Drone News Update

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, we have three stories for you this week, the Pentagon cites classified intelligence to oppose DJI's FCC petition, the FAA clears the military to use anti-drone lasers in U.S. airspace, and DJI officially teases the new Lito drone launch. Let's get to it.

First up this week, the Department of Defense has officially filed a memo with the FCC opposing DJI's petition to be removed from the agency's Covered List. The Pentagon stated that their national security decision wasn't just based on public supply chain concerns, but actually relied on both classified and unclassified intelligence. They even submitted a classified document to Congress on April 3rd. DJI has been fighting this on three different legal fronts, including a Ninth Circuit petition and a D.C. Circuit appeal. But this classified intelligence creates a massive hurdle. How do you defend yourself against evidence you aren't allowed to see? Meanwhile, the FCC is pushing forward with new rules to support domestic drone manufacturing under the "Unleashing American Drone Dominance" initiative. They recently gave conditional approvals to four non-Chinese drone systems; all enterprise models. Next up, the FAA has officially given the U.S. military clearance to use high-energy anti-drone lasers in U.S. airspace. This comes after a tense two-month standoff that actually shut down commercial flights over the Texas-Mexico border twice. Back in February, Customs and Border Protection used a Pentagon-owned laser to target what turned out to be metallic balloons. The FAA immediately closed all airspace within a 10-nautical-mile radius of El Paso from the surface up to 18,000 feet. The White House eventually had to step in to lift the shutdown. Then, in a crazy friendly-fire incident on February 26th, soldiers used the same laser to shoot down a drone over Texas. It turns out, the drone belonged to CBP, and it reportedly cost about 30 million dollars! After these incidents, the FAA and Pentagon ran a live test at the White Sands Missile Range. During the test, a commercial aircraft drifted into the laser's tracking angle, and the system's automatic safety shutoff immediately powered the laser down before it could fire. Because of that successful safety feature, the FAA determined the lasers do not present an increased risk to the flying public. If you are flying manned or unmanned aircraft near the southern border, pay attention, because the FAA will be issuing an advisory about increased anti-drone laser activity. And finally this week, after months of leaks, DJI has officially teased a new drone launch for April 23rd. The teaser uses the tagline "Just Fly" and confirms the Lito name with hashtags for the DJI Lito and Lito X1. Now let's talk about the rumored specs. We are reportedly expecting two models, and we’re thinking this will replace the Mini series as the entry level drone. The entry-level Lito 1 is reported to be a sub-250-gram drone with 22 gigabytes of internal storage and a price tag around $330. The higher-end Lito X1 is rumored to have 42 gigabytes of storage and cost around $759. Both drones are expected to feature multi-band connectivity across 2.4, 5.2, and 5.8 gigahertz, along with Wi-Fi 6. Flight times are rumored to be around 30 minutes on the standard battery, pushing up to 50 minutes with a heavier plus battery that will put you over that 250-gram limit. The Lito X1's FCC filing also mentions an "SDR Transmission 2 Transceiver," which has people speculating about O5-class transmission performance. Alright, that’s it for this week, no Post Flight or Live, but if you’re in the Lakeland Florida area, be sure to stop by Sun N Fun to meet the team on Saturday or Sunday! `https://dronexl.co/2026/04/11/faa-clears-military-use-anti-drone-lasers/https://dronexl.co/2026/04/11/pentagon-dod-classified-intelligence-dji-fcc-covered-list-opposition/https://dronexl.co/2026/04/14/dji-teases-lito-drone-launch-for-april-23/

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week, a major confirms nobody is replacing DJI in the consumer market, the FCC opens public comments on drone spectrum reforms, and Oregon tells the FCC to build drone test sites in the mountains.

