Army’s $7 Billion Counter-Drone Push, DJI Chip Ban & Lowe’s Drone Delivery

The U.S. Army is opening the door to as much as $7 billion in counter-drone spending through a massive IDIQ contract covering a wide range of detection and defeat technologies. We look at why the Pentagon is spreading the work among numerous companies and how the program could support both military operations and the Domestic Drone Shield.

Video of the Week: SF startup develops terrifying drone that stalks people.

We also discuss plans to protect Cape Canaveral with laser-based counter-drone systems, and a new lawsuit from 15 states challenging the federal government’s environmental review process for drone delivery operations.

Meanwhile, another regulatory hurdle is arriving for drone manufacturers: new FCC restrictions affecting DJI and Autel components used inside newly authorized U.S.-built drones.

On the commercial side, Lowe’s is partnering with DoorDash and Alphabet’s Wing to deliver hardware by drone, while Matternet sees similar opportunities delivering replacement auto parts directly to technicians. The DOT is also studying whether existing cellular networks could become part of future drone traffic-management infrastructure.

Plus, the University of Alaska Fairbanks tests long-distance transport of a 200-pound blood payload, a police drone tracks down a runaway emu, and a Part 107 pilot pleads guilty after flying a drone over active runways at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.