DroneDJ

DJI is bringing automated battery swapping to its drone-in-a-box lineup, and it’s doing so with a remarkably quick turnaround. Its newly announced DJI Dock 4 can replace a depleted drone battery with a fully charged one in just 25 seconds, allowing the aircraft to return to the air without waiting for an onboard recharge.

For years, a decades-old restriction designed to keep cell phones from interfering with ground-based mobile networks has also stood in the way of drone operations. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has now decided it’s time to move on.

US Senator Rick Scott is pushing back against DJI and Autel Robotics’ attempts to challenge their placement on the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List, arguing that Washington has spent years investigating the Chinese drone makers and has already reached the right conclusion on national security.

Planning a drone survey across hundreds of acres is one thing. Making sure every flight, sensor setting, and calibration maneuver fits into the same overall plan is another. SPH Engineering wants to make that second part easier with UgCS 6.3, the latest update to its drone flight planning software.

Industrial drone inspections have a data problem. Drones can capture detailed images of miles of power lines, sprawling oil and gas facilities, and hard-to-reach industrial equipment. But someone still has to sift through all that footage, identify potential problems, and decide which ones need attention first.

Percepto wants to change that equation with Axion, a new software platform that brings AI-powered inspection analysis to existing drone fleets, sensors, and inspection records. The big difference? Companies don’t have to buy Percepto hardware to use it.

The next big improvement in drone delivery might not be faster deliveries or longer flight times. It could be making sure your neighbors barely notice the drone bringing your package.

DJI Modify is more than a tool for cleaning up drone-generated 3D models. It is designed to help mapping professionals turn raw reconstruction outputs into polished, usable deliverables, whether that means repairing a building model, improving surface textures, or preparing 3D data for downstream workflows.

If your DJI Flip has been sitting in your camera bag waiting for the next trip, there’s a small maintenance update worth installing before takeoff. DJI has released new firmware for its compact camera drone, joining a wider wave of housekeeping updates rolling out across the company’s consumer drone lineup.

Autel Robotics has a fresh firmware update for its EVO Lite Enterprise series, giving professionals another reason to check in on a compact drone lineup designed for work that goes well beyond aerial photography.

A drone that captures everything around it just got better at deciding where to fly next. DJI’s Avata 360 has picked up waypoint flight, zoom controls for subject tracking, and support for the RC Pro 2 controller in a new firmware update, giving aerial filmmakers more ways to get the shot without relying entirely on manual flying.

The DJI Avata is built for pilots who’d rather swoop through a tight gap than capture another routine aerial shot. Now, DJI has rolled out a fresh firmware update for its FPV drone, although the release notes are light on excitement.

Got a pair of DJI FPV goggles sitting in your gear bag? You might want to check for a firmware update, as DJI has released new software for four models.

DJI’s latest drone firmware rollout isn’t just about the aircraft themselves. The company has also released updates for three of its screen-equipped remote controllers, bringing routine bug fixes and, in one case, new aircraft compatibility.

DJI has rolled out new firmware updates for its Neo and Neo 2 camera drones, giving owners of both palm-sized flyers another reason to check their DJI Fly app.

DJI is rolling out new firmware for some of its most capable consumer camera drones, giving Mini 5 Pro, Air 3S, and Mavic 4 Pro owners another reason to check their DJI Fly apps.

DJI’s Mavic Air 2 and Air 2S may be several years old, but the company hasn’t forgotten about them. Both camera drones have received new firmware updates, marking a return to software maintenance after the Mavic Air 2’s last update in 2023 and the Air 2S’s in 2024.

Remember the DJI Mini 2? The little drone that made 4K aerial footage accessible to just about everyone has suddenly received some attention from DJI again, and if you’ve owned one, this is a pretty good excuse to feel nostalgic.

DJI appears to have a small surprise for Mini 3 Pro owners. The company has released a new firmware update for the compact drone, marking its first firmware refresh in more than two years.

London traffic can be more than a daily frustration when doctors are waiting on urgent test results. For children receiving care at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), getting medical samples to a laboratory faster could help clinicians make critical decisions sooner. That’s where drones are stepping in.

Drone mapping teams can now compare 10 site surveys, calculate cut-and-fill volumes, check accuracy against ground control points, and plan security camera placement directly in SkyeBrowse.

DJI is giving its popular Osmo Pocket 4 camera another round of refinements just as the holiday filming season approaches. The latest firmware update, v01.04.12.16, adds a more convenient tracking shortcut, improves color-conversion tools, and brings automatic media transfers to compatible devices.

Fortem Technologies and MBDA are expanding their partnership to bring autonomous counter-drone systems into air defense networks used by military and government customers across Europe and allied markets worldwide. The expanded agreement builds on a technical collaboration launched in 2024, when the companies integrated Fortem’s DroneHunter autonomous interceptor into MBDA’s Sky Warden counter-uncrewed aircraft systems (C-UAS) architecture.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added previously submitted Department of War letters to the official records of its proceedings involving drone makers DJI and Autel Robotics. But there is an important catch: the agency says it did not rely on these letters when making the related additions to its Covered List.

Defense autonomy startup Rownd has secured a $10 million contract with the Department of War as it develops low-cost, autonomous drones designed for military operations. The company is also expanding its operations in Wisconsin and North Carolina, adding jobs and investing in drone research and development.