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Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet receives FAA Clearance

Amazon drone

Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet receives FAA Clearance

Retail behemoth Amazon.com Inc. took a big leap toward delivering goods from the sky by becoming one of only a handful of companies certified by the U.S. government to operate as a drone airline.

The Federal Aviation Administration designated Amazon Prime Air an “air carrier,” the company said Monday. That allows Amazon to begin its first commercial deliveries in the U.S. under a trial program, using the high-tech devices it unveiled for that purpose last year.

Continue reading “Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet receives FAA Clearance”
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Swiss company Matternet starts test medical drone delivery in North Carolina

medical drone

Swiss company Matternet starts test medical drone delivery in North Carolina

Matternet, a Swiss company, began a three-year test programme of its delivery drones under a program run by the N.C. Department of Transportation and authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration. The North Carolina program is one of 10 the FAA chose nationwide to try to determine how drones, or unmanned aircraft systems, can be put to commercial use in the United States. Continue reading “Swiss company Matternet starts test medical drone delivery in North Carolina”

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What is BVLOS flight & that does it mean for commercial drone industry

BVLOS flight

What is BVLOS flight & that does it mean for commercial drone industry

“Beyond visual line of sight” (BVLOS) is the most talked about concept in the commercial drone world today. It means that drones fly beyond the visual line of sight of the operator. There are 2 key factors that make BVLOS flight a tipping point for commercial drone industry expansion. The first is enabling service providers to conduct complex drone operations. The second is enabling drones to be able to conduct truly unmanned flight with no pilot needed for take-off or landing. Continue reading “What is BVLOS flight & that does it mean for commercial drone industry”

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Blockchain-Based Cargo Drones, Developed by SKYF (video)

SKYF

Blockchain-Based Cargo Drones, Developed by SKYF

A metal frame with four small and two large propellers – carrying a container the size of a refrigerator – rises into the air with a roar, hovering above an empty road amidst snowy fields. The video was shot on the airfield near the Russian city of Kazan, which is located to the south-east of Moscow, and the machine is a SKYF drone, designed by a team of Russian aviation engineers. Continue reading “Blockchain-Based Cargo Drones, Developed by SKYF (video)”

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Dronamics’ Black Swan fixed-wing cargo drone can carry 800 pounds

black swan

Dronamics’ Black Swan fixed-wing cargo drone can carry 800 pounds

Svilen and Konstantin Rangelov have made the first airplane designed in Bulgaria in 70 years, in the form of a fixed-wing cargo drone capable of carrying nearly 800 pounds for up to 1,550 miles. Svilen is CEO of Dronamics, with Konstantin serving as chief technology officer. Together with a small team of engineers, the brothers Rangelov have worked on this autonomous cargo drone for four years, eager to not only compete with other delivery drones in the industry but leave them in the dust. Continue reading “Dronamics’ Black Swan fixed-wing cargo drone can carry 800 pounds”

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Drone deliveries in China are on the fast track

drone deliveries in china

Drone Deliveries in China are on the fast track

JD.com and SF Holding are building networks of large and small UAVs, and working with regulators to create rules for widespread use.

The day after Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc.’s mid-year sale, a company drone took off from a playground in the city of Xi’an to deliver one of the orders in a football-sized box to a village in the mountains to the south. Continue reading “Drone deliveries in China are on the fast track”

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Federal Aviation Administration approves 10 new drone projects

Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Aviation Administration approves 10 new drone projects

The Federal Aviation Administration, after soliciting proposals for drone testing, has approved 10 of them. These tests should start to help the agency lay the framework for how and where the technology will be used.

On this episode of Industry Focus: Energy & Industrials, host Sarah Priestley is joined by Motley Fool contributor Daniel Kline to talk about a few of the drone projects that have been approved for testing. These include a test in bad weather in Alaska, two that involve delivery, and another that tests the precision agriculture application. Continue reading “Federal Aviation Administration approves 10 new drone projects”