First up this week, a major report from The Verge confirms what we have been saying for months: nobody is coming to save the consumer drone market. According to the report, massive defense contracts have absorbed almost every American company that might have built affordable consumer drones. For example, Skydio confirmed they will not return to the consumer market, and the U.S. Army recently ordered $52 million worth of their X10D tactical drones. Why build a $500 consumer drone when the Pentagon is spending millions? We did see the Antigravity A1 hit the market recently, which is an 8K 360-degree drone that sold 30,000 units shortly after launch. But Antigravity is still a Chinese company, so they face the exact same supply chain exposure. Meanwhile, the Zero Zero HoverAir Aqua is reportedly dead in the water after failing to get FCC certification before the December ban. When volunteer fire departments or Search and Rescue can't afford a $10,000 enterprise system, they rely on affordable consumer drones. As we’ve said time and time again, this isn’t a problem we’re going to feel right now… This will be a major problem in 2-3 years. Speaking of, the Federal Communications Commission has released Public Notice DA 26-314, asking our drone industry what needs to be fixed to help the United States lead the global drone race. The notice covers six policy areas, but spectrum access is the biggest one. Right now, most U.S. drones operate on unlicensed 2.4 and 5.8 gigahertz bands, which are the same crowded frequencies used by your home Wi-Fi router. The FCC is asking if the industry should shift to the licensed 5030 to 5091 megahertz band. They previously allocated a 10-megahertz block at 5040 to 5050 megahertz for direct frequency assignments, but this has sat dormant. The FCC also wants to speed up experimental licensing and address Counter-UAS rules. Currently, Section 333 of the Communications Act prohibits willful interference with radio communications, preventing any counter-drone system that jams a signal. Comments are due by May 1st. We will have to see if they can create a credible framework before current exemptions expire in 2027.And our third story, all interconnected this week, The Oregon Department of Aviation has drafted an eight-point response to the FCC public notice. But instead of just asking for abstract reforms, Oregon is telling the FCC exactly where to build new UAS innovation zones. They identified three specific test corridors in real terrain: one in the Cascades near Oakridge, another along the Columbia River Gorge, and a third in southeast Oregon. Oregon argues that testing drones in flat, controlled academic labs does not produce data that transfers to real-world conditions. For example, wildfire response or emergency medical delivery are dealing with mountain passes, line-of-sight obstructions, and weather. Oregon also backed the push toward the 5030 to 5091 megahertz band for command and control links, emphasizing that safety-critical operations cannot rely on unlicensed bands. They also asked the FCC for a simple waiver process for trusted deployment of foreign drones during this transition period. That’s all this week, join us in Post Flight where we share our opinions that may or may not be suitable for YouTube, and we’ll see you next week! https://dronexl.co/2026/04/06/fcc-da-26-314-drone-spectrum-licensing-public-notice/https://dronexl.co/2026/04/07/oregon-fcc-drone-dominance-test-sites/https://dronexl.co/2026/04/07/verge-dji-ban-nobody-replacing-consumer-drones/

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, we have three stories for you: the ACLU releases a major report on drone surveillance and airspace restrictions, the House unanimously passes the ACERO Act for wildfire drone operations, and a questionable South Carolina bill . Let's get to it.

