Drone News: Inspire 2 EOL, Natulis Cargo Drones, Autel in the Ukraine, Superbowl TFR, DJI & the CCP

This week in drone news, DJI has announced the end of life for
the inspire 2, Natulis cargo drones, Autel drones are being used
in the Ukraine conflict, the upcoming Superbowl TFR, and new
information ties DJI to the Chinese Government.


DJI will be discontinuing the Inspire 2 in February “the
following products are expected to be sold out in February 2022
the sales will be stopped immediately.” Will we see an Inspire 3
later this year? Drone XL reported a leak that the inspire 3 may
be coming as soon as September!
https://dronexl.co/2021/12/09/dji-drones-in-2022-inspire-3-mini-3-fpv-mini/
https://dronexl.co/2022/01/27/dji-inspire-2-discontinued/
  


The company Natilus Drone claims they will be able to reduce air
freight costs by 50%. Natilus is based in San Diego, and has 4
sizes of drones in their plan.  The 130T is the largest, and
has a maximum takeoff payload of 955,000lb. It is suitable for
intercontinental flights, as has a range of 5,880 miles. The
N3.8T has a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 19,000 lb,
will be able to carry a load of LD3 containers with a maximum
weight of 8,500 lb.
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/natilus-drone-claims-it-can-cut-air-freight-costs-by-50-percent-features-a-large-payload-180467.html 


Autel aircraft are being used as a resource by those opposing
Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine. Autel’s aircraft are not
militarized but are instead providing overwatch and recon. These
units are being donated by businesses and charities to Ukraine.
  


There WILL be a TFR around the Superbowl again this year. This
will occur on Feb. 13th, 2022 around SoFi Stadium in Inglewood
CA. Game day TFR will go into effect at ~2:30 PM PST.  30 NM
ring centered over the stadium, the surface to 18,000’. Drones
are PROHIBITED in the TFR.  https://www.faa.gov/superbowl
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-announces-super-bowl-lvi-safety-plan 


A Washington Post report reported that DJI maintains close ties
to the Chinese government and received state funding.  This
is despite repeated claims to the contrary.  DJI is not
publicly traded, so the list of investors is hard to uncover.
 Some call this a hit piece ahead of an upcoming FCC vote
regarding DJI.
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/01/china-funding-drones-dji-us-regulators/