Drone Software
Drone Software
Autonomy stacks, fleet management, and detect-and-avoid software.
About Drone Software
Procore, a construction software company, paid $845 million in September for DroneDeploy, which builds no aircraft. Its software runs a drone's flight checks and turns the pictures into maps and 3D models. Procore says it is used on more than 3 million jobsites.
Delivery depends on software that keeps drones apart. Wing and Flytrex flew roughly 8,000 overlapping delivery flights over two Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs in January and February, on a published standard any operator can join. Neither system can tell the other that an aircraft is in trouble.
On the battlefield, Swarmer says its coordination software has flown more than 100,000 missions in Ukraine since April 2024. Under a UK Ministry of Defence competition, up to 12 British companies will train AI on Ukraine's drone footage, and Ukraine will own the models.
The FAA rule that would let drones fly beyond sight without case-by-case waivers, Part 108, was still under review at the White House budget office in October. It had been there since 10 July.
Coverage
Ukraine Keeps the Drone AI UK Firms Train on Its Footage
Up to 12 British firms get free use of Ukraine's battlefield drone data, at their own cost, with £1.25 million later shared by five.
FAA Pays $11.7m for Drone Tests While Its BVLOS Rule Waits
The FAA announced $12 million for 19 companies. Contract records show 19 awards to 14 recipients, four of them to one firm.
Kite Aero Starts Geelong Production of Former Swoop Drone
A Zimbabwe operator can now fly it beyond sight, but the 100-plus units Kite Aero cites are a pipeline, with no orders disclosed.
Procore Completes $845 Million Purchase of DroneDeploy
DroneDeploy now answers to a construction software firm that plans to sell it to its own customers and feed its site imagery to AI.
Israel Creates Fourth IDF Branch for Unmanned Systems, AI
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered a new service branch for drones, robotics and AI, alongside the Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy, to open by December.
Textron and Merlin Propose Pilotless SkyCourier Cargo Drone
The SkyCourier UX removes the cockpit from a certified twin turboprop and hands it to Merlin's autonomy: three tons, 1,000 miles, half-mile airstrips.
DoorDash got an airline licence and kept its drone partners
DoorDash won FAA Part 135 certification in July and starts flying its own drones this autumn. Wing and Flytrex are partners, and now suppliers.
Wing and Flytrex share Dallas airspace, but not emergencies
The two flew 8,000 overlapping flights over two Texas suburbs with no conflicts. Neither system tells the other when an aircraft is in trouble.
Germany, Britain and France Buy Military AI Three Ways
Germany signed loitering-munition frameworks it can cancel, Britain a targeting network and a Palantir partnership, France a sovereign deal with Mistral.
Ondas Q1 Revenue Jumps 1,065% on Counter-Drone Demand
Ondas reported Q1 revenue of $50.1 million, up 1,065% year on year, and raised full-year guidance to $390 million on a $457 million backlog.
Swarmer Logs 100,000 Combat Missions in Ukraine
Ukrainian drone autonomy startup Swarmer has logged over 100,000 real-world combat missions since April 2024, coordinating swarms of up to 690 drones.
SkyfireAI Raises $11M for Autonomous Multi-Drone Operations
SkyfireAI raised $11M to build AI software that lets one operator manage multiple drones for 911 and rescue missions.
Stendr Raises $5.4M Pre-Seed for Nordic Counter-Drone AI
Norwegian startup Stendr raised $5.4M in pre-seed funding to build an AI-native defense platform targeting Europe's drone detection and response gap.
Thales Wins Singapore's National UTM System Contract
Thales and Deeeplabs will build one portal to register, approve and track every drone flight in Singapore. No value or go-live date is public.
Kraus Hamdani's $270M Air Force Award Is Still Unconfirmed
The only matching federal record is a $45 million sole-source contract with $21.7 million ordered. The Air Force has not confirmed $270 million.
PLA Drone Doctrine: Swarms, AI, and Cognitive Collapse
A translated PLA report reveals China's air warfare future: autonomous drone swarms, hypersonic strikes, and AI warfare.
