News

Czech Manufacturer Becomes First to Secure Military and Civilian Clearance for Medium-Sized UAV Primoco UAV Sets Industry Milestone Primoco UAV SE, based in Prague, has achieved a major breakthrough in the drone industry. The company announced that its One 150 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is now the first in the world to receive both NATO… Read more: Primoco UAV One 150 Achieves Dual NATO and EASA Certifications

New partnership aims to scale production of hydrogen-powered drones and strengthen the U.S. defense supply chain A Strategic Push for U.S. Manufacturing Strength Mach Industries, a defense technology company based in Huntington Beach, California, has announced a new partnership with HevenDrones, a leading developer of hydrogen-powered drones. The companies aim to expand U.S.-based manufacturing of… Read more: Mach Industries and HevenDrones Partner to Boost U.S. Drone Manufacturing

News and Commentary.  U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s recent comments have reignited hopes for long-awaited regulations enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. During a March 14 visit to Amazon’s Prime Air facility in Seattle, Duffy emphasized the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) intent to propose rules expanding drone use for deliveries and other… Read more: FAA Signals Momentum for BVLOS Rulemaking: What It Means for Commercial Drone Applications

SwiftDecoder Software Enhances Accuracy and Efficiency in Supply Chain Management Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) has announced that its SwiftDecoder barcode-decoding software will be integrated into Corvus Robotics’ autonomous inventory drones. This partnership aims to enhance inventory tracking and case counting in warehouses and distribution centers (DCs), improving stock visibility while reducing labor costs. Enhancing Automation in… Read more: Honeywell and Corvus Robotics Partner to Automate Warehouse Inventory Tracking

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has announced significant updates to its Blue UAS List and Framework following a three-day flight demonstration challenge at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms. The event, held in February 2025, marks the first of what is intended to be an annual competitive event to update capabilities on the… Read more: Defense Innovation Unit Expands Blue UAS List with New Platforms and Capabilities

Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based public safety technology leader, has announced a $275 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, elevating its valuation to $7.5 billion. The financing, supported by Greenoaks Capital, Bedrock Capital, and others, follows a year of rapid growth—crossing $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and expanding partnerships with 4,800 law enforcement… Read more: Flock Safety Secures $275M Funding, Accelerates Drone Expansion

Correlator3D streamlines image processing for the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise, enhancing topo-bathy lidar mapping efficiency. by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb SimActive Inc. recently announced that their Correlator3D product was deployed by the US Army Corps of Engineers for corridor mapping. The software is used to process imagery and create… Read more: US Army Corps of Engineers Deploys SimActive’s Correlator3D for Coastal Corridor Mapping

Reusable Radiosonde Technology Aims to Reduce Environmental and Economic Costs Meteomatics, a global weather intelligence company, has announced the launch of the Meteoglider, a reusable alternative to traditional radiosondes carried by weather balloons. The announcement follows the company’s acquisition of R2Home, a firm specializing in reusable radiosonde technology. The Meteoglider provides a sustainable and cost-effective… Read more: Meteomatics Introduces Meteoglider: A Sustainable Alternative to Weather Balloons

60 Minutes Interview on Drone Swarms Over U.S. Military Bases Reveals Critical Security Gaps A recent 60 Minutes report has shed light on a series of alarming drone swarm incidents over sensitive U.S. military installations, raising significant concerns about national security and the country’s ability to detect and respond to such threats. The investigation, which… Read more: Drones in the Dark: The Unseen Threat to America’s Military Might?

