US Government

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

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Oct 27

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Michael Perry on stage at the launch of the DJI Mavic Air in 2018

DJI

Ex-DJI Executive Warns The FCC Drone Ban Buys American Makers Time, Nothing More

Michael Perry ran DJI's U.S. business for four years. Now building American robots, he says the FCC drone ban buys time and regulation is no moat.

Haye KestelooJul 30

Close-up of the white and red DoorDash delivery drone body

Part 135

DoorDash Just Became An Airline, And The Video Shows A Bigger Drone Than It Will Admit

DoorDash earned FAA Part 135 certification and launched DoorDash Air. The company says aircraft details come later, but its own video already shows the airframe and the propulsion testing.

Haye KestelooJul 29

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking during an interview at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv

Department of Defense

Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Build A “Great Factory” In The U.S. The First One Already Has An Ohio Address

Zelenskyy told Laura Loomer that U.S.-Ukraine drone cooperation will include a factory on American soil, days before he meets Trump. F-Drones already broke ground in Ohio, and the export deal behind the announcement still rests on anonymous sources.

Haye KestelooJul 25

Rendering of Saronic autonomous vessels turning at sea near Port Alpha shipyard coverage

Department of Defense

Saronic Plans $3 Billion Texas Shipyard For Drone Ships

Saronic says it will spend $3 billion to build Port Alpha in Brownsville, a Texas shipyard for autonomous and crewed vessels that could reshape the industrial scale of maritime drone production.

Rafael SuárezJul 25

51 Drones YouTube thumbnail about the FCC's retroactive ban on nine DJI-linked brands

FCC Ban

FCC Opens Comment on Blocking Sales of 9 DJI-Linked Brands, and Russ Says U.S. Buyers Are Running Out of Options

Russ from 51 Drones says he got this one wrong. After arguing that DJI-style drones would keep reaching American buyers through shell companies, he now says the FCC’s latest proposal targeting nine covered UAS brands shows just how far regulators are willing to go, with the Sky Rover X1 and Xtra camera line directly in the crosshairs.

Russ 51 DronesJul 24

Weekly UAS

Drone News: Drone Pilot Faces Charges, Possible Ban on Drone Imports, NPPA Pushes Back on 2209

This week’s Pilot Institute update covers a Colorado drone pilot facing federal charges after grounding wildfire aircraft, a new FCC request for comment that could restrict some military-grade foreign-made drone imports, and the National Press Photographers Association’s warning that the FAA’s Section 2209 rule could create permanent restrictions with no clear way to challenge them.

Greg ReverdiauJul 24

Three Skydio Dock for X10 stations on a rooftop with the Tampa skyline behind them

Blue UAS

Skydio Lands Entire Drone Lineup on Blue UAS Cleared List, and the Grant Money Follows

Skydio's X10, Dock for X10, and R10 join the X10D on the Blue UAS Cleared List, unlocking federal grant eligibility and cementing its DFR lead while rivals stay locked out.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Fikaxo E1 clone drone used as the cover image for the FCC foreign drone sales ban story

DJI

FCC Proposes Sales Ban On Foreign Thermal, LiDAR, And Docking Drones

The FCC extended Covered List exemptions for trusted drones through January 1, 2028, but in the same move proposed cutting off imports and sales of foreign-made thermal, LiDAR, docking, spraying, swarming, defense-integrated, and 55-pound-plus drones. That combination gives approved U.S.-aligned manufacturers more runway while putting public safety, agriculture, and survey fleets on notice.

Haye KestelooJul 22

US Government

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.