Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. First, DJI takes the Department of Defense to court over its "Chinese Military Company" label. Second, the popular DJI Mini 4 Pro gets a huge update enabling third-party app support. And third, drones play a crucial role in rescuing two lost teenagers in Colorado.

First up this week, DJI is pushing back legally against the U.S. Department of Defense. On March 14th, DJI filed a motion in federal court challenging the DoD's designation of the company as a “Chinese Military Company,” or CMC. This label comes under Section 1260H of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which targets companies supposedly linked to China's military. DJI argues this designation, first applied in October 2022 and reaffirmed this past January that it is arbitrary, lacks substantial evidence, and harms its business significantly. The company points to terminated contracts and state-level restrictions in places like Florida and Arkansas that limit or ban the use of their drones by public agencies. DJI is asking the court to declare the DoD’s actions unlawful and remove them from the CMC list. They claim the DoD ignored a detailed delisting petition submitted last July and failed to provide public justification for the listing as required by recent amendments. DJI contests the DoD's claims about state ownership, stating that its founder and early investors hold the vast majority of stock and voting rights, with state-owned entities having minimal shares. They also dispute the idea that having a National Enterprise Technology Center status links them to the military, noting companies like Volkswagen also hold this civilian-focused status. Next up, there's some exciting news for DJI Mini 4 Pro owners. DJI has released a major update to its Mobile SDK, that's the Software Development Kit, specifically version 5. This update now includes support for the Mini 4 Pro, which is a pretty big deal. What this means is that third-party developers can now create apps that work directly with your Mini 4 Pro. We're talking about popular apps like Litchi, DroneDeploy, and Drone Harmony potentially offering features like advanced flight automation, custom waypoint missions, and better mapping capabilities. This really unlocks some pro-level functionality for a drone that weighs under 250 grams. Now, there's one important catch you need to know. To use these third-party apps via the MSDK, you *must* be using the DJI RC-N2 controller – that’s the one that uses your smartphone as the screen. Unfortunately, the DJI RC 2 controller, the one with the built-in screen, doesn't have MSDK support enabled for the Mini 4 Pro at this time. DJI hasn't said if or when that might change. This update also added MSDK support for the professional Matrice 4D cinematography drone and the Matrice 4TD industrial drone. Next up this week, a great story showing drones in action saving lives. Two teenagers got lost while hiking near Carpenter Peak in Colorado's Roxborough State Park last Saturday evening. They did the right thing: they called 911 and stayed put. Douglas County Search and Rescue, along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, responded around 8:30 p.m. As ground crews started hiking in, the DCSAR drone team lead, Darren Keralla, launched a drone. Despite windy conditions, the drone quickly located the teens, who were flashing a light while sheltering under trees. Using the drone's GPS data (lat/long), rescuers could pinpoint their exact location, streamlining the effort. It’s another fantastic example of how drones are becoming invaluable tools for search and rescue operations. https://kdvr.com/news/local/2-lost-teenagers-rescued-with-drone-aid-at-roxborough-state-park/https://dronedj.com/2025/03/21/dji-mini-4-pro-msdk/https://dronexl.co/2025/03/21/dji-court-chinese-military-company-label/

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week. First, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro's launch date, specs, and pricing have been leaked. Second, a research team developed a battery that lets drones fly in extreme cold. Third, a missing woman in Wisconsin was found quickly, thanks to a drone. And finally, President Trump nominates a new FAA Administrator.

