Drone News Roundup: Not All New Foreign Drones Will Be Banned, Antigravity A1 Flies through Fireworks, and More!

This week we’re covering new FCC exemptions that mean not all foreign-made drones will be banned after all.

We’re also covering fireworks footage captured with the A1 360 drone, questions around whether the U.S. drone supply chain is ready for independence, Walmart’s expansion of Wing drone delivery, and new research on using drones to deliver AEDs.

Now let’s get to those links!

Not All Foreign Drones Will Be Banned, As Expected

The Voliro T is made in Switzerland—under the FCC’s new exemptions, future models could still be imported

The FCC clarified this week that there will not be a blanket ban on all new foreign-made drones. As anticipated, certain foreign drone companies and use cases will be able to get exemptions. According to the agency, two types of drones may still be eligible for approval:

• Drones that pose minimal national security risk (i.e., aren’t made in China)
• Drones that serve critical roles in areas like inspections, public safety, and infrastructure

These drones will potentially be able to get FCC approval through waivers or alternative review paths. The update adds important nuance to the foreign drone debate, offering a potential lifeline to non-Chinese manufacturers that were not the primary targets of the policy. We don’t yet know what the specific pathway(s) for exemption will be or which companies will get these exemptions—we’ll keep you updated as more information comes out.

LEARN MORE

Flying Through Fireworks with the A1 360 Drone

This short clip shows the Antigravity A1 360 flying through a fireworks display, capturing immersive footage that would be nearly impossible to frame with a traditional forward-facing camera. Fireworks explode in all directions at once, making it nearly impossible for a pilot to predict where to point the camera at any given moment. The video highlights how 360 drones let pilots focus on safe flight paths while choosing the final framing later—especially useful in complex, fast-changing environments like fireworks shows.

LEARN MORE

Is the U.S. Drone Supply Chain Ready for Independence?

Credit: Skydio

A new Forbes analysis argues that the U.S. supply chain isn’t ready for independence from Chinese technology. Many American drone companies continue to rely on foreign-made components—especially motors, batteries, cameras, and radios—which makes it hard to decouple production. In 2024, Skydio had to start rationing batteries when the Chinese government cut off access to its Chinese battery supplier—a clear example of how deeply tied U.S. drone makers are to China. The piece suggests that without addressing these supply chain dependencies, efforts to bring drone manufacturing to the U.S. risk stalling before they can scale.

LEARN MORE

Walmart Expands Wing Drone Delivery to 150 More Stores

Credit: Wing

Drone delivery at scale is here for Walmart. The company recently announced plans to more than double its drone delivery program with Wing, adding 150 more locations to the existing 120 that currently offer it. The expansion builds on earlier pilots and signals growing confidence that drone delivery can work at retail scale—at least for lightweight, short-range orders like groceries and household essentials. If successful, the move will make Walmart one of the largest real-world testbeds yet for routine drone delivery in suburban environments.

LEARN MORE

Duke Researchers Test Drone Delivery of AEDs for Cardiac Arrest Response

Credit: Duke Today

Researchers at Duke University are testing whether drones can deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) faster than traditional emergency response in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. In the study, drones were dispatched to simulated emergencies and successfully delivered AEDs ahead of ground responders, highlighting the potential for aerial delivery to shave critical minutes off response times when every second counts. The research adds to growing evidence that drones could play a meaningful role in emergency medicine—especially in hard-to-reach or time-sensitive situations. Swedish drone company Everdrone has already been using drones for AED delivery for 5 years. It offers the service in 5 countries, and claims to have made over 100 deliveries and saved at least one life.

LEARN MORE

Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.