sUAS News
Podcast highlighting unmanned aviation platforms, subsystems, and applications across the drone and robotics ecosystem.
Wasting the Public Purse: How the CAA Litigates Against the Very Innovators the UK Government Funds
Dr Chris Crockford, a UK‑funded drone researcher, publicly resigns his CAA licences after the Civil Aviation Authority’s Safety and Airspace Regulation Group (SARG) banned him from operating drones over 250 g despite no violations. He alleges the CAA spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on legal defence while litigating against an innovator it previously funded. The dispute highlights a clash between regulatory enforcement and the UK’s Future Flight Challenge‑backed innovation agenda. Crockford warns his patented AI‑drone technologies will now be commercialised abroad, wasting public money.
War Department Announces Vendors Invited to Compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program
The U.S. War Department unveiled the 25 companies invited to Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program, a fast‑track acquisition effort to field low‑cost, one‑way attack drones. The Phase I "Gauntlet" will start on 18 February at Fort Benning, with about $150 million in...
£1.85 Million Competition Launched to Counter Illegal UAS Use Around Prisons and Sensitive Sites
UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has launched a £1.85 million competition to develop low‑collateral counter‑drone technologies for prisons and other sensitive sites. The programme, backed by the Ministry of Justice, Home Office, MOD and other security agencies, offers funding across two challenge...
Advanced Drone Motor: British Designed Propulsion for Demanding UAV Applications
PMW Dynamics has unveiled its Advanced Drone Motor (ADM), a purpose‑engineered propulsion unit aimed at high‑performance UAVs. The motor delivers 2.6 Nm peak torque, 1.1 kW peak power and a compact 90 mm diameter package at 48 V DC. All design, development and manufacturing...
Wingtra Launches Comprehensive Training Programme for WingtraRAY Drone Operators
Wingtra has launched a comprehensive training programme for WingtraRAY drone operators, covering the full workflow from equipment setup through flight planning with WingtraPRO to post‑flight data processing using WingtraUNLIMITED. The curriculum emphasizes safety protocols, repeatable accuracy, and user experience, and...
Planning a Flight? How to Navigate RAF Shawbury’s Restricted Airspace
RAF Shawbury’s airspace includes a 2‑nautical‑mile Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) and rectangular Runway Protection Zones (RPZs) extending 5 km by 500 m up to 2,000 ft. Operators must obtain permission from Station Operations to fly within these red‑marked areas, using the standard Drone...
Draganfly Selected to Provide Draganfly Flex FPV Drones and Training to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command Units in Partnership...
Draganfly Inc. has secured a contract to supply its Flex FPV drones and comprehensive training to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command units, partnering with DelMar Aerospace. The program will deliver first‑person‑view (FPV) instruction at DelMar’s Camp Pendleton range, with the...
US Navy Selects L3Harris Red Wolf for Precision Attack Strike Munition Program
The U.S. Navy has chosen L3Harris Technologies to develop and produce Red Wolf vehicles for the Marine Corps’ Precision Attack Strike Munition (PASM) program. The decision follows more than 50 test flights, including a low‑altitude launch from an AH‑1Z helicopter, and...
Ondas’ American Robotics Optimus Drone Approved for Rapid Federal Procurement via DCMA Blue UAS Cleared List
Ondas Inc.’s Optimus drone, built by American Robotics, has earned Blue List status from the Defense Contract Management Agency, placing it on the Department of War’s approved UAS directory. The designation confirms compliance with stringent cybersecurity, supply‑chain and operational standards,...
For the First Time Royal Navy Helicopters Have Used Live Data From Multiple Drones to Target a Moving Vehicle
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters successfully used live data from two drones and ground sensors via a mesh network to engage a moving vehicle. The Eagles Eye trials demonstrated a hybrid air wing where crewed aircraft act as airborne command centres,...
Elbit Systems Selects Lowental Hybrid for World’s First True Hybrid UAV Propulsion System
Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems has signed a decade‑long agreement with Lowental Hybrid to equip its tactical UAVs with the company’s Native Parallel Hybrid™ propulsion system. The hybrid solution delivers up to five times longer flight endurance, silent electric operation,...
Prometheon: New Multi-Domain Information Management System Forsecurity-Critical ISR Operations
German firm Aerodata AG has launched Prometheon, a multi‑domain information management system tailored for security‑critical ISR missions. The platform integrates sensor feeds to deliver a real‑time common operational picture across the entire mission lifecycle, from planning through post‑mission analysis. Designed...
