Drone News Roundup: DJI Shares Official Launch Date for Avata 360, Godzilla Drone Show Sets World Record, and More!

This week we’re covering DJI announcing a March 26 launch date for the Avata 360.

We’re also covering a new world record from a drone light show featuring Godzilla, data showing 2025 was a record year for drone company funding, AirData’s new public safety drone program platform, and a Drone Responders initiative made to support women in public safety UAS programs.

Now let’s get to those links!

DJI Teases the Avata 360 Ahead of March 26 Launch

Above It All, See It All
26 March 2026 | 12 PM (GMT)
Notify Me: https://t.co/VRsG25xjzz#DJIAvata360 pic.twitter.com/7h9IpiPUd9

— DJI (@DJIGlobal) March 10, 2026

After lots of leaks and speculation, DJI has confirmed that the Avata 360 will come out this year, sharing a launch date of March 26. According to leaks, the Avata 360 will come with an 8K 360-degree camera designed to capture immersive footage, making it the second ever drone with a native 360 camera. (The Antigravity A1 was the first). DJI was able to get FCC approval for the Avata 360 late last year, just before the FCC moved to block all new foreign-made drones from being sold in the U.S. This means the Avata 360 is eligible to launch in the U.S., but we won’t know for sure whether DJI will launch here until the day of the launch.

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Apple’s Godzilla Series Sets “Tallest Drone Light Show” World Record

To promote the upcoming season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Apple TV+ put on a drone light show featuring Godzilla, winning a new Guinness World Record in the process. The record is for the tallest aerial display of a fictional character formed by drones, and you can see how massive the show was in the video. The show  reached a max height of 457 feet, using over 3,000 drones to create huge illuminated monsters high above the ground, including a towering Godzilla rising into the night sky.

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Drone Funding Hit Record High in 2025

Image source: Drone Industry Insights

Investment in drone companies reached a record high in 2025. According to a new report from Drone Industry Insights, funding reached USD 3.86 billion in 2025, surpassing the previous high of USD 3.67 billion in 2021. Of that funding, 77% went to “dual-use” technologies that serve both commercial and defense applications. The report notes that companies working on autonomous systems, counter-UAS technologies, and logistics drones captured a large share of new funding. The surge reflects growing investor interest in drone technology as governments and industries expand their use of uncrewed systems.

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AirData Launches Public Safety Drone Program Platform

Image source: AirData

AirData has launched a new platform designed specifically for public safety drone programs. The system expands AirData’s flight logging and fleet management tools with features tailored for police, fire, and search-and-rescue teams, including mission tracking, pilot readiness checks, and compliance reporting. According to AirData, the goal is to help agencies manage drone operations more systematically while maintaining documentation and oversight for complex public safety deployments.

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DroneResponders Highlights Women in Public Safety Drone Work

Image source: DroneResponders

DroneResponders is spotlighting women working with drones in public safety through an initiative called Women DroneResponders. The project focuses on building connections, visibility, and career pathways for women already leading drone programs, as well as students and future operators looking to enter the field. As part of the initiative, panels and networking sessions at the recent DroneResponders NACON conference highlighted the work of current women leaders in public safety UAS, while also introducing students interested in entering the field.

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