US Government

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

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149

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Reporters on beat

Nov 11

Last updated

A white DJI Mini 3 Pro drone hovering against a clear blue sky above wooded green hills

Counter-Drone

Houston Weighs Counter-Drone Bid as Texas Pot Shrinks to $10.5M

Houston votes Wednesday on a FEMA counter-drone grant bid. Its filing names detection and mitigation gear, and Texas's share fell to $10.5M.

Haye KestelooNov 3

Elizabeth, New Jersey, police DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone with POLICE lettering on its arms, parked on a hard case beside a police SUV

DJI

FCC Still Weighing Thermal and Spray Drone Ban, Adam Chan Says

FCC national security counsel Adam Chan says the agency is still weighing a ban on already-authorized foreign thermal, LiDAR and spray drones.

Haye KestelooNov 3

Tan fixed-wing drone with two wing-mounted propellers and a V-tail flying low over a field, with a long green-roofed building and bare trees below

Department of Defense

SOCOM Plans for War Without GPS. KEF Robotics Just Got in Line

KEF Robotics joined SOCOM's free SOF RACER consortium. SOCOM plans for jammed GPS, but neither first call asks for navigation.

Haye KestelooNov 2

Worker in black gloves assembling a drone frame fitted with motors at a factory workbench, with other assemblers working behind him

DEFENSE FUNDING

Neros Says $450M Pentagon Loan Deal Gives Taxpayers An Ownership Stake

OSC offered Neros up to $450 million to build drones and parts in Torrance. Neros says taxpayers get an ownership stake. OSC's release doesn't mention one.

Haye KestelooNov 2

Amazon

Amazon Drones Fly Over Nampa, Idaho. The FAA Index Shows No Idaho File

Amazon Prime Air began MK30 drone deliveries in Nampa, Idaho, on Oct. 30, its 13th US metro. The FAA's public index lists no Idaho document.

Haye KestelooNov 2

A Washington National Guard warrant officer in camouflage holds a small gray quadcopter while briefing two police officers and two civilians in a classroom with drone equipment laid out on tables.

Counter-Drone

FEMA Counter-Drone Grants: Local Police Deadlines Land Before Nov 16

FEMA's $250M counter-drone round closes November 16, but Kansas police must file by November 4 and Indiana and Mississippi close November 6.

Haye KestelooNov 2

Rendering of two Starlink satellites above the night side of Earth, each projecting cones of light onto rings of coverage over city lights

FCC Filing

FCC 800 MHz Drone Order Adds a SpaceX Footnote the Draft Lacked

FCC's adopted 800 MHz drone order adds a footnote the draft lacked: SpaceX's bid for the band next door, with drones and Starlink phones told to coexist.

Haye KestelooNov 1

A US Marine in desert camouflage and a boonie hat reaches up with one hand toward a small quadcopter hovering overhead, with green hills and mountains behind

Department of Defense

Pentagon At 'Basically Zero' On Cheap Drones As Russia Builds 7.3M

The Pentagon wants 250,000 cheap drones by end of 2027. Russia builds 7.3 million a year. Bloomberg's tour of Utah's drone plants shows why the gap stays.

Haye KestelooOct 31

US Government

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