Updates from the global drone industry
The FAA published two key rules today: Remote ID, which will make drones identifiable in real time, and new rules for flying over people - a step the industry calls a necessary condition for expanding deliveries and commerce.
44 days of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia showed how a combination of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones and Israeli Harop loitering munitions wiped out entire armored fleets and air-defense batteries. Analysts are already calling it "the first war decided by unmanned systems."
The Drone Racing League kicked off a new season today entirely within a simulator, after the pandemic ruled out physical races, and alongside the online broadcast it unveiled its first-ever Xbox game.
Amazon has received Part 135 certification from the FAA, allowing its drones to fly beyond the operator's line of sight, a critical step toward launching a commercial delivery service in the US.
The U.S. Air Force joined the Army in backing SRC Inc., awarding the company an additional $90 million contract for its MEDUSA counter-drone system just weeks after a massive $426 million FS-LIDS deal.
Following an emergency FAA waiver, Zipline drones have begun flying medical protective gear to coronavirus response teams in the Charlotte area, marking the first long-range delivery operation of its kind in controlled U.S. airspace.
American company AeroVironment has secured a $76 million contract to supply Switchblade loitering munitions to the US Army and Marine Corps, expanding the suicide drone's presence among ground units.
UPS and CVS Health are launching a drone-based prescription delivery service for a retirement community in Florida, aiming to reduce human contact for an at-risk population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alphabet's Wing reports a dramatic surge in drone delivery demand during the coronavirus crisis, with orders up five to six times in the rural Virginia area where it operates.
Spraying drones originally built for wheat and rice fields are now disinfecting streets in Chinese cities. But alongside the medical assistance, those same drones are also being used by police to shout at citizens who aren't wearing masks.