And first up this week, we have exciting leaked information about the DJI Mavic 4 Pro. According to sources, the drone is set to launch on Thursday, April 24th, 2025. Expect an official teaser from DJI around April 17th. This is pretty much in line with previous leaks, giving us confidence in this date.The Mavic 4 Pro will boast three cameras with focal lengths of 28mm, 70mm, and 168mm. That's 2.5x and 6x which is slightly different from the current 3x/7x configuration. It will reportedly record in 6K, with a larger sensor than the Mavic 3, promising even better image quality. The gimbal is getting a major redesign, with 360-degree multidirectional movement. An unexpected feature... The Mavic 4 Pro will reportedly feature an electronic ND filter system so no more carrying ND filters around. If that is true, I will be impressed!DJI is claiming a flight time of 52 minutes. As far as charging: three batteries in only 90 minutes, aligning with the leaked 240W charger specs. And it looks like a new controller is coming – the DJI RC Pro 2, featuring a 7-inch tilting touchscreen.Price-wise, the leaks suggest the Mavic 4 Pro with the DJI RC2 will be $2,250. The Fly More Combo with the RC2 is priced at $3,200. And the top-tier 512GB Creator Combo, including the new DJI RC Pro 2 Controller, will cost you $4,400. Next up, a research team from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics has made a breakthrough in battery technology. They've successfully flown a hexacopter drone in temperatures as low as -32.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or -36 degrees Celsius. This is a big deal because standard lithium-ion batteries struggle in extreme cold, often losing 30% to 50% of their capacity.This new battery, however, retains over 90% of its nominal capacity at -40 degrees Fahrenheit, with endurance loss under 10%. Beyond drones, this tech could also benefit electric vehicles and remote power stations.And in our third story, a real-world drones-for-good story! In Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, a 59-year-old woman was quickly located by a drone after ground searches failed. She had been outdoors for about three hours and was unable to stand. Rescuers reached her within one minute of detection, just before a storm rolled in. The interesting part here is that the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department didn't own the drone. They relied on Wings of Hope, a non-profit organization. This highlights the financial challenges many smaller departments face in acquiring this life-saving technology. As we see affordable drones becoming harder to get because of regulation, this might prevent small departments from getting ANY drones at all.Finally, this week, the White House nominated Bryan Bedford, CEO of Republic Airways, to head the Federal Aviation Administration. Bedford, a pilot with over 30 years of experience, faces significant challenges if confirmed. These include decisions on Boeing 737 MAX production, approval of new 737 variants, and addressing a shortage of approximately 3,500 air traffic controllers.https://dronexl.co/2025/03/19/dji-mavic-4-pro-launch-date-features-prices/https://dronexl.co/2025/03/17/chinas-breakthrough-battery-powers-drone/https://dronexl.co/2025/03/17/drone-missing-woman-wisconsin-rapids/https://transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=408316#:~:text=Joint%20statement%20of%20Transportation%20and,Administrator%20of%20the%20Federal%20Aviation

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 4 stories for you; Ascent AeroSystems releases the Helius, Blue UAS and Framework Changes, a Big SkyeBrowse Update, and Skydio sends Tracking Mailers to Police Department.

First up, Ascent Aerosystems has released the HELIUS!This is a 249, coaxial system that mimics the design of the much larger Spirit. According to Ascent’s website, this is an all weather, NDAA Compliant, aircraft with features like 4G LTE connectivity, 4K gimbaled camera, 45 MPH top speed, and 30+ minute endurance! The HELIUS is available for preorder and is priced at $4,499.Preorder can be placed through either Ascent AeroSystems OR Robinson Helicopter Company dealers, with deliveries occurring in Q4 of this year.The Blue List has had some significant changes! Several drones and manufacturers have been removed and a few have been added. Removed drones include: The AgEagle Ebee, Ascent Aerosystems Spirit, Blue Halo IE-V2, HoveryTech Spectre, Inspired Flight IF1200A and IF800, Parrot Anafi UAS GOV and MIL, Vantage Viper, and the Wingtra One Gen II. These aircraft are no longer on the Blue UAS List, which is a bit concerning.It’s unclear WHY these aircraft were removed, but raises some serious questions, such as: Do these aircraft have data security issues? What happens to all the departments who have been forced to purchase aircraft that are Blue UAS and have now been removed? We’re not sure. On the other side, a few drones were added, the FlightWave Edge130, HoverFly Technologies Spectre (Possibly a rebrand of the Hovery Tech), and the Zone5 Paladin. Along with these, Pierce Aerospace B1 also was added to the Blue List, though the parts side rather than the aircraft side of the list.We’ll keep you up to date if we see more! Next up, Skydio appears to have sent marketing materials with tracking ability to Police Departments. As reported by DroneXL, a Sergeant from a large California police department revealed that promotional materials from Skydio appeared to have embedded tracking and a 4/5G SIM card.This was found after the device was disassembled by the department’s forensic analysis lab.The marketing material in question comes from a company called “MARC Media”, who confirmed that each device integrates a screen, pause and play buttons, navigation, and a “Call to action button”. The device has a 9 month battery life and tracks things like interactions, use of the call to action button, and even the location of the device.Skydio came under fire for this due to their stance as being the “secure alternative” and citing risks of “data collection” by other manufacturers. The Sergeant stated “In addition to [privacy and security] concerns I found it ethically concerning because Skydio has been a strong proponent of data security and data safety but then did the thing they accused other UAS manufacturers of doing,”Not a great look for Skydio. Last up, Skyebrowse has another big update! There are several things to talk about here, starting with Pocket AI.This is a function that turns an image into a 3D model using AI. It’s free for everyone, so give it a try and potentially win a year of Skyebrowse Lite! Skyebrowse also released model merging and Workspace images. Model merging allows you to link other models to connect multiple scenes within a workspace, again, available for everyone! Workspace images function similarly, and allow public safety to attach photos to the 3D model so that anyone who sees the images can also see the photos. https://dronexl.co/2025/03/10/skydio-tracking-mailers-security-concerns/https://www.diu.mil/blue-uas/frameworkhttps://dronexl.co/2025/03/06/major-shakeup-blue-suas-list/#google_vignettehttps://ascentaerosystems.com/introducing-helius/

