International UAS Surveillance Markets Heat Up as American Companies Wait for Guidance

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International UAS Surveillance Markets Heat Up as American Companies Wait for Guidance

By William D. Ezzell

No one likes the idea of big brother. But what if big brother is the one writing the check? And not looking at you?

As we previously posted, American UAS companies are vying to compete with Chinese companies in the international UAS military market. Countries around the world are actively building UAS fleets but U.S. export controls have hampered American companies from competing. Foreign competitors continue to challenge the American UAS industry, which could not have been more evident at this year’s China Public Security Expo in Shenzhen, China. 

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President Trump Directs Drone Integration Pilot Program to Accelerate Low-Altitude Operations

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President Trump Directs Drone Integration Pilot Program to Accelerate Low-Altitude Operations

By Thomas L. Gemmell

Today President Trump directed the Department of Transportation to launch a new initiative to test and validate advanced operations for drones in partnership with state and local governments. The program, called “Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program,” is designed to provide regulatory certainty and stability to UAS operators, local governments and communities.

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CNN Receives ‘First-of-its-Kind’ Waiver to Fly Drones over Crowds

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CNN Receives ‘First-of-its-Kind’ Waiver to Fly Drones over Crowds

By Thomas Nguyen

CNN has recently received a ‘first of its kind’ waiver associated with its drone operating license with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing CNN to fly its drones over open-air crowds of people at altitudes of up to 150 feet above ground level with no restrictions regarding crowd density. This is a big deal because this waiver sets a new precedent that would now allow operators to fly drones over people. As of today, the FAA has issued 1,317 Part 107 waivers with only seven of the waivers allowing drone operations over people – and, when allowed, limiting those flights to closed set operations and only when the drone is tethered. Further, the waivers limited the flights to a maximum height of 21 feet above ground level. 

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DOJ and FAA Issue New Security Concerns in UAS Operations

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DOJ and FAA Issue New Security Concerns in UAS Operations

By William D. Ezzell

This week, the UAS world witnessed two concerning developments related to national security. On Wednesday, newly appointed FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Wray warned that terrorist organizations are actively seeking drones as a means to wage attacks. “I think we do know that terrorist organizations have an interest in using drones.” Wray elaborated even further, “We’ve seen that overseas already with growing frequency. I think the expectation is that it’s coming here imminently. I think they are relatively easy to acquire, relatively easy to operate, and quite difficult to disrupt and monitor.”

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Steer Clear from Military Bases if You Want to Keep Your Drone (and Yourself) Out of Trouble

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Steer Clear from Military Bases if You Want to Keep Your Drone (and Yourself) Out of Trouble

By Thomas Nguyen

There has been a growing security concern posed by drones, especially in light of increased use by both private citizens and companies. With the aim of keeping personnel and equipment safe in connection with its domestic military bases, the Pentagon recently issued classified rules that provide guidance to the U.S. military on how to deal with private and commercial drones that are found flying over or around its domestic military bases.

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