By Dan Gettinger On August 28, 2013, an MQ-1 Predator drone took off from March Air Reserve Base in Southern California and headed north. The Predator’s mission was to provide aerial imagery to support almost 4,000 firefighters battling the Rim Fire, which by then had burned 160,000 acres and was …
This database has been updated to reflect new exemptions up to July 31, 2015. By Arthur Holland Michel and Dan Gettinger Until the Federal Aviation Administration implements comprehensive regulations for the use of unmanned aircraft within the U.S. sometime in 2016, only those companies in possession of a Section 333 …
By Dan Gettinger Earlier this year, despite increasing demand for U.S. drones over Iraq and Syria, the Air Force decided to cut the number of drone missions it flies every day. The move is in response to growing concerns within the military and without that Air Force drone missions are …
For an updated analysis of 1033 data, click here. By Dan Gettinger After an exchange of gunfire on Saturday morning, in Dallas, Texas, an explosive ordnance disposal robot rolled up to a van parked outside of a fast food restaurant. James Boulware, the van’s occupant, is suspected of being involved in …
By Dan Gettinger On the afternoon of Monday, June 8, 2015, U.S. senators returning from the weekend will tackle the growing conflagration over defense spending. The Senate will resume debate on H.R.1735, the bill authorizing defense spending for Fiscal Year 2016 that was passed by the House of Representatives on …
By Dan Gettinger On May 20, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released 103 documents that were collected during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. A large portion of the documents, which have been translated into English, are letters between bin Laden and …
By Dan Gettinger When it comes to unmanned flight today, fixed-wing drones like the Predator and Reaper have captured much of the public imagination and debate, particular in the military realm. Less mentioned, however, is the fact that helicopter drones—which are known as Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) UAVs—are a …
By Dan Gettinger On Thursday, April 23, President Obama acknowledged that a CIA drone strike had accidentally killed an American and an Italian in northwest Pakistan in January. The two men, Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto, were aid workers who were captured by al Qaeda in Afghanistan and held …
By Dan Gettinger Today, April 13, experts and delegates from around the world are gathering in Geneva, Switzerland for a discussion on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, or, LAWS. The Meeting of Experts is organized by the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Over the next five days, the representatives …
We have published an updated database of FAA commercial drone exemptions here. By Dan Gettinger On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration released the names of 30 new companies that had approval to use drones commercially. Although the announcement was made quietly, in terms of numbers of companies, this new round …
By Dan Gettinger In January, a DJI Phantom quadcopter drone crashed on the White House lawn. The operator had apparently lost control of the drone while he was flying it outside his apartment window in Washington D.C. For some, this was proof that cheap, small drones such as the Phantom …
By Dan Gettinger On February 17, the United States announced that it will loosen restrictions on the sale of armed drones to foreign nations. The policy, which was outlined in a statement by the Department of State, establishes new rules for the export of drones and makes it easier for …
