Welcome to your Weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week: an update on the NDAA bill, drone leaks and releases, and a drone story for good. Let’s get to it!
NDAA Bill Update: Good News for Drone Users
The Senate has released its manager’s package of 93 amendments for the 2025 NDAA. The Canceling CCP Drones Act was not included in the package. This is obviously a fantastic development, but we should not let off the pressure just yet.
While this isn’t the end of the road for this attempt to pass the Canceling CCP Drones Act through the NDAA or even as a standalone bill, it is a very good sign. The NDAA will now be debated between the Senate and the House until both entities agree on the language, with very little time left to negotiate.
Be sure to keep contacting your senators and representatives to educate them on how this bill would hurt drone users across the United States.
DJI Leaks and Skydio Event
Possible Mavic 4 Leak
This week, we saw a leaked image of a possible Mavic 4. As always, the image is very pixelated and taken from far away, so we don’t even know if it’s actually a Mavic 4. Take this with a grain of salt.
The possible Mavic 4 appears to have a three-camera setup on what is likely a testing body. A Mavic 3 Pro was also in the image, along with a Sony A7IV and possibly a Lumix S5II. It’s tough to speculate what may be different without more information, but we’ll keep you posted if we hear more.
Air 3S Pricing Leak
Speaking of rumors, the Air 3S pricing has been leaked, including three different combos:
- Air 3S with RCN3 controller: $1,045
- Air 3S with RC2 controller (with built-in screen): $1,310
- Air 3S Fly More Combo: $1,494
These prices are leaked, so they’re not final. Specific features are still sparse, with many hoping for a larger sensor than the Air 3. We’ll keep you updated when we see more.
Skydio X10 Dock and DFR Platform
Skydio held an event this week where they released a dock for their Skydio X10 drone, as well as a DFR (Drone as First Responders) platform. The platform is geared mainly towards law enforcement agencies and is being developed in partnership with Axon.
This announcement follows the footsteps of other manufacturers that have been releasing drone-in-a-box solutions over the last few years, including Skydio themselves with the X2 dock, Autel, and DJI with their Dock and Dock 2.
The DFR solution announcement also comes with the rise in popularity of the concept, which was pioneered over the last few years by companies such as Chula Vista PD, Cape, and Paladin, along with many public safety agencies. Another American manufacturer, Brinc, announced their DFR program earlier this year as well.
Drones for Good: Missing Person Found
In Tulsa County, an 87-year-old man with dementia went missing around 2:30 in the morning. The family was unable to locate the man and called the Police. The police responded with K9 units and a Thermal Drone around 4:30 in the morning. The drone spotted a person near the K9 team, locating the missing man who was unharmed. Great job to all involved and excellent use of the drone!
Pilot Institute Community Update
The winner of the September drone photo contest is Bobby Johnson. The theme was “colorful,” and he captured an image called “Full Colors at Riverfront Park” in Billings, Montana. Congratulations to Bobby, who will receive a trophy and $250!
If you’re not already a member of the community, make sure to check it out at pilotinstitute.com/community.
That’s it for this week! We’ll see you on Postflight in the community on Monday, and then we’ll see you for a happy hour in the community at 4:00 tonight.
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