Search News

The tariffs on Chinese drones might seem like an opportunity for U.S.-based manufacturers to gain market share by narrowing the price gap with competitors like DJI. However, many American drone companies rely on Chinese-made components such as motors, sensors, and rare earth materials.

In conversations with current DJI users performing non-government related work, such as roof inspections, the consensus is that DJI drones are easier to use and have better support than their American counterparts.

The Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) program at Commerce has issued a final ICTS rule, which replaces an interim rule that has been in effect since January 2021. The final rule establishes the procedures our office will use to review particular entities and their ICTS transactions.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt visited Taiwan on an energy and aerospace focused trade mission to discuss potential areas of collaboration between Oklahoma and Taiwan in energy, critical minerals, and aerospace including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and drones.

Navigating Domestic Manufacturing, Chinese Imports, and Integration Programs in a New Era. Trump's previous policies and plans may shed some light on future developments for drones in the U.S.

Insights into the broader implications of foreign-made drones, particularly those produced by companies identified as national security risks, and argues for a more robust investment in U.S. drone manufacturing to safeguard the industry and national security.

Balancing Concerns Over Chinese Tech With Investment in U.S. Innovation

Executives from US drone manufacturers are visiting Taiwan to explore potential partnerships aimed at establishing a secure supply chain for the uncrewed systems.

How can we enable a more resilient, adaptable, and scalable drone manufacturing sector?

Building Resilience and Innovation in the American Drone Industry

Simplified and automated manufacturing processes could help eVTOL players break the scale limitations inherent to aerospace

The drone industry is defined by people who are committed to the technology and unlocking the value it can create for individuals and society as a whole,

Key assets and test sites across the state are setting the stage for research and development, manufacturing and more.

Swarm Aero, developer of large uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms, has selected Northwest Arkansas as the site for its advanced, high-volume manufacturing of uncrewed aircraft.

Drones have become increasingly impactful in the construction industry, offering a range of benefits that improve efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness.

Over the last 13 years, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has explored the use of polymer/composite and metal additive manufacturing (AM) as a cost- and time-saving alternative to conventional manufacturing,

The drone industry in 2023 experienced transformative changes, highlighted by significant regulatory shifts, technological advancements, and a growing global market. Much has already been written about the drone industry's achievement in 2023. For a recap of the top stories by category, or a closer look at the 11 biggest news, feel free to check out the respective articles from our partners.

Native American tribes in Oklahoma have poured more than $15.6 billion into the state, while generating billions more from companies that support the tribes' business operations, according to the most recent Oklahoma Native Impact report (fiscal year 2019). The report illustrates how Oklahoma's 38 federally recognized tribes have made an unprecedented impact on the Sooner State's economy through a diverse portfolio of businesses including gaming and hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, retail and professional services, UAS/AAM, among others.

AUVSI and Industry Leaders Launch Unprecedented Campaign to Propel Advanced Air Mobility

Skydio and Trimble Collaborate on New Integration for Utilities, Construction and State Transportation Agencies

In the ever-evolving realm of aerospace, where the boundaries of human ingenuity seem to stretch infinitely, groundbreaking innovations are continually reshaping the landscape of flight. From cutting-edge materials to disruptive technologies, the aerospace industry is experiencing a revolution marked by unprecedented advancements in various domains.

Launched at the beginning of 2019 and currently employing more than 120 research engineers and student technicians, the Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) at Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) is a makerspace for industry-scale automated manufacturing research.

Innovation is soaring to new heights in aerial mobility, and recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are challenging the ways traditional methods of flight path monitoring.

In a new collaboration, Skyports Drone Services, a drone logistics, survey, and monitoring operations company, has teamed up with Norwegian energy company Equinor to lead a new project in the aerial mobility sector. This partnership aims to improve cargo logistics for offshore oil installations in the North Sea, setting a new standard for efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

The Oklahoma business climate is vibrant with growth of traditional industries invigorated with other sectors in more nascent stages. Economic development projects announced in 2022 and led by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce are expected to bring more than 7,000 new jobs and $3.7 billion in new private investment.

In a recent statement, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has addressed two crucial initiatives aimed at facilitating the safe and seamless integration of advanced air mobility (AAM) into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS).

Five pitches to persuade young talent with valuable technical skills to join the A&D sector.

Tulsa, whose existing manufacturing base in energy and aviation has experienced erosion, is one of scores of communities leveraging federal grants under the $1.9 trillion Build Back Better American Rescue Plan, approved in 2021. Tulsa will use the money it's been awarded to help reset and reposition its backbone industries.

The jet engines on commercial airplanes can be absolutely huge. Technically known as turbofans, these machines have massive spinning fans in the front that create thrust by sending air out the back. One specific engine model has a fan that measures about 11 feet across. The engines burn jet fuel, create huge amounts of thrust, and are very loud. 
But what if you could point a ray gun at them and shrink them way down, make them electric, and better yet, very quiet? That's the goal of a company called Whisper Aero, which was founded in 2021.

