Drone News Update

• Drone News: DJI Matrice 400, Altitude Angels Detect & Avoid System, & Fire Academy Trainer Courses

  Post Flight in Community 👉 https://bit.ly/premium-drone-communityWelcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. First, DJI unveils the new Matrice 400, Altitude Angel secures a U.S. patent for its ARROW ground-based detect-and-avoid system, and the National Fire Academy is hosting train the trainer courses for local fire officials! Let's get to it.National Fire Academy Program:https://forms.gle/AzEAmvRzydypPdS48First up this week, DJI has pulled the wraps off its latest enterprise drone, the Matrice 400. They're claiming up to 59 minutes of forward flight time and 53 minutes of hovering with an H30T. The M400 can carry a hefty 13.2-pound payload, and and comes with an IP55 rating. It can handle -4 degrees Fahrenheit all the way up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning you should be able to fly it even in Phoenix during the summer! Inside, the Matrice 400 is equipped with LiDAR, mmWave radar, and full-color low-light fisheye sensors. DJI says this setup allows it to navigate challenging environments and detect small obstacles like high-voltage power lines in low-light conditions. The video transmission is also getting a boost with the O4 Enterprise Enhanced system, supporting image transmission up to 24.9 miles. It uses a ten-antenna aircraft design, and there's even a built-in relay module so one M400 can extend the range of another. For payloads, it has four E-Port V2 ports and can support up to seven simultaneous payloads. This includes compatibility with the Zenmuse H30 series, the L2 for LiDAR mapping, and the P1 for photogrammetry. Next up this week, Altitude Angel, a company known for its Unmanned Traffic Management, or UTM, technology, has just secured a U.S. patent for its ARROW system. ARROW is a ground-based detect-and-avoid solution. What that means is it uses a network of ground sensors, like radio frequency detectors and high-resolution cameras, to monitor the airspace. The software then fuses this data to create a real-time picture of what’s flying around. The big advantage here is that it could allow drones to operate safely BVLOS without needing expensive onboard sensors, which could reduce costs by 50%.This isn't just a concept; ARROW powered Project Skyway in the UK, which was a 165-mile drone superhighway. They demonstrated what they call "Separation-as-a-Service," allowing multiple drone operators to share airspace safely. Now, access to this technology isn’t free, and specific costs aren’t public. Based on Altitude Angel’s website FAQs, costs depend on the area and the amount of traffic in that area. Here in the US, I think this would primarily be used by drone delivery companies, rather than others. It’s important that the airspace remains free to access, so we’ll have to keep an eye on this to ensure that local government or land owners don’t attempt to charge for access to public airspace. Last up, the National Fire Academy is hosting a 2 week train the trainer program designed for state, local, and tribal fire service professionals. Now this might not seem like big news to most, but traditionally the train the trainer program is restricted to federal personnel only. This allows program mangers, state fire, and program leads, to learn about teaching wildfire operations, mission planning NIST, Law Enforcement Responses, search and rescue, and more. So if you’re in public safety, be sure to check out the link below to apply for the program! This week on Post Flight we’ll be discussing the White House Executive Orders and Walmart expanding their drone delivery. We’ll see you on Monday for the Live, and Post flight in the Premium community! https://dronexl.co/2025/06/10/dji-matrice-400-enterprise-drone/https://dronexl.co/2025/06/10/altitude-angel-arrow-patent-drone-ops/

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• Drone News: Executive Order Rumors, Ohio Bill to Shoot Drones, Wing Flytrex Partnership, WA Rescue

  Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, We have 4 stories for you: Executive Order rumors for Drones, Ohio bill to allow Shooting drones Down, Wing and FlyTrex partner, and a successful rescue with a drone.First up, you've probably heard some rumors that President Trump is expected to sign executive orders around drones. First step. close your eyes, breath, and relax. With that said, the orders, which may or may not be signed on Friday, would reportedly include updates about Part 108, Section 2209 from the 2016 Reauthorization Act, Section 1709 from the 2024 NDAA, and potentially include a Department of Commerce final ruling. And none of these things are actually a surprise.Part 108 is the reported name for the beyond visual line of sight ruling that we expect to be coming later this year. Not sure what an executive order would do other than telling the FAA to speed things up. That's a good thing.And finally, the one we know the least about, the Department of Commerce final ruling. We’re not entirely sure what this rule will cover, if it will be an NPRM following the ANPRM from a few months ago, if it will cover DJI, or just drones in general, and if it will be a final ruling.As soon as we know more, we’ll be posting shorts, with full videos to come.Next up, this week, we've got some eyebrow-raising news out of Ohio. State Representatives Angie King and Ty Mathews are pushing for a federal 'Defense Against Drones Act of 2025.' Get this: the proposed bill, H.R. 1907, would allow homeowners to legally use a shotgun to disable a drone flying within 200 feet above their property. Yes, 200 feet – that’s roughly two-thirds the height of a cell tower, a very common altitude for us.Why the push? The lawmakers cite growing concerns over privacy, property rights, and public safety. Representative King pointed to incidents in her district where drones reportedly caused alarm, threatened livestock, and raised cybersecurity fears due to foreign-manufactured components. She said, "The growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has led to serious concerns over privacy, property rights, and public safety, particularly when drones operate at low altitudes over residential and agricultural areas." So, this is their proposed fix for those local issues.For drone pilots, this is obviously a HUGE deal. Next up, Wing and Flytrex are teaming up. These two are usually competitors, so seeing them collaborate is a big deal for our drone industry! They're working together to share an automated air traffic and collision avoidance system. Think of it as an Unmanned Traffic Management, or UTM, platform specifically for their drone fleets.This system is designed to let both Wing, which is owned by Alphabet, and Flytrex, an Israel-based startup with a growing U.S. presence, exchange real-time flight plans and navigation data. The goal here is to make sure their drones can operate safely in the same airspace over Dallas without colliding. The technology will automatically adjust flight paths to prevent drones from being in the same spot at the same altitude at the same time. Flytrex has already completed 200,000 deliveries, and Wing is way up there with 450,000, so they both bring a ton of experience to the table.Shout out to Seattle Mountain Rescue, Great use of the drone to save lives! https://dronexl.co/2025/06/03/wing-flytrex-drone-air-traffic-system-dallas/https://dronexl.co/2025/06/03/drones-aid-in-dramatic-mount-si-teen-rescue/https://dronexl.co/2025/05/31/trump-new-orders-ban-chinese-dji-drones/https://dronexl.co/2025/05/28/ohio-lawmakers-drone-defense-act/

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• Drone News: Six Years of Drone News, New NASA Drone, and Some DJI Leaks.

