TopicsCOVER STORY
Drone as First Responder Policy: An Owner and Evidence Matrix
A blank matrix that assigns each drone-as-first-responder rule an owner and a record. One county FAQ is the example. Unknown cells stay blank.
The full list of dispatches is on All Publications & Dispatches.
News
Munson Healthcare Drone Delivery, Phase Two: What the Michigan Pilot Is Testing
Munson Healthcare's drone delivery pilot in Traverse City has announced phase two for October 6 to 30, 2026. What it tests, what phase one showed, and what is not public.
Topics
Drone Communications Relay: How a UAS Brings Connectivity Where Cell Service Fails
How drones relay data for responders without cell service: aerial cell sites, local and mesh relays, store-and-forward, tethered or free-flying, and what limits each one.
Topics
GPS Spoofing, Jamming and Drones: How UAS Navigation and Control Are Protected
What GPS jamming and spoofing do to a drone, how operators can detect them, which public safeguards reduce the risk, and why jamming a drone yourself is illegal in the U.S.
Topics
Drone Search and Rescue Under Forest Canopy: How a UAS Search Is Optimized
What optimizing a drone search and rescue flight actually changes, why forest canopy makes it hard, which levers help, and how to check a detection claim before relying on it.
Archive
UAS Triple Challenge Archive: The 2021–2022 First Responder Prize Competition
A sourced record of NIST PSCR's First Responder UAS Triple Challenge: who ran it, what the three challenges asked for, the $720K award pool, the FAQ rules and where results are.
News
Walmart Drone Delivery in Denver, Colorado and Seattle: What Wing's 2027 Plan Means
Wing and Walmart plan drone delivery for Denver and Seattle in 2027. What is confirmed, where Colorado suburbs stand on drone hubs, the dates to watch and what is still unknown.
HISTORICAL ARCHIVE & STANDARDS
The First Responder UAS Triple Challenge Record
Explore the competition prize rounds held between 2021 and 2022 by NIST and Kansas State University, detailing public safety search & rescue flight challenges, sensor payloads, and counter-UAS evaluation standards.
Topics
Remote ID Serial Numbers: A Registration Audit for Mixed Drone Fleets
Match each Remote ID serial to the FAA inventory row for a mixed fleet, and leave a cell blank when no opened source names it.
Topics
How to Get FAA Authorization for a 0-Foot Grid Drone Flight
A Part 107 route check for a 0-foot UAS Facility Map square: LAANC further coordination, FAADroneZone, on-airport jobs, and waivers.
Topics
Emergency Drone Authorization: An SGI Request and Handoff Checklist
A checklist for U.S. emergency drone requests: which Special Governmental Interest route applies, what to record, and what a denial still forbids.