NODA AI Raises $25M for Autonomous Military Systems
NODA AI closed a $25M Series A led by Bessemer to develop an AI orchestration platform integrating autonomous systems across air, land, sea, and space.
UVify Raises $41.7M in Korea's Largest Drone Investment
UVify secured $41.7M from CRIT Ventures and Nexon parent NXC, backing a pivot from drone swarm entertainment into defense and autonomous flight.
Corvus Robotics Cuts 65 Labor Hours Weekly With Drones
Southern Glazer's deployed 40+ Corvus One drones across nine US distribution centers, logging 5,000 flights and 35,000 flags.
UK Army AI Drones Detect Landmines in Live Trial
Britain's DSTL successfully tested AI-powered drones to detect landmines and explosive ordnance, with further trials planned ahead of full procurement.
Companies
Flytrex
Israeli drone delivery company flying suburban restaurant orders in Texas and North Carolina for DoorDash and Uber Eats under Causey Aviation's Part 135.
Israel
Palantir Technologies
US software company selling data integration and operational analytics platforms to defense, intelligence and commercial customers.
United States
Wing
Alphabet's drone delivery subsidiary, operating commercial package delivery in the United States and abroad, largely with Walmart.
United States
AeroVironment
US manufacturer of small tactical UAS, loitering munitions and counter-UAS systems, transformed in scale by its 2025 acquisition of BlueHalo.
United States
Amazon Prime Air
Amazon's drone delivery division, flying autonomous last-mile delivery in the US and UK and attempting a sixfold expansion of its service area in 2026.
United States
Boeing
Boeing is a US aerospace manufacturer with commercial-airplane, defense and space, and fleet-services businesses.
United States
Booz Allen Hamilton
US management and technology consultancy serving federal defense, intelligence and civil agencies, with large AI, cyber and autonomy practices.
United States
Corvus Robotics
US autonomous drone company producing inventory management systems for large-scale warehouse and distribution center operations.
United States
Products
HoverAir AQUA
Zero Zero Robotics
A 249 g self-flying camera that floats, takes off from water and is rated for Level 7 wind. Nothing else does the job, it has no obstacle avoidance, and it is not sold in the United States.
DJI Neo 2
DJI
A 151 g self-flying camera with the omnidirectional sensing and forward LiDAR its predecessor lacked, at a price that makes it the cheapest DJI worth buying. Nineteen minutes and a 1/2-inch sensor are the limits.
HoverAir X1 PROMAX
Zero Zero Robotics
A flying camera rather than a drone: it follows you, films you in 8K and needs no piloting. Sixteen minutes and rear-only sensing are the price of the 192 g frame.
Skydio X10
Skydio
A serious U.S.-made enterprise platform built around autonomy, sensors, and government-grade deployment rather than mass-market volume.
Funding
Growth
Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Disruptive, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, CPP Investments, General Catalyst, Plural, StepStone
HelsingUndisclosed
Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Advent, Döpfner Capital
STARKSeed
Mucker Capital, AI Fund, SaaS Ventures, Halogen, HBS Alumni Angels, New York Angels
SkyfireAISeed
Rainfall Ventures, ACME Capital, Skyfall Ventures, Sisyphus Ventures, Antler, Startuplab, Off Piste, Andøya Ventures
StendrContracts
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Not-to-exceed IDIQ for system improvements, configuration development, integration, production…
U.S. Air Force
General Atomics
Contractor logistics support for Taiwan's MQ-9B drones through 31 August 2029, paid with Foreign…
U.S. Coast Guard
General Atomics
Order for four MQ-9B long-range drones with ground control stations and supporting equipment, placed…
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Not-to-exceed undefinitized modification for three MQ-25A Stingray low-rate initial production Lot 1…
U.S. Army
AeroVironment
Production of LOCUST X3 30 kW laser weapon systems under the Enduring-High Energy Laser programme…