Drone-Enabled Bird Management for Australian Horticulture
AERIUM Analytics and Hort Innovation have launched a three‑year, government‑backed project to develop drone‑based bird deterrence for high‑value horticultural crops in Eastern Australia. The initiative will field‑test both fixed‑wing and flapping‑wing drones, aiming to create a practical, scalable solution that...
Sensor Integration Challenges in Multi-Layered Defense Architectures
Multi‑layered defense architectures impose artificial boundaries that fragment the engagement timeline, introduce handoff latency, and force sub‑optimal resource allocation. Heterogeneous sensors—radar, EO/IR, RF, acoustic—have mismatched refresh rates, coordinate systems, and data formats, leading to data‑fusion conflicts, temporal misalignment, and transformation...
Europe’s First Drone Shot Down: A Line Crossed in Civil Airspace
A civilian in Nurmijärvi, Finland deliberately shot down a police‑operated drone during an armed‑suspect response, marking Europe’s first known incident of a drone being targeted in civil airspace. The drone was deployed to enhance officer safety and situational awareness. Police...
U-Space Implementation Handbook: Turning Early Experience Into Guidance
Europe has published the U‑space Implementation Handbook, a comprehensive guide that captures early deployment experience of the continent’s unmanned traffic management framework. Produced by the U‑ELCOME project and co‑funded by CINEA, the handbook consolidates 70 lessons learned, six technical appendices,...
Blue UAS for First Responders
First responders are increasingly adopting small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for search‑and‑rescue, firefighting, and post‑incident analysis. The Department of Defense’s Blue UAS Cleared List now offers a vetted catalog of compliant drones, simplifying acquisition for public‑safety agencies. The SAVER AEL...
Remote Controlled Police Drones Keeping Coventry Safe
Police drones controlled from Birmingham are now operating over Coventry as part of the "Drone as First Responder" initiative, a five‑year national project funded by the Home Office via the NPCC. The drones launch from automated charging stations on a...
Quantum Systems’ Vector Recognized by Ukrainian Armed Forces with “Army of Drones 2025” Award
Quantum Systems’ Vector UAV secured third place in the Army of Drones 2025 ISR competition, a ranking driven by Ukrainian frontline units through the BRAVE1 Marketplace. The award follows the company’s August 2025 entry into the marketplace and reflects direct procurement of...
Optimizing Railway Infrastructure for Mining Using High-Resolution Drone LiDAR Survey Data
High‑resolution drone LiDAR surveys are reshaping railway infrastructure planning for mining projects. In the Northern Cape manganese mine, the dense point‑cloud enabled engineers to pinpoint track positions, elevations, and surrounding obstacles with centimeter accuracy. The rapid, safe data capture reduced...
Skylift UAV Delivers UK Aviation First with Landmark BVLOS Drone Trials in the Solent
Skylift UAV completed the United Kingdom’s first coordinated BVLOS drone operations across the congested Solent waterway, operating under a CAA‑approved Airspace Change Proposal. The June‑July 2025 trials, run from Fort Cumberland, involved multiple aircraft delivering medical supplies to the Isle...
XTI Aerospace to Host Town Hall Highlighting Strategic Inflection Point Following the Drone Nerds Acquisition
XTI Aerospace (Nasdaq:XTIA) will hold an investor town hall on February 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST to outline its post‑acquisition strategy after buying Drone Nerds in November 2025. Management will detail how Drone Nerds’ UAS platform and customer base give XTI clearer revenue visibility...
Scanifly and IronRidge Integrate Drone-Based PV Design with Racking Layouts
Scanifly has launched a direct API integration with IronRidge, linking its drone‑derived PV layout data to IronRidge’s Design Assistant. The connection automatically transfers panel placements into the racking and bill‑of‑materials (BOM) workflow, removing the need for manual data entry. Contractors...
Vegvisir Selected by DOK-ING to Integrate Immersive Interface Into Unmanned Systems
Vegvisir has been chosen as the winning bidder in a Croatian public tender to integrate its immersive interface solutions with DOK‑ING’s unmanned ground vehicles. The partnership will embed Vegvisir Remote and the Vegvisir Virtual Command Station into DOK‑ING’s robotic platforms,...