A sad first story, the industry pioneer and public safety visionary Romeo Durscher has sadly passed away.Romeo was a pioneer of drones for public safety, with the mantra "Drones for good".He worked for DJI, as their Director of Public Safety Integration, where he led and assisted departments getting started with drones.In 2018, the Camp Fire in California destroyed an entire town.Romeo led 15 drone teams to create high-definition maps of over 17,000 acres in days, saying “After Santa Rosa, I thought I’d seen it all. Then came Paradise… It’s beyond what one could imagine.”This was just one of many ways Romeo helped to cultivate drones is public safety.Romeo then moved from DJI to Auterion, pushing interchangeably to ensure public safety could use the best tool for their mission.Earlier this year, Romeo was given the Law Enforcement Drone Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also named one of the 25 most influential people in the drone industry and given the Golden Medal from the Estonian Chamber of Commerce.Haye, from DroneXL, put it best: "Romeo Durscher’s passing leaves a void, but his vision soars on. The drone industry stands at a crossroads—poised for growth, yet challenged by regulation and ethics. Romeo showed us the way: technology must serve purpose, not profit alone."Next up, a Texas bill would allow drones to be shot down if flown over private property.There are several things wrong with this bill, starting with 18 USC 32.This law protects civil aircraft, both in the air and on the ground."Whoever willfully—(1)sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States or any civil aircraft used, operated, or employed in interstate, overseas, or foreign air commerce......shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years or both."We also know how bad people are at identifying aircraft, with several of the NJ "drones" actually being airliners.And not to mention, what goes up must come down.If you're in Texas, please reach out to your state legislature and let them know this is a BAD idea.Next up, Mavic 4 Leaks!DroneXL and Jasper Ellens is reporting a new rumor that the Mavic 4 may be able to roll its gimbal up to 180 degreens in both directions. You heard that right, ROLL. This would mean you could take native vertical with all lenses and even upside down video.This would make quite an interesting function that we haven't seen on small drones.Well have to wait and see!We'll see your for the Monday live next week, no Friday live, it's finally time to move into our new building!https://dronexl.co/2025/03/05/dji-mavic-4-pro-vertical-and-beyond/https://dronexl.co/2025/03/05/romeo-durscher-drone-visionary-good/https://thetexan.news/issues/second-amendment/texas-bill-would-allow-property-owners-to-shoot-down-trespassing-drones/article_7a86e40e-f2f0-11ef-8321-33c28a01e369.html

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 4 stories for you; DJI launches new dock and drone, Connecticut’s “emergency” bill to ban Chinese drones, your last chance to comment on the Department of Commerce ANPRM, and LEDA calls out AUVSI.