  Watch Post Flight on our Community site 👉 https://bit.ly/premium-drone-communityFirst up this week, today marks 6 years of drone news, uninterrupted! A big thanks to YOU for making this possible! And yes, this is our brand new set for the news update. In the last 6 years, we've gotten over 3,400,000 views on our news update videos and enrolled over 132,000 people in our Part 107 Made Easy course which represents almost 1/3 of all remote pilots, 400,000 students in total, and 750,000 course enrollments. Not to mention our exclusive Pilot Institute Community, with over 80,000 pilots. A big thanks to everyone for making this possible. We've also got many more courses and videos coming soon!Next up this week NASA is pushing the boundaries of exploration with its Dragonfly mission. This isn't your average quadcopter; we're talking about a car-sized rotorcraft designed to fly on Titan, Saturn's largest moon! This ambitious mission is scheduled to launch in 2028 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, with an estimated arrival at Titan in 2034. Dragonfly's primary target is the Selk Crater, a fascinating 50-mile-wide impact site. Scientists believe this crater might have once held a pool of liquid water, potentially for hundreds or even thousands of years, which could have mixed with Titan's rich organic compounds. Now, to be clear, as Zibi Turtle, Dragonfly’s principal investigator, put it, “Dragonfly isn’t a mission to detect life—it’s a mission to investigate the chemistry that came before biology.” So, why does this matter to us drone pilots here on Earth? Well, the technological leaps required for Dragonfly could be HUGE for our drone industry! To operate a complex quadcopter in Titan's extreme environment – with its dense atmosphere, low gravity, and insane cold – NASA must develop breakthroughs in autonomy, navigation, and battery tech. Imagine that tech trickling down to the drones we fly! I’m really excited to see how this mission pushes UAV innovation forward.Next up, According to a report from DroneXL, we might be seeing a DJI Mini 5 Pro, an Avata 3, something called a Neo 2 FPV drone, and even an Osmo Nano. Now, these are strictly RUMORS at this stage, and the report didn't include concrete details or specific leaked specifications, so they are still under wraps. For a Mini 5 Pro, many are hoping DJI could push the envelope further in the sub-250 gram category. Mini 5 rumors include a 1” sensors, LiDAR obstacles avoidance, and O4+. The Mini 5 also hit the FCC database recently.For the Avata 3, building on the success of its predecessors, we'd anticipate upgrades to the camera system for crisper FPV footage. We might also see DJI's O4+ transmission for better range and stability, and of course, any improvements to flight duration and durability would be fantastic. The 'Neo 2 FPV' is a bit more mysterious – could this be a new specialized FPV offering? And an Osmo Nano sounds intriguing, possibly a super compact gimbal for on-the-go stabilization. Again, this is PURE speculation, but if even some of these products materialize with DJI's usual innovation, it could be an exciting lineup for our drone industry. And over on Post flight this week, we’ll talk about more news that didn’t make the cut here including: John Deere Acquiring Sentra Drones, The FAA approving Amazon to deliver Lithium products, and a DJI M600 that was used to film the ongoing Kīlauea.

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• Drone News: Drone News: Drone Rescue, Kyle Nordfors Awarded, Pierce Aerospace and MITRE, & Some DAA Updates

  Watch Post Flight on our Community site 👉 https://bit.ly/premium-drone-communityWelcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you: A swimmer rescued by a fisherman’s drone, Kyle Nordfors awarded at the Global Search and Rescue Excellence Awards, and Pierce Aerospace partners with MITRE for remote ID research.And first up this week, a real-world drones-for-good story that really shows you the versatility of these machines! Out in Pensacola, Florida, on May 15th, shark fisherman Andrew Smith found himself in a true life-or-death situation. He’d only been at a new fishing spot for about ten minutes when a girl ran up, screaming for help – another girl was drowning, caught in a dangerous rip current. Now, Andrew has a seizure disorder, which meant he couldn't safely swim out to her himself. He saw the girl getting pulled further away, already struggling for about five minutes, and knew time was absolutely critical.Andrew typically uses his drone for fishing, specifically to position bait, because his medical condition makes using kayaks unsafe. He attached a nearby flotation device to his drone. His first attempt, he told CBS12, was incredibly nerve-wracking: “I was shaking pretty badly... I almost cried.” In the stress of the moment, he released the device too early, and it missed. But he didn't give up. A bystander quickly provided a second flotation device. This time, Andrew flew the drone out slowly and deliberately, carefully lowering it to the struggling girl. He saw her reach for it, released the device, and she grabbed on, able to stay afloat! It reportedly took first responders another five minutes to arrive on scene. Local authorities, including police, EMS, and lifeguards, apparently told Andrew that if his second attempt had failed, "she wouldn’t have made it." Andrew, If you’re watching this and you want to learn more about drones, send us an email and we’ll get you signed up for a free course of your choosing. Next up, Captain Kyle Nordfors, who’s a UAS pilot with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office in Utah, snagged the Unsung Hero Award. And let me tell you, what he’s doing with drones in Search and Rescue is nothing short of revolutionary. He’s using drones equipped with thermal imaging and high-resolution cameras to transform searches that used to take hours, or even days, into operations that can be wrapped up in minutes. We're talking about covering vast areas, sometimes several square miles, in really rugged terrain with elevation changes exceeding 5,000 feet! Shout out to our good friend Kyle, keep up the good work! Third, Pierce Aerospace and MITRE have announced they're officially joining forces. They've signed what’s called a memorandum of understanding – basically a formal agreement – to advance UAS and remote identification for more complex missions. This is a pretty big deal because, as you know, Remote ID is a critical piece of the puzzle for integrating drones safely and securely into our national airspace. Without robust Remote ID, moving forward with more advanced operations gets a LOT trickier.https://www.pierceaerospace.net/blogs/news/pierce-aerospace-and-mitre-partner-to-advance-remote-id-research-and-developmenthttps://dronexl.co/2025/05/19/nordfors-global-search-rescue-excellence-awards/https://dronexl.co/2025/05/20/drone-rescue-girl-drowning/