First up this week, the American Civil Liberties Union has published a major report arguing that U.S. drone policy is locking ordinary people out of the skies. The report is titled "Drones For Them But Not For Us?" and it claims the current rules give government agencies and corporations unchecked access to the skies while restricting citizens and journalists. The paper cites several concerning examples, including reports of the NYPD flying Skydio X10 drones directly over protest crowds without parachute recovery systems, massive airspace lockdowns, like a 935-square-mile temporary flight restriction over Chicago during federal operations, and invisible 3,000-foot no-fly zones that follow Department of Homeland Security vehicles.
The report calls out trends where hobbyists and commercial pilots face more restrictions, while government agencies get a free pass. It also touches on the foreign drone ban, warning that it could price consumer drones out of reach. Much of this is not new to this audience, as we’ve been reporting on it for the last several years. It’s interesting now that those outside of the UAS industry are beginning to take notice. We’ll keep an eye on this and see if it goes anywhere. Next up, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the ACERO Act, sending the bipartisan wildfire drone bill to the Senate. This legislation directs NASA to expand its Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations project. The goal is to tackle airspace coordination during active wildfires. Right now, when a fire is burning, helicopters, fixed-wing tankers, and drones all share the same airspace. The bill requires NASA to build a shared framework using their Portable Airspace Management System, which shares aircraft locations across a fire zone in real time. Think of this system as basically portable unmanned and manned traffic management, which can be deployed in remote locations. Using drones to keep firefighters safe and track wildfires is exactly the kind of innovation our industry needs, and we’re glad to see Congress supporting it.Finally, South Carolina lawmakers are considering a new bill that would impose restrictions on drone pilots. The bill, H4679, proposes to ban UAS operations within 1,000 feet of any “Critical Infrastructure”, over or within 1500 feet of any state or county correctional facility without authorization from the facility or SC Department of Corrections, over or within 1500 feet of any military installation, and over private property “in a matter that invades privacy, harasses occupants, creates a nuisance, or presents an obvious safety hazard”. In addition, the bill would make it unlawful to operate within 5 miles of an airport without FAA authorization. As many of us know, authorization is based on airspace, not distance to an airport.
If you’re in South Carolina, it’s time to start reaching out to your representatives. This bill is sponsored by C. Mitchell, B.L. Cox, M.M. Smith, Wooten, Chapman, W. Newton, Herbkersman, Wickensimer, Guest and McCravy. That’s it for this week, We’ll see you in the community for Post Flight, where we share our opinions, and next Monday for the live! https://dronexl.co/2026/03/27/aclu-drone-policy-government-surveillance/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/27/house-acero-act-drone-wildfire-bill/https://www.wrdw.com/2026/03/30/sc-drone-bill-would-create-state-penalties-illegal-flights/

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week. The Avata 360 is out, Second, DJI sues Insta360 just days before a major product launch, BRINC launches their new Guardian drone with Starlink integration, And micro-drones finally reach the bottom of the Fukushima nuclear reactor. Let's get to it.
First up, the Avata 360 is out! It comes with 8K, 360° imaging, a 1 inch equivalent sensor, and 8K/60FPS in HDR! The Avata 360 also comes with the ability to fly the drone as a normal Avata, capturing 4K60FPS in single lens mode. Other features include obstacle avoidance in 360 mode, 23 minutes of flight time, integrated propeller guards, 42GB of internal storage, and replaceable front lenses! And the question that everyone will ask in the live on Monday: Compatible goggles include the Goggles 3 or Goggles N3 when using the Motion controller 3 or the FPV controller. In addition, the Avata 360 is compatible with the RC 2, RC-N2 and RC-N3.Speaking of, DJI has filed a patent ownership lawsuit against Insta360's parent company in China. They are targeting six patents that cover core drone technologies like flight control systems, structural design, and image processing.DJI is using a specific Chinese intellectual property law for this case, claiming these are "service inventions" created by former DJI engineers who went to work for Insta360. But Insta360's founder is pushing back hard. He stated that the main flight control patent in question is just a one-button "building dive" feature that isn't even used in their products. He also pointed out that Insta360 actually holds 28 patents that DJI products allegedly infringe upon.New up, BRINC has unveiled the Guardian, their next-generation Drone as First Responder, or DFR, platform. They also announced a new Seattle manufacturing facility to scale up production. The Guardian is the world's first Starlink-connected drone built for 911 response.BRINC claims the Guardian has an operational range of 8 mile and a flight time of 62 minutes! The drone features IP55 weather resistance, making it great for flying in the rain. The camera features 4K video with a 640x total zoom and dual HD thermal zoom cameras. In addition, BRINC has released the Guardian Station, a robotic charging nest that automatically swaps batteries and reloads payloads like Narcan or flotation devices without any human intervention.Last up, we have a real-world drones-for-good story! Fifteen years after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, palm-sized micro-drones have successfully flown inside the Unit 3 reactor at Fukushima and finally reached the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel.These tiny drones measure just 5.1 by 4.7 by 1.6 inches and weigh only 3.3 ounces, including the battery. Despite their small size, they carry a 2.7K camera shooting at 60 frames per second, two LED lights producing 380 lumens, and built-in radiation sensors. The airframes are IP52 rated and built to withstand up to 200 Gray of cumulative radiation exposure. During 13-minute flights, the drones mapped the pedestal floor and captured images of displaced control rod guide tubes and melted fuel debris. To keep the area completely airtight, crews used a custom seal box system to deploy and recover the drones without breaking containment. This is an absolutely incredible engineering achievement. A drone the size of a paperback book just mapped one of the most dangerous environments on earth, serving as a perfect reminder of why this technology is so important.Join us later in the community for Post Flight, where we’ll discuss these stories and share our opinions that might not be suitable for YouTube. And we’ll see you on Monday for the live.https://dronexl.co/2026/03/24/brinc-guardian-drone-starlink-911-response/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/23/dji-sues-insta360-patent-lawsuit-avata-360/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/23/drones-fly-fukushima-reactor/