First up, DJI launched the new Dock 3 and Matrice 4D & 4TD!This is the first DJI dock designed for use on a vehicle, allowing the drone to launch directly from a mobile platform.The Dock 3 can operate and charge in extreme temperatures up to 122°F and down to -22°F. It’s IP56-rated, and the Matrice 4D comes with anti-icing propellers.Speaking of the Matrice 4D, it’s IP55 rated and offers 54 minutes of flight time or 47 minutes of hover time. Both the 4D and 4TD comes with a wide-angle camera, a 3X medium tele camera, a 7X long tele camera, and a laser range finder.The Thermal offers a near IR light and a 640X512 infrared thermal camera in addition to the other cameras.In conjunction with the release, AVSS, the Canadian parachute manufacturer, released a parachute for the Matrice 4D. While it is not yet on the FAA Declaration of Compliance list yet, the press release mentioned it will be FAA approved for operations over people. The parachute will be available in Q2 of this year.DJI just seems to be pumping them out this year!Next up, Connecticut’s emergency bill on banning Chinese Drones.This bill has currently passed both chambers of the state’s legislature and prohibits state agencies and municipalities from purchasing “Covered” drones starting in October of 2026 and a ban on operating in 2028.The legislation also restricts drone flights within 250 feet of critical electric and other utility infrastructure.If you’re in Connecticut, please reach out to your representatives ASAP!Last up, there are only a few days left to make your voice heard!The Department of Commerce ANPRM’s comment date ends on March 4th.Don’t let folks in suits who have never flown drones write the narrative on what our UAS actually do.Please watch this video and comment!Speaking of getting your voices heard, the Law Enforcement Drone Association, or LEDA for short, expressed their disheartening at an opinion article written by AUVSI president Michael Robbins.Jon Beal, the President and CEO of LEDA mentions the oped written on drone blog DroneLife is "overt gaslighting regarding legislation related to the use of Drones from China."Beal explains that LEDA is a platform-agnostic organization whose stance "has always been to let member agencies and pilots decide what platform works best for them and their communities at large".He also explains that he has watches, which his own eyes, AUVSI representatives testify in support of banning Chinese drones for public safety agencies in various states.Beal goes on to question Robbin's understanding of how these bans affect agencies, forcing many of them to shut down their programs completely. As a result, agencies no longer have the ability to save lives and mitigate risk, including for the public at large. Beal also cites Robbin's lack of evidence in his statement that "security vulnerabilities are well-documented with the national security community". In response, Beal welcomes the stated clause in Section 1709 of the 2024 NDAA, which mandates a study of DJI and Autel drones for data security.Beal concludes by stating that "almost every one of our 3200 members is angered by the legislation happening in their states and our country borne from greed and in an attempt to limit their ability to save lives".https://www.flyingmag.com/connecticut-emergency-bill-would-ban-chinese-russian-drones/https://dronexl.co/2025/02/25/dji-m4td-dock-3-imminent-release/https://youtu.be/AYOcLhKpGDQhttps://www.ledauas.org/_files/ugd/78f471_7a7178eabda94a49b7bbacbbaba19986.pdf

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you; A Drone Crash into Uranium Mine, GA bill to ban Chinese Drones, ND Senate rejects Chinese drone ban, Sumas Police Rescue, and New DJI Products!

First up, don’t be this guy.

An alleged drone collision with mine equipment at the Pinyon Plain uranium mine here in AZ caused the mine to temporarily cease operations. 

While the size and type of the drone are unknown at this time, it supposedly struck a safety wire used to transport personnel into the 1,400’ deep mine according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. 

After crashing into the equipment, the suspect, Bobby Mason, allegedly fled in a Ford F-150 leading to a series of incidents including two hit-and-runs near and inside of Grand Canyon National Park. 

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has charged Mason with offenses including unlawful operation of an unmanned aircraft, Aggravated DUI, criminal damage, hit and run, reckless driving, and harassment. 

So, Don’t be this guy. 

Next up, A Georgia bill would require Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security to create an approved drone list for public safety and government. 

The bill would give agencies a 3-year compliance window to acquire new aircraft that are on the approved list. 

If you live in Georgia, please let your legislators know what you think about House Bill 205. 

On the opposite side of the fence is North Dakota.

North Dakota’s Senate rejected a portion of a bill that would act as a replacement program for state-owned and operated Chinese drones. 

State Senator Kyle Davison led the motion to strip this text from the bill, citing the significant cost difference between Chinese and American-made drones. 

According to Senate Testimony, the M30 currently used by state agencies costs ~$7500 while NDAA-compliant alternatives cost between $20,000 and $50,000. 

The Senate preserved an $11,000,000 allocation to support BVLOS Operations in the same bill. 

