Drone News: Section 2209, Public Comments, Drone Incursions, ACSL x Draganfly, 7 yrs of News Update

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have five stories for you this week; the FAA dropped Section 2209 NPRM, the public comment window is closing on DJI's FCC Covered List challenge, a record-breaking 218 drone incursions over wildfires last year, ACSL is Partnering with Draganfly, and today marks 7 years of uninterrupted drone news!

First up this week, the FAA has finally filed its long-overdue Section 2209 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or NPRM. This opens a 60-day comment window that will determine how fixed-site facilities can apply for permanent drone restrictions over their property. The 181-page rule creates a new 14 CFR Part 74 framework with two tiers: a Standard Unmanned Aircraft Flight Restriction and a Special UAFR. The FAA proposes limiting eligibility to 16 critical infrastructure sectors, which could encompass more than 9,000 eligible facilities. The proposed rule includes a transit lane for commercial operators! Drones operating under Parts 91, 107, 108, 135, and 137 will be allowed to transit a Standard UAFR if they broadcast Remote ID, transit in the shortest practicable time, and notify the facility. Unfortunately, recreational flyers are not on that list. This rule explicitly does NOT grant facility operators counter-drone authority, such as jamming or drone capture. It is strictly an airspace designation. Next, the deadline to submit public comments on the FCC petition regarding DJI's placement on the Covered List is rapidly approaching on May 11, 2026. DJI is challenging the FCC's December 2025 decision that effectively blocks the authorization of new affected products for sale or import into the United States. DJI has pursued legal action in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. So far, more than 460 comments have been submitted, and the Department of Defense has recently urged the FCC to reject DJI's petition.Third up, the U.S. Forest Service reported a staggering 218 drone sightings over active wildfires in 2025. Most of these happened during the Eaton and Palisades, which includes the one on January 9, 2025 where a privately flown drone actually collided with a Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper aircraft, punching a 3-by-6-inch hole in the left wing. Remember, DJI removed mandatory geofencing enforcement from its consumer drones in early 2025, shifting to advisory warnings. Check for TFRs on tfr.faa.gov.Next up, Draganfly Inc. and ACSL signed an exclusive master distributor agreement on May 7, 2026, making Draganfly the sole Canadian distributor of ACSL's drone technology. The agreement also includes technical integration work between the two companies' platforms. The initial product offering is the ACSL SOTEN. Under the integration component of the agreement, Draganfly's Apex and Commander 3XL drones will be made compatible with SOTEN's swappable payloads and the TAITEN ground control station, allowing operators to mix components across both manufacturers' systems. SOTEN joins Draganfly's existing lineup of Apex, Commander 3XL, and Heavy Lift platforms.And last up, Today marks 7 years of uninterrupted drone news! We’ve covered a ton of ground since we started, with over 460,000 students, over a million enrollments, including 148,000 Part 107 students, 61,000 free stickers, which will continue to be free thanks to community donations, over 28,000 active members in our community, over 365,000 free TRUST certificates issued, and over 19,000 WINGS credits issued on the FAASafety platform. Thank you for your support! We’ll see you on Monday for the live and on post flight in the premium community!https://dronelife.com/2026/05/05/public-comment-window-closing-fcc-weighs-dji-challenge-to-covered-list-ruling/https://dronexl.co/2026/05/01/218-wildfire-drone/https://dronexl.co/2026/05/05/faa-section-2209-nprm-drops/https://acsl-usa.com/https://draganfly.com/