US Government

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

1,465

Articles

145

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Reporters on beat

Oct 22

Last updated

Kyle Nordfors in a red Weber County Search and Rescue shirt holds a DJI Matrice 30T overhead with one arm against a blue sky, propellers spinning, as a second man watches from behind

Police

DJI Curbs Hit Police Budgets: $10,500 Matrice vs. $21,000 US Rival

One Ocean County, NJ sheriff's drone kit costs $29,428. NPR priced a US-made rival at twice DJI's Matrice 400, and sheriffs want an FCC exemption.

Haye KestelooOct 13

White Wing hybrid delivery drone with yellow wingtips carrying a blue Walmart package box, seen from below against a blue sky

Drone Delivery

Gastonia Tells Residents Why Walmart Drones Will Be Over Their Homes

Walmart finished a drone delivery site at its Gastonia, N.C., Supercenter. Drones will fly about 6 miles out, and the FAA allows 400 a day per hub.

Haye KestelooOct 12

A white DJI Phantom quadcopter hovers above the Hudson River in New York at dusk, with a pink and orange sunset glowing over the distant hills.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

DJI Ends Phantom 4 Pro V2 Repairs Oct. 31 and Tells Owners to Buy New

DJI ends Phantom 4 Pro V2 service October 31 and Agras T16 and T20 service November 2, as the FCC weighs barring the spray drones that replace them.

Haye KestelooOct 12

Amazon Prime Air MK30 delivery drone hovering low over an open green field at sunset

Drone Delivery

DroneXL Adds 20 Drone Delivery Town Guides as Local Votes Pile Up

Twenty new DroneXL resident guides for towns facing drone delivery: who flies, who decides, what towns can still do, and eight dates before Nov. 10.

Haye KestelooOct 11

Zipline

Round Rock Says It Has No Zoning Rule for Zipline's Drone Hub

Zipline's Austin hub sits outside Round Rock city limits. The city says its zoning has no rule for drone hubs and will write one after a second opens.

Haye KestelooOct 11

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a dark suit and purple tie speaking into a handheld microphone on stage, seated in a green chair in front of a row of American flags

FCC Filing

FCC Vote Would Shut Out Chinese Labs That Test 82% of US Devices

The FCC votes October 29 on ending recognition of every mainland China test lab by December 1, 2028. DJI's Osmo Pocket 4P was tested at one of them.

Haye KestelooOct 10

Two climbers in harnesses sit at the very top of a 2,000-foot broadcast tower above flat farmland, photographed from a drone hovering level with them

FAA

FAA Lets Tower Inspection Drones Fly Above LAANC Grids, No Tower Call

FAA Order JO 7200.23E, effective Oct. 31, exempts tower inspections from ATC coordination above the grid, writes rules for Class E airports and more.

Haye KestelooOct 9

A DJI drone silhouetted in flight against a sunset sky with towering clouds

FAA

Dallas Drone Pilot Faces 8 Years. The Runway Charge Carries Just One

Pujan Gajjar, 24, is indicted on four counts over alleged drone flights at Love Field and DFW. By DroneXL's reading, the certificate counts carry the time.

Haye KestelooOct 9

US Government

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