A Drone story for good this week, coming from some Pilot Institute students in northern Washington State!

Multiple agencies responded to a report of an elderly woman who'd gone missing during the night.

After several hours of searching, the Sumas Police Department arrived on scene and an M30T was launched, locating the missing person in under 3 minutes.

The woman had fallen down a steep slope near her residence and was hypothermic.

Luckily, she was able to be rescued and was transported to the hospital.

Shout out to Sumas Police Department, Great work, and thanks for what you guys do!

Last up, DJI has released TWO new gimbals this week!

This week we got a new Osmo Mobile 7, with active track 7.0, hand motion control, 10-hour run time, a built-in tripod, and magnetic mounting for accessories.

The Osmo Mobile 7 entry level comes at $89, with the 7P model costing $149. 

DJI also released the RS4 Mini, and we actually got our hands on one to test out.

It’s got a 13-hour run time, a 4.4lb payload, an active track module, and native vertical shooting. 

Check out our full review here

Join us later today for our happy hour in the community, Live Q&A on Monday, and Post Flight Monday in the community! We’ll see you then! 

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/18/drone-strike-grand-canyon-mine/#google_vignette

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/17/georgia-ban-chinese-drones-security/

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/18/north-dakota-senate-rejects-chinese-drone-replacement/

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/18/dji-smartphone-stabilizers-tracking/

https://www.facebook.com/wcfd14/

First up, this week marks 300 weeks of Drone News… Thanks for tuning in and making this possible! So far we’ve got 390,000 students with over 115,000 in our Part 107 course, 48 drone courses, we’ve shipped over 50,000 stickers, Done FAA WINGs credits, and TRUST Certificates. And this is just the beginning! Soon we’ll be moved into our new building where we’ll be able to start offering even more cool things!Now onto the news! Next up, Wingcopter released LiDAR for its Wingcoper 198. According to the press release at GeoWeek the Wingcopter 198 can survey over 37 miles of linear infrastructure in a single flight, while carrying a 10lb payload. This system can achieve a point cloud density of 570 points per square meter, 10mm sensor accuracy, and 5mm precision. In approximately 42 minute flight, this system can scan 2,560 acres. Pretty cool new tech! Third, a Baltimore man was arrested after allegedly flying a drone over the M&T Bank Stadium earlier this year. The NFL paused the game in the third quarter when a drone, allegedly belonging to Alex Perez Suarez, was spotted flying approximately 400 feet over the stadium.The drone allegedly took 7 pictures before flying away from the stadium. Alex is now facing 3 federal charges for flying in restricted airspace, operation of an unregistered drone, operation of an aircraft without an airman certificate, and willful violation of National Defense Airspace. Please don’t be that guy… Next up, The FAA has authorized the Pyka Pelican 2 to operate in the US! The Pyka is a large, fixed wing spray drone designed for crop dusting.The Pelican 2 has a 300 liter capacity, hot swappable batteries, LiDAR and RADAR, and comes in at $550,000. According to Pyka, the Pelican is the largest drone that has been authorized to operate in the US.Pretty cool, but I’m not sure we’ll be getting our hands on one of these guys any time soon!Next, Skyebrowse announced a major change to indoor map processing.According to the press release, the new processing method uses AI to verify that individual rooms are processed correctly.This verification allows for additional speed, clarity, and accuracy.If you're unfamiliar with Skyebrowse, they're a 3D mapping software that uses video instead of traditional photos to make 3D Models.Their lowest tier plan is free, so if you're interested in 3D modeling, this is a great place to start and make some models!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; Department of Commerce Advanced Notice NPRM, More drone show troubles, and more DJI Flip leaks.

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you: Drone Light Show injures kid in Orlando, Israeli drone company wins big DOD drone contract, and navigating TFRs in New York and New Jersey.

First story this week is a bit of a sad one. A child was injured at an Orlando drone show last week after a drone hit him in the chest during a show near Lake Eola Park. The 7-year old boy was taken to the hospital and it was later reported that he required emergency cardiac surgery due to damage to a heart valve. Approximately 15 minutes into the performance, drones started falling out of the sky, according to a video and witness statements.

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 4 stories for you; Skydio sanctioned by China, Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators vs University of Michigan lawsuit, More info on the DJI Lawsuit,DJI New Goggles Leaks.