Indian AgTech Company Marut Drones Showcases How Drone Technology is Transforming Lives and Breaking Gender Barriers in Agriculture by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb Marut Drones, an Indian developer of agriculture-focused UAVs, recently announced that their partnership with the Indian government to train rural women to use drones had received an important visit from… Read more: Bill Gates Witnesses Drone Revolution in Rural India

President Donald Trump has nominated Bryan Bedford, the longtime CEO of Republic Airways, to serve as the next Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). With over three decades of experience in aviation, Bedford’s nomination has been met with widespread support from industry stakeholders Industry Support AUVSI has published a statement in support of the… Read more: Bryan Bedford Nominated as FAA Administrator: Industry Reacts Positively

As plant diseases continue to threaten global food security, AI-powered drones and advanced machine learning models are revolutionizing early detection methods, offering scalable, efficient, and accurate solutions for modern agriculture.  DRONELIFE is pleased to publish this guest post from Khawla Almazrouei, a Robotics Engineer at Technology Innovation Institute.  DRONELIFE neither accepts nor makes payment for… Read more: AI, Drones, and the Future of Farming: A Game Changer for Plant Disease Detection and Food Security

An American-Made Alternative in the Sub-250g UAV Market Ascent AeroSystems, a leading U.S. manufacturer of coaxial unmanned aerial systems (UAS), has unveiled its latest innovation: HELIUS™. This sub-250g UAV, introduced at VERTICON (formerly HAI Heli-Expo) in Dallas, Texas, aims to set a new standard for durability, affordability, and capability in the lightweight drone market. Designed… Read more: Ascent AeroSystems Introduces HELIUS™: A 249g Coaxial Nano UAV Designed for Durability and Performance

On this episode of the Drone Radio Show: Kaitlyn Albertoli, CEO and co-founder of Buzz Solutions, talks with host Randy Goers about how AI and drones are transforming traditional utility inspections and the challenges of implementing and scaling these technologies. Listen here: Kaitlyn Albertoli is CEO and co-founder of Buzz Solutions. Buzz Solutions leverages AI… Read more: How AI and Drones Are Revolutionizing Utility Inspections: The Drone Radio Show

Company uses deserted town as DFR training site By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A police-operated drone flies along a deserted street in a small town, searching for victims of a tragic incident at a school. The UAV spots a figure lying on the ground, a young boy, and the remote operator relays the information… Read more: Ghost Town: How an Abandoned Mining Town Became a Cutting-Edge Drone Training Ground

Transforming GIS with Cloud-Based Flexibility and AI-Driven Insights The geospatial industry is undergoing a transformation as GIS software integrates cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance data processing, visualization, and analysis. Blue Marble Geographics, a long-standing innovator in the GIS space, has taken significant strides in 2024, introducing two cutting-edge solutions that mark a… Read more: Advancing GIS Software: Blue Marble Geographics Expands Cloud and AI Capabilities

Tests Highlight Potential for Home-Based Healthcare and Emergency Response The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division has announced the successful completion of three drone medical delivery demonstrations. The tests, conducted between August and October 2024, evaluated the potential for drones to transport small packages for healthcare applications. Three companies participated in the trials, carrying… Read more: MassDOT Aeronautics Completes Successful Drone Medical Delivery Demonstrations

Collaboration Expands Domestic Production of UAV Recovery Solutions Fruity Chutes Inc., a global provider of drone parachute recovery systems, has announced a partnership with High Energy Sports, Inc., a company specializing in precision engineering and manufacturing. This collaboration enhances the availability of scalable, U.S.-made parachute solutions for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturers, ensuring reliable recovery… Read more: U.S.-Made Drone Parachute Systems Now Scalable with Fruity Chutes and High Energy Sports Partnership

DRONELIFE is please to publish this op-ed from Tom Walker, CEO of drone services provider DroneUp.  DRONELIFE neither accepts nor makes payment for guest posts. America’s Airspace Crisis—Why We Need a National Drone Strategy NOW By Tom Walker, founder and CEO of DroneUp The U.S. Is Flying Blind Into the Drone Era Let’s cut to… Read more: America Is Flying Blind: Why We Need a National Drone Strategy Now

Percepto, Chevron team on autonomous drone inspections By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill Israel-based Percepto is combining artificial intelligence (AI) and drone technologies to conduct safety inspections across Chevron’s far-flung assets in the western U.S., limiting the need for human-led inspection trips. The two companies recently announced the successful completion of the first six months… Read more: The Inside Story on Chevron’s Autonomous Drone Inspections with Percepto