US Government

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

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Reporters on beat

Oct 27

Last updated

SiFly Q12 drone with a yellow fuselage and long slender arms against a black backdrop

Industry

SiFly Raises $20M to Build 1,000 US Drones With Chinese Motors

SiFly raised a $20 million Series A to start Q12 production. Its motors still come from China, and its CEO says full reshoring is not physically possible.

Haye KestelooAug 27

Five panelists seated on stage in front of a Commercial UAV Expo backdrop as an audience listens

EVENT

Commercial UAV Expo Opens As FCC And Tariff Deadlines Hit Mid-Show

Commercial UAV Expo runs September 1-3 at Caesars Forum. The FCC import comment window closes on day two and Section 232 tariffs start on day three.

Haye KestelooAug 26

Three B-52H Stratofortress bombers parked in the open on the flight line at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana

Department of Defense

STRATCOM Calls Ukraine's Spiderweb Raid 'Utterly Eye-Opening' as Drones Circle US Nuclear Bases

A STRATCOM official calls Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb 'utterly eye-opening' as the command running America's nuclear triad studies counter-drone defense.

Haye KestelooAug 26

eVTOL

Wisk Builds Hollister Vertiport to Write FAA Rules That Don't Exist Yet

Wisk broke ground on a 100-foot test vertiport at a California airport. The FAA has had no vertiport design circular since 2010.

Haye KestelooAug 26

Ukrainian soldier raising a SHARK fixed-wing reconnaissance drone overhead before launch against a clear blue sky

Delta

US Army Can't Match Ukraine's Delta Drone Software, Secretary Says

Ukraine's Delta software cut its kill chain to minutes. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the Senate the fault for falling behind was his own.

Haye KestelooAug 26

A DJI Mini 5 Pro hovering above a field of goldenrod

State Law

Washington Commercial Drone Fees Jump 10x to $150 After Jet Tax Repeal

Washington will charge commercial drone operators $150 per aircraft a year from January 2027, up from $15, in the bill that repealed its luxury jet tax.

Haye KestelooAug 25

A man stands in a dry mountain valley field beside a large orange-and-black multirotor drone fitted with atmospheric sensors.

Technology

Rainmaker Says Its Drones Made 143M Gallons of Rain. Florida Calls Cloud Seeding a Felony

Western states are spending millions on cloud seeding. The one drone operator in the boom faces two state felony bans and a stalled FAA flare petition.

Haye KestelooAug 24

Hundreds of illuminated drones form glowing purple clusters in the night sky above the treeline of Central Park in New York, with rows of lit launch pads and spectators in the foreground.

FCC BAN

FCC Labels Drone Light Shows Military-Grade While US Operators Fly Korean And Chinese Fleets

The FCC's swarm rule names drone light shows as military-grade. The US industry flies Korean and Chinese hardware. Comments close September 2.

Haye KestelooAug 22

US Government

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