Drone News Roundup: Leaked Photo of Shell for DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise Edition, DJI Matrice 30 Saves Snowboarder ahead of Launch, and More!

BY Zacc Dukowitz

7 April 2022

This week we’re covering a leaked photo of the shell for a DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise Edition, which is driving speculation about the features and accessories that might come with this new enterprise drone.

We’re also covering a story about a Search & Rescue team in Utah using DJI’s new Matrice 30 to save a lost snowboarder before it was released, Zipline hitting a milestone of one million vaccination deliveries in Ghana, DroneSeed’s work to remove carbon from the atmosphere by planting trees with drones, and the appointment of veteran aviation professional Billy Nolen as the new acting administrator of the FAA.

Now let’s get to those links!

Leaked Picture Shows Mavic 3 Enterprise Edition Shell

Mavic 3 Enterprise, it seems accessory connect via Type C pic.twitter.com/p6LzS4h0KG

— 航拍世家打手 (@DealsDrone) March 31, 2022

In a recent tweet, drone industry insider @DealsDrone shared a picture of what they claim is the shell for the Mavic 3 Enterprise Edition. Based on recent speculation driven by the image and other leaks, the new enterprise drone may feature accessories that include an LED beacon, a loudspeaker, and a spotlight. (All of these accessories are also available with the Mavic 2 Enterprise.) Given these leaks, it seems likely that the Mavic 3 Enterprise could be launched within the next two months.

DJI’s New M30 Helped Save a Lost Snowboarder Before It Was Released

Credit: Weber County SAR

Before DJI’s new Matrice 30 was released, the Weber County Search and Rescue Team in Weber County, Utah were given the opportunity to test it. While they had it on hand a snowboarder went missing and the team was deployed to find him. Using the M30, the team was able to find the snowboarder before they had even left the parking lot and shine a spotlight on him, letting him know that help was on the way. Not only did the drone help find the snowboarder, it also helped the team map out the safest route off of the mountain. Normally this type of operation would have taken eight hours, but it only took four thanks to the drone.

Zipline Delivers 1 million COVID Vaccines in Ghana

Credit: Zipline

Zipline has made one million COVID-19 vaccine deliveries in Ghana using its automated, on-demand delivery system. The Government of Ghana first began working with Zipline in 2019. Since then, Zipline has scaled its presence in the country from making deliveries to just 160 delivery facilities to almost 2,300 today. These deliveries are supported by six distribution centers located throughout the country, which serve over 15 million Ghanian citizens. In addition to the one million vaccine delivery milestone, Zipline has released findings from an independent study that found its services reduced stockouts of vaccines, medicines and other supplies by up to 60%.

DroneSeed to Remove 50,000 Metric Tons of Carbon from the Atmosphere through Shopify Offset Purchase

Credit: DroneSeed

DroneSeed, a drone company that makes drones for planting trees, has gotten into the business of selling carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are an intentional reduction of carbon in the atmosphere through storage, which happens either via land restoration or the planting of trees. In its biggest sale of offsets yet, DroneSeed just sold Shopify 50,000 metric tons of offsets, which means that it will remove that amount of carbon from the atmosphere by planting trees.

FAA Appoints Billy Nolen As New Acting Administrator

Credit: FAA

The FAA has appointed experienced aviation safety professional and former airline captain Billy Nolen to serve as Acting FAA Administrator. Nolen has been leading a team of over 7,600 employees at the FAA since January of this year, conducting work focused on various aspects of aviation safety. Before joining the FAA Billy Nolen was the V.P. for Safety, Security and Quality at WestJet Airlines in Canada. Nolen will be taking the place of Steve Dickson, who left the post at the end of March after about two and half years.

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