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• Drone News: Mavic 4 Release Date, Drone Used for Good, DJI Mini 5 Leak, Drone Smuggling Into Prison

  Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week.First, DJI teases the Mavic 4 Pro, and we have a release date!Second, a heartwarming story out of Michigan where a thermal drone played a key role in saving a 74-year-old woman.Third, we've got more DJI news with a leaked launch window for the Mini 5 Pro.And finally, a drone reportedly crashed while attempting to smuggle contraband into a South Carolina prison.First up this week, DJI is at it again, officially teasing the upcoming Mavic 4 Pro! They dropped a "Spin Your World" teaser and, in a bit of a surprise move for DJI, actually showed the drone itself in the teaser. This is probably because, let's be honest, the leaks have been coming for months now. The official launch is slated for May 13th, so mark your calendars!Next up, we have a fantastic real-world drones-for-good story coming out of Michigan! A 74-year-old woman who experienced a vehicle fire got lost in the woods without her phone last month. She sought shelter under a tree and endured 27 degrees temperatures, along with rain and winds, less than 450 feet from where her vehicle burned. It’s unclear when searching began, but the woman was located alive, and too frozen to move, 3 days after going missing by a Mason County Sheriff’s thermal drone. Great use of the drone to save a life!And in our third story this week, more news from the DJI rumor mill! It looks like the DJI Mini 5 Pro might be on the horizon, with a potential launch window now pointing towards September 2025. This information comes via trusted X leaker HakaSushi (hah-kah-SOO-shee), who apparently confirmed an earlier rumor from Jasper Ellens at DroneXL. So, while it's still a ways off, the anticipation is definitely building. The Mini series, as you know, has been incredibly popular. This is especially true for those of us who want a capable drone that stays under that 250-gram weight limit, avoiding a lot of registration hassles in many places. Speculation on improvements includes changes to the sensor size, enhanced obstacle avoidance, better wind resistance, or even longer flight times.Let us know in the comments what features YOU'D like to see in a Mini 5 Pro!And finally this week, your “Don’t be that guy” segment. Reports indicate that a drone crashed while allegedly attempting to smuggle contraband, specifically methamphetamines, into a prison in South Carolina. Details about the specific type of drone or the quantity of contraband involved haven't been widely released yet, and the investigation is likely ongoing. Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident. We've covered stories like this before. Correctional facilities around the world are increasingly battling attempts to use drones to deliver drugs, cell phones, weapons, and other illegal items over prison walls. It's a serious security concern, and it highlights the 'cat and mouse' game being played between those trying to exploit the technology for criminal purposes and the authorities working to stop them. Don’t be that guy, and for anyone watching that is thinking about doing this: These facilities have Drone detection systems. They will find you and they will catch you, so just don’t. Alright, that’s all for this week. We have the live Q and A on Monday and in post-flight on Monday in the premium community, so we'll see you then.

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