New Research on Producing Hydrogen from Seawater Could Help Boost Hydrogen Drone Tech

The upcoming AIRTAXI World Congress in San Francisco is finally breaking the ice with what promises to be a show that will go down in history.

Increased automation would be gamechanger for manufacturing of unmanned aerial vehicles and urban air mobility.

During the 2023 Paris Air Show, Archer Aviation Inc. and Stellantis announced progress in their strategic manufacturing partnership. Construction is currently ongoing on the world's first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility located on a roughly 100-acre Covington, Georgia-based campus. Recently, Stellantis raised its strategic shareholding by way of a series of purchases of Archer stock in the open market.

3D printing typically involves a single machine creating an object. But a team of undergraduate researchers has taken that paradigm far outside its box in the Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing (DREAMS) Lab, led by L.S. Randolph Professor Chris Williams.

AUVSI Xponential is taking place in Denver this week.  This morning, the keynote sessions kicked off, including a conversation on cybersecurity issues with AUVSI's Chief Advocacy Officer Michael Robbins and Tobias Whitney, VP of Strategy and Policy at Fortress Information Security

Today in Denver at Xponential 2023, a panel of experts discussed a topic on the minds of everyone in the industry: how do we make aviation profitable?

WindShape, a trailblazing Swiss company established in 2016, has been revolutionizing the drone industry through research, development, testing, inspection, certification, and validation. In an ambitious effort to extend its global presence, WindShape is announcing a strategic partnership with the Osage tribal nation, to open a cutting-edge indoor drone testing and validation facility at the Skyway36 Droneport and Technology Innovation Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Cybersecurity risks is the highest ranked obstacle addressed via smart manufacturing initiatives

As the drone industry grows and new manufacturers enter the market, is the use of open source drone platforms growing?  The Dronecode Foundation, the organizing force behind the PX4 open source drone ecosystem, has published their Year in Review report for 2022: and the metrics tell an interesting story.

Not enough American companies managing to comply with the Blue sUAS program perhaps? It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

The combined power of AI and robotics is revolutionizing mobility and manufacturing. Automated vehicles, airplanes, people movers, and warehouse robots are improving in their range, flexibility, situational awareness, and intelligence, while better technology, a hunger for increased productivity and efficiency, and the pressures of covid-19 lockdowns have fueled investment in autonomous systems. In 2020 and 2021, market debuts for self-driving vehicles alone boasted a collective initial valuation of over $50 billion.

It might take a while for air taxis to take off as manufacturers ramp up production and public officials figure out how to regulate and plan for them, panelists said during a Friday discussion at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.

If you think you can model eVTOL aircraft charging based on the same systems used for electric cars, think again.
That is the message from Josh Portlock, the CTO of Electro, an Australia-based company that manufactures electric aircraft charging products. Portlock delivered his pitch at the recent Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) conference.

Jaunt, a maker of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has signed a letter of intent with Québec-based Vertiko Mobility for an intended initial purchase of 71 Jaunt Journey eVTOLs. It also signed an LOI with Mint Air of South Korea for 40 aircraft to serve the Korean air taxi market.

Oklahoma City based DronePort Network (DPN) has entered into a contract with Osage LLC to develop and manage Skyway 36.

Ed Hill talks to Erik de Seeuw, market manager manufacturing at additive manufacturing experts Materialise and Balazs Kerulo, chief engineer at LIFT Aircraft, about the development of the HEXA eVTOL, a single-seat, semi-autonomous personal aerial vehicle.

Aviation is one of the most innovative industries in the world. It is underpinned by some of the world's brightest minds, captivating startups, and multi-billion dollar organizations that invest colossal sums in highly advanced R&D programs it is a sector that continues to evolve and progress at supersonic speed, with a track record of achieving the impossible.

Our goal at Flyover Future is to highlight the innovation and entrepreneurship going on in the heartland of the U.S. This week, we touch down in St. Louis, a city becoming known for its work in geospatial intelligence, to speak with the co-founders of WingXpand, an aerospace startup that manufactures aviation and aerospace components. James Barbieri is co-founder and CEO of WingXpand and Michelle Madaras is its co-founder and chief customer officer. We spoke to them from Los Angeles where they are participating in the TechStars program.

TOPODRONE, a Swiss based designer and manufacturer of high-precision LiDAR equipment for installation on drones, vehicles and backpacks, launches AQUAMAPPER, a UAV-based solution for bathymetric surveying and marine construction. The new multitasking data collecting device and TOPODRONE LiDAR ULTRA equipment have been successfully used together for airborne surveying at a highway construction project in Romania, EU to deliver a full digital twin of a studied area. 

The $1.2 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract will provide funding for VerdeGo to perform advanced risk reduction on the VH-3-185 hybrid powerplant, which has applications to both military and commercial high-performance electric aircraft.