Drone News: Zipline Expands, NASA for Drone Hazards, Drone Detectors at Border, BRINC Raises 75m

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have 4 stories for you
this week. Zipline expands its drone delivery service into Texas
through a partnership with Walmart, NASA is developing a new
system designed to predict drone hazards before they happen,
Pierce Aerospace has deployed drone detectors to the US Border,
and BRINC raises $75m.





First up this week, Zipline is bringing its drone delivery
service to the Dallas area, starting in Mesquite, Texas. This
expansion comes through a partnership with retail giant Walmart.
Customers in the service area can now sign up to get orders
delivered in about 30 minutes using Zipline's latest drone model,
the P2 Zip.The drone can carry payloads up to eight pounds within
a 10-mile radius. Zipline boasts about their precision, claiming
"dinner plate-level" accuracy, meaning they can land a package on
a space as small as a doorstep or a small table. The P2 Zip uses
both lift and cruise propellers and has a fixed-wing design,
which helps it fly quietly and handle gusts of wind up to 45
miles per hour, even in the rain.The delivery process is
interesting: the P2 Zip hovers around 300 feet up, then lowers a
smaller container, called the 'delivery zip,' on a tether. This
smaller unit uses fan-like thrusters to maneuver precisely into
place before gently setting the package down. Both parts use
cameras, sensors, and Nvidia chips to navigate and avoid
obstacles.Next up, NASA is working on making drone flights safer
with an advanced software system designed to predict potential
airborne hazards *before* they actually occur. It's called the
In-Time Aviation Safety Management System, or IASMS for short.
The main idea behind IASMS is real-time risk assessment. Instead
of just reacting when something goes wrong, like a loss of
navigation or communication, the system aims to anticipate these
kinds of threats and alert drone operators ahead of time.Michael
Vincent from NASA’s Langley Research Center put it simply, saying
the system ideally works unnoticed in the background, only
intervening right before an unusual situation might arise. NASA
has been putting IASMS through its paces. Back on March 5th, they
ran extensive simulations at the Ames Research Center. These
focused on complex scenarios like hurricane relief missions
involving multiple drones doing things like
beyond-visual-line-of-sight supply drops and inspections.Next up,
Pierce Aerospace just announced a partnership with a company
called Skylark Labs, bringing some next-level drone detection
tech to the US-Mexico border and beyond. Basically, they've put
Pierce's YR1 Remote ID Sensor and other drone detection sensors
on Skylark's 100-foot Scout Tower, alongside this tech they are
calling "Superintelligence AI."What makes this setup special is
that the AI actually learns in real-time from the data it
collects in the field, rather than relying on pre-programmed
stuff that might be outdated. The system can detect, track, and
identify drones and other potential threats, giving border
security and law enforcement a much better picture of what's
happening both in the air and on the ground. Last up,
Seattle-based drone manufacturer BRINC secured $75m in new
funding and announced a strategic alliance with Motorola
Solutions. The alliance integrates BRINC drones with Motorola's
APX radios, VESTA 911 call management systems, Computer Aided
Dispatch, and Real-Time Crime Center Software. This means that
drones could get dispatched automatically.Join us later for happy
hour in the community. We are also BACK for the live Q&A on
Monday after a 3-week hiatus due to the move and travel.
Post-flight is also back on Monday in the premium community as
well. So we'll see you
then.https://dronexl.co/2025/04/06/nasa-drone-safety-hazard-detection/https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/drone-delivery-startup-zipline-expands-to-texas-with-walmart.htmlhttp://pierceaerospace.net/