US Aviation Authorities Issue ‘National Security’ Warning over Drone Flights Near Sensitive Sites
The FAA issued a sweeping advisory (FDC 6/4375) that bans unmanned aircraft from flying within 3,000 ft laterally and 1,000 ft vertically of designated national‑security sites, including both fixed facilities and mobile assets such as Coast Guard vessels and military convoys. The notice...
Tekever – UAS Remote Pilot
Tekever, a European leader in unmanned technology, is hiring a Remote Pilot to support its surveillance‑as‑a‑service missions across maritime, defence, space and cyber domains. The role involves flight monitoring, safety compliance, operator training and frequent travel to customer sites in...
Introducing V-Line Pro for DJI M400
sUAS News announced V‑Line Pro, a tethered system for the DJI M400 that draws power from the ground, dramatically extending flight time and enabling continuous payload operation. The solution is officially DJI‑approved and part of the DJI Ecosystem Partner program,...
Scaling the China-Free Supply Chain: 2,500 NDAA WÅSP Drones to Be Built in Pennsylvania
Rift Dynamics announced a contract for 2,500 WÅSP One‑Way Attack drones from American Robotics/Ondas, to be manufactured on a new Pennsylvania line with Kitron Group USA. The drones are fully compatible with Nammo AS warheads, a capability co‑developed with the Norwegian...
Airspace Link Releases New Drone Alert System Ahead of 2026 World Cup
Airspace Link has launched Alert Areas within its AirHub portal, letting users define 3‑D airspace volumes and receive instant notifications when a drone enters them. The sensor‑agnostic system pulls live telemetry from any integrated detector, delivering real‑time alerts via app...
EASA and DJI Collaborate to Improve Awareness of Safe and Legal Drone Operations
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has partnered with DJI to tighten geo‑awareness compliance across Europe. Starting January 2026, DJI’s drones will draw exclusively from official UAS Geographical Zone (UGZ) data published by national aviation authorities, replacing its legacy Fly...
IdeaForge Indigenous Defence Tactical UAV ‘ZOLT’ to Be Showcased at India’s 77th Republic Day Parade
India's indigenous UAV maker ideaForge will display its tactical drone ZOLT at the 77th Republic Day Parade, highlighting the country's push for homegrown defence solutions. ZOLT is a multi‑role, VTOL‑capable platform built for long‑range ISR and precision payload delivery in...
NMITE And The British Army Unveil Detail Of The New Undergraduate Degree In Autonomous Robotics
NMITE, in partnership with the British Army, announced a new MEng (Hons) Integrated Engineering degree focused on Autonomous Robotics, set to admit its first cohort in September 2026. The three‑year programme compresses a traditional four‑year master’s timeline and emphasizes hands‑on...
Event 38 Delivers E455 Systems to Florida State Guard for Emergency Response Support
Event 38 Unmanned Systems has delivered its E455 fixed‑wing VTOL drone systems and mission payloads to the Florida State Guard (FSG). The drones will support training, evaluation, and operational readiness for emergency response, disaster relief, and public safety missions across...
Sphere Calls for Rapid, Scalable Deployment of Autonomous Drone Surveillance to Protect NSW Beachgoers
Sphere, an Australian commercial drone firm, is urging the NSW Government to fast‑track a coast‑wide autonomous drone surveillance program to mitigate shark risk after a spate of recent attacks. The company proposes its HubX and HubT "drone‑in‑a‑box" systems, which launch,...
Zero-Trust UTM: TII, VentureOne, and High Lander Join Forces at UMEX to Forge New Airspace Security Standards in the UAE
High Lander Aviation, Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and venture builder VentureOne announced a strategic collaboration at UMEX 2026 to develop national‑level zero‑trust security standards for unmanned traffic management (UTM) in the UAE. The partnership will focus on end‑to‑end security...
NARMA Strengthens U.S. Presence Amid FCC Covered List Expansion
NARMA is reinforcing its U.S. market strategy after the FCC added more foreign‑produced UAS to its Covered List. The company is advancing through the AUVSI Green UAS Cleared program, targeting cybersecurity, data handling, and supply‑chain validation, which will qualify its...
GA-ASI Breaks Ground on a New Hangar in El Mirage
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems broke ground on a new 85,000‑square‑foot hangar at its El Mirage Airfield on Jan 14. The facility will house testing of the MQ‑9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian remotely piloted aircraft and accommodate up to a dozen certifiable ground control stations....
