US Government

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

1,480

Articles

147

Beats covered

Reporters on beat

Oct 27

Last updated

AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins speaking on stage at XPONENTIAL Detroit in May 2026.

LOBBYING

AUVSI's Robbins Exits For SIA As The Drone Ban He Backed Rolls On

Michael Robbins leaves AUVSI September 30 to run the Semiconductor Industry Association, the industry he spent three years telling drone makers to copy.

Haye KestelooAug 18

Neros Archer Strike FPV drone, the platform behind the company's $250 million Series C

DEFENSE FUNDING

Neros Raises $250M At $2.5B As The Army Bets On A Million Drones

Neros closed a $250 million Series C at a $2.5 billion valuation. It builds 1,200 drones a week and has promised a million a year by 2028.

Haye KestelooAug 18

Red Cat Black Widow drone seen head-on, showing its forward camera payload and folding arms

Interview

Red Cat Has Air Force Black Widows Built as Army Tests AiN

Red Cat's entire $2.49 million Air Force Black Widow order is built and waiting, Divisional CEO Mitch McDonald told DroneXL, as the Army assesses the company's new Palantir-equipped AiN payload on its own factory floor.

Rafael SuárezAug 18

FCC BAN

FCC Drone Ban Comment Window Closes September 2, Putting LiDAR Drones On The Line

The FCC's proposal to pull previously approved foreign drones covers seven capability categories, not four, and comments close September 2, not September 3.

Haye KestelooAug 16

DOCKET 26-189

Idaho Quadcopter Says The Drone Noose Keeps Tightening. The FCC Notice Answers One Fear

Idaho Quadcopter says tariffs and FCC rules are pushing hobbyists out. The FCC's own notice answers his biggest fear about the drones he already owns.

Haye KestelooAug 16

Timeline graphic connecting Donald Trump Jr. joining Unusual Machines, the American Drone Dominance executive order, a 2025 Army contract and 2026 tariffs, with a DJI drone and a UMAC stock chart up 287 percent

US Government

I Used To Call The Trump Jr. DJI Theory A Conspiracy. The Tariffs Changed My Mind

New drone tariffs sent Unusual Machines stock to a record high. Donald Trump Jr. sits on its advisory board. Here is the public timeline that changed my mind.

Russ 51 DronesAug 16

A DJI Matrice 4T enterprise drone with its thermal and zoom camera payload, the class of thermal-equipped aircraft that falls into the new 100 percent tariff tier.

US Government

Trump Puts 100% Tariffs On Thermal Drones As His Sons' Drone Stocks Rally

Trump's Section 232 drone tariffs start September 3. Thermal aircraft pay 100%, everything else 25%, and two Trump-linked drone stocks jumped on the news.

Haye KestelooAug 15

Pilot Institute host presenting the week 378 drone news update in a pink and blue lit studio, with headlines for DARPA's Lift Challenge, a drone defibrillator rescue, and the NPRM drone ban

Video

DARPA Hands Out Half Prizes, A Drone Saves A Life In Sweden, And The FCC Weighs Banning Your DJI Drone

In this week's US drone news update, I cover the DARPA Lift Challenge results, a drone-delivered defibrillator that saved a man's life in Sweden, and the FCC proposal that could pull already-approved DJI drones like the Mini 5 Pro and Air 3S off the shelves.

Greg ReverdiauAug 14

US Government

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.