US Government

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

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141

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Reporters on beat

Oct 6

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Air Upstate and RigiTech team members stand behind a red RigiTech Eiger VTOL drone on the tarmac at Griffiss International Airport

Drone Delivery

Upstate Medical Hires FAA Veteran Behind The First BVLOS Approvals

Upstate Medical named Cliff Sweatte director of UAS operations, months after an FAA waiver opened 50 miles of Central New York airspace to its drones.

Haye KestelooSep 18

US soldier in a camouflaged helmet holding a drone controller next to a quadcopter on a Humvee hood

US Army

US Army Axes Drone Battalion Months After Ukrainians Beat Its Troops

Ukrainian drone operators beat US troops at Hohenfels. Now the Army is ending its only drone assault battalion, and an ex-Pentagon official asks why.

Haye KestelooSep 16

Amazon

Amazon Moved Omaha Drone Routes for Eagles as Neighbors Complain

Amazon rerouted its Papillion drones 1,000 feet from bald eagle nests. Residents counting 50 flights an hour got the FAA's address instead.

Haye KestelooSep 15

Matternet

Matternet to Fly Repair Parts to Technicians, No Launch Date Set

Matternet will fly replacement parts to AVI-SPL field technicians in congested metro areas. No launch date, no city, and no fleet size were disclosed.

Haye KestelooSep 15

A Zipline Platform 2 delivery aircraft docked beneath a charging tower at dusk, tail number 124 on its fuselage, with the delivery pod and its fiducial docking targets suspended below and a windsock on the hillside behind.

FAA

Zipline Asks FAA For 220,000 Texas Drone Deliveries A Day

The FAA's draft environmental assessment for Zipline covers Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Amarillo and El Paso. Public comments close October 11.

Haye KestelooSep 15

Wing delivery drone carrying a blue Walmart package in flight against a clear sky

Drone Delivery

Wing's First Washington Drone Hub Surfaces in a Tacoma Permit

A permit at a Tacoma Walmart is the first public sign of Wing in Washington, a state whose attorney general fought the FAA's delivery shortcut.

Haye KestelooSep 15

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft in flight against an overcast sky

Iran

Pentagon Counts 30 Reapers Lost in Iran War, No Line to Rebuild

The first official Pentagon accounting of the Iran war lists as many as 30 MQ-9 Reapers destroyed, more than every crewed aircraft loss combined.

Haye KestelooSep 15

Pilot Institute 90-plus day drone training plan thumbnail with drone graphic

Drone Service Providers

The Drone Industry Is at a Crossroads: What Drone Service Providers Should Do Right Now

I sat down with revenue operations specialist Amy Wiegand to talk through the drone market squeeze, the Part 108 question mark, and the decisions drone service providers should be making today.

Greg ReverdiauSep 14

US Government

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