GA-ASI Makes Another Autonomous Aerial Intercept in Company-Funded Demo with MQ-20 Avenger(r)
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) demonstrated its MQ‑20 Avenger executing a fully autonomous aerial intercept using government‑reference autonomy software. The jet employed an Anduril infrared search‑and‑track sensor to locate, track, and compute a simulated kill‑shot against a manned aggressor without...
Parrot – Programs Coordinator NORTH AMERICA (F/M)
Parrot, a global leader in professional drone solutions, is hiring a Programs Coordinator for North America. The role bridges customer success, technical enablement, and programme delivery, guiding high‑value defence, law‑enforcement and enterprise clients through onboarding, deployment, training and ongoing operations....
Manna Software Engineer Airspace
Manna, a fast‑growing drone‑delivery startup, is hiring a Software Engineer for its Airspace team to build the core backend that powers routing, deconfliction, and real‑time airspace management. The role involves designing, implementing, and operating services in Java, C++, and Python,...
Proteus Completes Maiden Flight
Leonardo’s Proteus, the UK’s first fully autonomous full‑size helicopter, completed its maiden flight from Predannack airfield in Cornwall. The flight validates a £60 million programme aimed at integrating uncrewed rotorcraft into the Royal Navy’s “hybrid air wing” for anti‑submarine and maritime...
GeoCue Partners with Coptrz to Expand TrueView LiDAR Across the UK Drone Market
GeoCue announced a distribution partnership with Coptrz, the UK’s leading commercial drone expert, to bring its TrueView LiDAR sensor lineup and LP360 processing software to British surveyors and engineers. The collaboration gives Coptrz access to the full range of GeoCue...
Shearwater Aerospace Joins DARPA’s Albatross Program to Advance Autonomous Soaring for UAVs
Shearwater Aerospace has been selected as a subcontractor for DARPA’s Albatross program, which aims to enable UAVs to harness atmospheric energy through weather‑informed mission planning and real‑time wind sensing. Shearwater will contribute its Smart Flight™ system, an AI‑driven micro‑weather forecasting...
Drone Industry Noise
The drone sector is being flooded with advice from consultants who lack hands‑on flight experience, creating a wave of misinformation. Rapid hardware changes, evolving regulations, and real‑world operational constraints are often ignored, leading to unrealistic project promises and inflated funding...
Hydrogen-Powered Hybrid Raybird UAV Completes Combat Missions in Ukraine
Skyeton’s hybrid Raybird UAV, powered by a hydrogen fuel‑cell electric motor, entered full‑scale combat missions with Ukrainian forces in December 2025. The redesign distributes weight for the hydrogen system while preserving the platform’s long‑range reconnaissance role. The hybrid version offers roughly...
Unifly Concludes Contribution to FAA ASSURE A68 Project on Detect-and-Avoid Well-Clear Requirements
Unifly has completed its contribution to the FAA‑sponsored ASSURE A68 research project, which aims to validate detect‑and‑avoid (DAA) well‑clear requirements for small unmanned aircraft systems. The company supplied UTM services that integrated ADS‑B, radar, cellular telemetry and Remote Identification data...
Meteomatics Brings Drone Data to NOAA’s National Weather Service
Meteomatics announced a partnership with NOAA’s National Mesonet Program to deliver operational drone‑collected weather data to the National Weather Service. Its autonomous Meteodrones will gather vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and wind between 50 and 20,000 feet, a layer where...
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace Is Redefining What’s Possible for Endurance Flights at the Pendleton Range
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) successfully completed an 18‑km cross‑country electric UAS flight at the Pendleton UAS Range, launching from one site and recovering at another while using a relay‑extended mesh network for continuous control. The mission validated point‑to‑point endurance operations...
Virtual Surveyor Adds Local Coordinate System Functionality in Latest Release of Smart Drone Surveying Software
Virtual Surveyor’s 10.2 release introduces Local Coordinate System functionality, letting users project GPS‑based drone imagery and LiDAR directly into custom site‑specific reference frames without third‑party tools. The update also expands supported world coordinate systems (EPSG, MRWA, Landgate, ESRI) and adds...
Department of Homeland Security Launches New Office to Advance Drone and Counter-Drone Technologies
The Department of Homeland Security announced a new Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter‑Unmanned Aircraft Systems to accelerate acquisition of drone and counter‑drone technologies. The office is earmarking $115 million for immediate counter‑drone deployments ahead of the United...
