News, deep dives, and analysis — every Wildfire story, newest first.
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. We have three stories for you this week. The ACLU releases a major report on drone surveillance and airspace restriction. The House passes the ACERO Act for wildfire drone operations. And a questionable South Carolina bill. So, let’s get to it. ACLU publishes major report on drone surveillance…
When a wildfire tore through Mount Ogi in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, ground crews couldn’t reach it and helicopters stopped flying at dark. That’s when the drones went to work. Blue Innovation Co., Ltd. conducted nighttime aerial imaging flights over the burn area, filling the critical hours between sunset and the next morning’s helicopter operations, as…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 390, the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) Act, by a unanimous vote on February 24, 2026, sending the bipartisan wildfire drone bill to the Senate. Sponsored by Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA-20) and co-led by Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-4), the legislation directs NASA to expand its existing…
As Seneca deploys autonomous firefighting drones to Aspen, Colorado, the industry watches to see if 100-pound suppressant payloads can stop wildfires before human crews arrive. A look at the tech, the $60M backing, and the hard reality of wind constraints in aerial firefighting.
The U.S. Forest Service used a modified Freefly Alta X carrying Drone Amplified’s IGNIS aerial ignition system to conduct prescribed burns at the Wilson Ridge unit in Pisgah National Forest last weekend, treating 290 acres of hazardous fuel in terrain too steep and remote to safely put ground crews into, as they announced on their…
The FAA's 2025 enforcement report details fines up to $36,770 against 18 drone operations and certificate actions against eight pilots — including one emergency revocation near Mar-a-Lago. Here's every case broken down.
Oklahoma has a slow-motion wildfire crisis growing one tree at a time. Drones dropping herbicide pellets tree by tree may be the most cost-effective answer anyone has found yet, as reported by KOSU. The Tree That Is Eating Oklahoma Eastern redcedars are winning. By 1950, they had invaded 1.5 million acres of Oklahoma. By 1985…
Explore how drone jobs are surging across the Mountain West. From autonomous firefighting startups like Seneca to innovative youth training at the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, see how Reno is building the future workforce for the $100B drone industry.
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