News, deep dives, and analysis — every Illinois story, newest first.
Cherry Valley Police Department in Illinois used a Skydio X10 with thermal imaging, a spotlight, and a speaker payload to locate and guide three stranded people out of the Kishwaukee River on the night of June 25, 2026. All three were unhurt when the Cherry Valley Fire Protection District took them to safety. The Winnebago…
Ag spray drones have moved from novelty to revenue stream in the U.S. Corn Belt, and the operators flying them have strong opinions about which platforms hold up over a full season. Prairie Farmer recently spoke with three Illinois custom operators about the aircraft and trailers they actually run. Their answers line up around two…
A small startup in Rolla, Missouri is building what may be the nation’s first rural health care drone corridor, and the clock it’s racing isn’t measured in minutes. It’s measured in whether an organ donor’s tissue reaches a matching recipient in time to save a life, as FOX News reported. The Problem No One Talks…
Illinois Rep. Katie Stuart's HB4332 would require sex offenders to register drone ownership with state police, adding drones to existing disclosure requirements under the Sex Offender Registration Act.
Amazon is bringing drone delivery to the Chicago area, and this time it is not a pilot program tucked away in the desert. Amazon plans to launch its Prime Air service from two major fulfillment centers in the south suburbs of Chicago, specifically in Markham and Matteson, later this year, as NBC 5 Chigago reports.…
ULM has partnered with SkySafe, a company known for drone detection and airspace intelligence, installing a cloud based system designed
The idea of using drones as mobile cell towers isn’t new. We’ve covered it in disaster response scenarios, from drones creating temporary mobile networks for mountain rescue crews in Wales to Nokia’s AI-powered drone network for Swiss emergency services. But a fundamental problem has persisted: how do you figure out exactly how many drones to…
The U.S. Navy’s first operational MQ-25A Stingray has completed its first autonomous taxi test, marking a key milestone on the path toward flight operations, as Boeing Defense and Defence Blog confirmed the event on January 30. During the test, air vehicle pilots initiated movement from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System. The aircraft then…
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