Drone News: DJI's Products in Limbo, Autonomous Airplane Flights, Drone Show Makes History

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update, We have three stories for you this week: DJI reveals that 25 unreleased products are stuck in regulatory limbo, Reliable Robotics raises 160 million dollars for autonomous cargo flights, and Starlight Aerial Productions makes history at Sun N Fun. Let's get to it.

First up this week, DJI has filed a sharply worded brief in its Ninth Circuit court fight with the FCC, and they finally put specific numbers on how much the current ban is hurting their pipeline. According to the filing, the FCC has already voided authorizations for 14 existing products, which includes five drones and nine other products that are currently unreleased, and 25 planned product launches for 2026… This means a total of 39 DJI projects won’t hit the market this year due to the FCC ban. According to DJI, this will cause a 1.56 billion dollar loss this calendar year alone. DJI's legal team filed a briefing, arguing that the FCC is trying to run out the clock by not making a formal decision. They are also making a major constitutional argument, claiming that FCC staff shouldn't have the power to ban entire product categories without a full Commission vote and judicial review. DJI is asking the court for a six-month pause on the ban to force the FCC to make a formal decision and issue a final ruling. This is obviously a massive deal for our drone industry, specifically consumers, public safety, and even some enterprise. We will keep a close eye on how the court responds.Next up, Reliable Robotics has closed a 160 million dollar funding round, bringing the company's valuation to nearly 1 billion dollars. The company, led by a former SpaceX engineer, is trying to certify an uncrewed Cessna 208 Caravan under Part 23 airworthiness rules. Instead of building a brand new drone from scratch, Reliable's system retrofits an already-certified Cessna 208 with a continuous autopilot that handles taxi, takeoff, cruise, and landing, all while a ground operator monitors the flight. They actually flew a Cessna with no one on board for 12 minutes back in November 2023. Now, they are planning to run autonomous cargo routes between airports in New Mexico and Colorado starting this summer.

This is a huge step for large Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations. By putting autonomy into an airframe the FAA already knows and trusts, they are cutting a clear pathway for autonomous commercial cargo. If they actually start moving paying freight in US-controlled airspace this summer, that will be another major jump forward, and will set a massive precedent for every commercial operator out there. Last up, Starlight Aerial Productions and the Red Bull Air Force, staged what they describe as a first in airshow history: three people in wing suits flying through an illuminated drone formation at approximately 2,000 feet AGL during the night show. The demonstration was part of the event's "Red, White & Blue at 52" theme, marking both the 52nd annual expo and the 250th anniversary of the United States. The performance required months of planning, safety validation, and rehearsals coordinated among the FAA, Starlight, and the Red Bull Air Force to integrate crewed human flight with unmanned aerial systems in a live audience setting. The drone formation used American-made Lumenier Arora drones and was choreographed to create a three-dimensional lighted gateway timed to the wingsuiters' flight paths. And let me tell you, it was a great show and super cool to see the wing suits fly through the drone show! Be sure to join us in the Premium Community for Post flight, where we share our opinions that aren’t always suitable for YouTube, and on Monday for the live! We’ll see you next week! https://dronexl.co/2026/04/21/reliable-robotics-160m-nimble-partners-faa-certification/https://dronexl.co/2026/04/22/dji-ninth-circuit-opposition-brief-fcc-ban-1-56-billion/https://starlightdroneshows.com/