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week: the FAA escalates enforcement on the controversial DHS TFR, that same TFR gets its first federal court challenge, and the Forest Service updates their filming rules. Let's get to it.

First up this week, the FAA has given some serious teeth to a very controversial NOTAM. Back in January, the FAA issued NOTAM FDC 6/4375. This bans all drones within 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically of any Department of Homeland Security, DOD, or DOE mobile asset, including unmarked ICE vehicles. The problem is that you cannot see this restriction on B4UFLY or LAANC, making it completely invisible to pilots. The FAA has also issued Order 2150.3C Change 13, which eliminates investigator discretion for airspace violations. If you get caught in this invisible zone, investigators must refer your case directly to the Chief Counsel for legal action. I’ll say that again, if caught in one of these TFRs, the FAA’s Aviation Safety Inspector MUST refer your case for legal action. There are no more warning letters, meaning you could face criminal charges, civil penalties, or even the seizure of your aircraft.On the same topic, the DHS TFR just got its first federal court challenge. Minneapolis-based photojournalist Rob Levine, represented by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, has filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals directly challenging NOTAM FDC 6/4375. Levine argues that the rule is unconstitutionally vague because you have no way of knowing in advance if you are flying near an unmarked federal car. This restriction makes compliance structurally impossible for pilots who are trying to do the right thing. Levine is also arguing that the FAA failed to follow required notice-and-comment rule-making. Reportedly, a revised NOTAM has already been drafted by the FAA, but another agency, widely believed to be DHS, is blocking its release. We will be watching this developing legal case very closely. It is obviously pretty important to have rules that we can actually follow.Finally, The US Forest Service is officially updating its special uses regulations to align with the new EXPLORE Act. In the past, you often needed a special use permit and had to pay fees for commercial filming, no matter how small your crew was. The new rule creates three simple tiers for filming and still photography on National Forest System lands. First, if your activity involves one to five people, no permit or fee is required at all! Second, if you have six to eight people, you’ll need a de minimis use authorization, which is free, and the Forest Service is setting up a website for automated approvals. Finally, if you have more than eight people, you will need a standard permit and will have to pay a reasonable fee. This applies to all content creation, whether it is commercial or noncommercial. Join us on Monday for Post flight, where we’ll share our opinions on these stories and we’ll see you for the live! Have a great weekend! https://dronexl.co/2026/03/17/faa-dhs-drone-ban-rob-levine-lawsuit/https://dronexl.co/2026/03/12/faa-ice-notam-fdc-6-4375-compliance-problem/https://dronedj.com/2026/03/17/faa-drone-tracking-api-illegal/https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-05457.pdf