Drone News: Mavic 4 Date & Pricing, Battery For Extreme Cold, Missing Person Found, & FAA Nominee

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for
you this week. First, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro's launch date, specs,
and pricing have been leaked. Second, a research team developed a
battery that lets drones fly in extreme cold. Third, a missing
woman in Wisconsin was found quickly, thanks to a drone. And
finally, President Trump nominates a new FAA Administrator.





And first up this week, we have exciting leaked information about
the DJI Mavic 4 Pro. According to sources, the drone is set to
launch on Thursday, April 24th, 2025. Expect an official teaser
from DJI around April 17th. This is pretty much in line with
previous leaks, giving us confidence in this date.The Mavic 4 Pro
will boast three cameras with focal lengths of 28mm, 70mm, and
168mm. That's 2.5x and 6x which is slightly different from the
current 3x/7x configuration. It will reportedly record in 6K,
with a larger sensor than the Mavic 3, promising even better
image quality. The gimbal is getting a major redesign, with
360-degree multidirectional movement. An unexpected feature...
The Mavic 4 Pro will reportedly feature an electronic ND filter
system so no more carrying ND filters around. If that is true, I
will be impressed!DJI is claiming a flight time of 52 minutes. As
far as charging: three batteries in only 90 minutes, aligning
with the leaked 240W charger specs. And it looks like a new
controller is coming – the DJI RC Pro 2, featuring a 7-inch
tilting touchscreen.Price-wise, the leaks suggest the Mavic 4 Pro
with the DJI RC2 will be $2,250. The Fly More Combo with the RC2
is priced at $3,200. And the top-tier 512GB Creator Combo,
including the new DJI RC Pro 2 Controller, will cost you $4,400.
Next up, a research team from the Dalian Institute of Chemical
Physics has made a breakthrough in battery technology. They've
successfully flown a hexacopter drone in temperatures as low as
-32.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or -36 degrees Celsius. This is a big
deal because standard lithium-ion batteries struggle in extreme
cold, often losing 30% to 50% of their capacity.This new battery,
however, retains over 90% of its nominal capacity at -40 degrees
Fahrenheit, with endurance loss under 10%. Beyond drones, this
tech could also benefit electric vehicles and remote power
stations.And in our third story, a real-world drones-for-good
story! In Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, a 59-year-old woman was
quickly located by a drone after ground searches failed. She had
been outdoors for about three hours and was unable to stand.
Rescuers reached her within one minute of detection, just before
a storm rolled in. The interesting part here is that the
Wisconsin Rapids Police Department didn't own the drone. They
relied on Wings of Hope, a non-profit organization. This
highlights the financial challenges many smaller departments face
in acquiring this life-saving technology. As we see affordable
drones becoming harder to get because of regulation, this might
prevent small departments from getting ANY drones at all.Finally,
this week, the White House nominated Bryan Bedford, CEO of
Republic Airways, to head the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bedford, a pilot with over 30 years of experience, faces
significant challenges if confirmed. These include decisions on
Boeing 737 MAX production, approval of new 737 variants, and
addressing a shortage of approximately 3,500 air traffic
controllers.https://dronexl.co/2025/03/19/dji-mavic-4-pro-launch-date-features-prices/https://dronexl.co/2025/03/17/chinas-breakthrough-battery-powers-drone/https://dronexl.co/2025/03/17/drone-missing-woman-wisconsin-rapids/https://transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=408316#:~:text=Joint%20statement%20of%20Transportation%20and,Administrator%20of%20the%20Federal%20Aviation