US Government

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

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Sep 16

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Army Launches Drone and Robotics Leader Course at Fort Benning

Department of Commerce

US Commerce Department Streamlines Drone Export Controls: A Strategic Push Toward Allied Supply Chains

The policy change is narrow on paper. The implications are not. On January 21, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published an interim final rule that removes licensing requirements for certain commercial UAVs exported to most Wassenaar Arrangement member states and expands the License Exception STA pathway for select MT-controlled drone…

Haye KestelooMar 1

Auterion

Ukrspecsystems Opens UK Drone Factory in Suffolk, Targeting 1,000 Units a Month for Ukrainian Forces

Ukraine’s biggest drone manufacturer just opened a production facility on British soil. Ukrspecsystems, described as Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturer, has converted a building in Mildenhall, Suffolk into an operational drone factory, backed by a £200 million investment. When running at full capacity, it will produce up to 1,000 drones per month for Ukrainian soldiers fighting…

Haye KestelooMar 1

CENTCOM Deploys New LUCAS "Suicide Drone" Force in the Middle East

Department of Defense

LUCAS Attack Drone Sees First Combat in Operation Epic Fury, Turning Iran’s Own Shahed Design Against Tehran

Seven months after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held up a reverse-engineered Iranian drone at a Pentagon event and called it America’s answer to the Shahed-136, that drone flew in combat. In the early hours of February 28, 2026, the U.S. military confirmed the first combat use of the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS)…

Haye KestelooFeb 28

Pentagon Laser Shoots Down CBP Drone Near El Paso

Department of Defense

Pentagon Shoots Down Its Own $30M CBP Drone at the Texas Border and Still Has No Fix for the Coordination Failure That Caused It

A U.S. military high-energy laser destroyed a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) surveillance drone near Fort Hancock, Texas on Thursday, February 26. The reason: CBP never told the Pentagon it was flying one. The military saw an unidentified aircraft in military airspace, identified it as a threat, and fired. Cost to taxpayers: an estimated…

Haye KestelooFeb 28

Ondas Targets Rafael Drone Unit in Israeli Defense Push

Department of Defense

Oppenheimer’s $400 Billion Drone Market Forecast Bets Big on Defense, Names Ondas as Top Pick

I’ve been covering drone industry investment cycles for years, and every few months a new Wall Street note lands with a number big enough to make you do a double take. This one cleared that bar. Oppenheimer just put a $400 billion price tag on the global drone market within a decade, and the thesis…

Haye KestelooFeb 27

DJI

EASA Updates Official List of 66 EU-Approved Drones, With DJI Holding 26 Spots — And the Cx System May Change Soon

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has published its latest official list of drones approved for operation in the EU, covering 66 systems across the Open and Specific categories. The list is a practical reference, not a press release. If you’re buying a drone for commercial work in Europe, or advising someone who is, this…

Haye KestelooFeb 27

Texas

US Military Shoots Down CBP’s Own Drone Near Texas Border, Democrats Demand Independent Investigation

The Pentagon fired a high-energy laser at a drone near Fort Hancock, Texas on Thursday — and destroyed it. The problem: it was a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone. CBP had not told the military it was flying one. The Pentagon saw an unidentified aircraft, engaged it, and the FAA responded by shutting…

Haye KestelooFeb 27

Department of Homeland Security

Fortem Lands $18M Army Counter-Drone Deal

The counter drone race just added fresh fuel. Fortem Technologies has secured a three year, $18 million contract with the U.S. Army to deploy its net based DroneHunter interceptors at Army sites worldwide, as TechBuzzNews reports. The award signals something bigger than a procurement line item. It reflects a structural shift in how the Pentagon…

Rafael SuárezFeb 27

US Government

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