Washington and the drone industry: legislation, procurement, security reviews, and agency policy beyond the FAA.
Civilian drones entered restricted airspace over the Spokane County wildfires at least 26 times in three days, repeatedly grounding helicopters and air tankers while three uncontained fires burned homes below. Two operators have been cited, and the cases have been referred to the FAA.
Sikorsky has completed the initial ground and flight test phase of its Nomad 100 tail-sitting drone for DARPA's EVADE program, sending the 18-foot hybrid-electric aircraft to a government facility for a more demanding multirole test campaign.
USDOT forecasts $9M for FY26 Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants: notice Sept 15, applications due Nov 15, five awards, 50% match. States asked for $50M.
The $820 million Office of Strategic Capital loan funds components for Group 1 and Group 2 military aircraft. Drone Dominance Phase II bars Chinese motors this month, the FCC carve-outs keeping commercial drones authorized expire January 1, 2027, and the startup building American motors for spray drones has an intern.
JIATF-401 awarded CACI a $500 million counter-drone ceiling on Thursday. The Office of Strategic Capital signed an $820 million conditional loan with Performance Drone Works on Friday. Both halves now answer to the same deputy secretary, and neither number is money out the door yet.
Reuters obtained the internal file on Volkswagen's failed V.MO air taxi. No ban touched it and no trade restriction blocked it. VW lost a footrace, and the infrastructure gap behind that loss is the number the US drone industry should be reading.
The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $15 million for tips that disrupt KIPAS, the IRGC Qods Force drone builder the US has sanctioned since 2021. The poster names seven officials. Most wire reports counted six.
DOT chief of staff Pete Meachum says the BVLOS rule was slowed deliberately to avoid technology lock-in. Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo Cliffton warns the uncertainty freezes drone investment. Part 108 is six months past its deadline and under White House review.
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