U.S. Laser Downs Cartel Drones, 737 Drone Near-Miss & Amazon Expands

The U.S. military has used a high-energy laser to shoot down three drones allegedly operated by drug cartels along the southern border. Max Trescott and David Vanderhoof discuss what the drones may have been doing, the growing use of counter-UAS technology, and the risk of identifying the wrong target.

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Then, a German military counter-drone exercise creates the very kind of aviation hazard it was intended to prevent. A small drone operating near Cologne/Bonn Airport passed only about 92 feet vertically and 30 feet horizontally from a landing Ryanair 737 after a breakdown in coordination between the military and air traffic control.

Amazon is also moving quickly to expand Prime Air drone delivery, with new plans involving Tracy, California, and Richmond, Virginia. The hosts examine Amazon’s enormous MK30 drone and the economics and logistics of drone delivery.

Other stories include SiFly raising $20 million to manufacture its record-setting Q12 quadcopter, DJI maintaining overwhelming dominance among construction-industry drone users, Wing evaluating Nvidia’s newest onboard AI hardware, and a new autonomous-aircraft vertiport at Hollister Municipal Airport.

Finally, Max and David examine what could become a major eVTOL bottleneck: getting enough electrical power to vertiports to recharge multiple aircraft during peak operations.