pilot in America. The bill passed the House 312-112 on December 10 and awaits final Senate action this week before President Trump’s expected signature. For the first time, it creates a federal framework allowing certain…
We’ve been tracking DJI’s fight for a fair security review since Congress passed Section 1709 of the 2025 NDAA last December. Today, with just 13 days remaining until the December 23 deadline, DJI shared with DroneXL what may be its final appeal: two letters sent December 1 to top federal officials, urging them to actually…
Orqa, a leading drone maker from Croatia, has opened a larger production facility in the city of Osijek, as Defence-Blog reports. The company says the upgraded plant can now build as many as 280,000 NDAA compliant drones every year, a major increase aimed at meeting the rapid rise in Western military demand. The company explains…
Your DJI drone won’t stop flying on December 23. That’s the core message on the DJI Ban from Vic Moss, President of the Drone Service Providers Alliance, in a new fact-check video aimed at combating the fear and misinformation spreading through the drone community. With just 24 days until the critical NDAA deadline, Moss recorded…
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. We have four stories for you this week. A bunch of senators are pushing back against a potential DJI ban. UAS Nexus creates a Blue UAS marketplace. We have Inspired Flight and Ascent Engineering expanding their partnership. And lastly, an M30 drone gets shot down in Ohio. Let’s…
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