Latest news with #Skydio
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Yahoo
Cincinnati Police Department drone program begins covering 40% of city
The drone's sirens wailed. And its red and blue lights flashed as it hovered in front of District 1 Police Headquarters. Through a loudspeaker, a voice echoed from the whirring machine: "Reporting for duty and ready for dispatch." Cincinnati police officially launched a new Drone as First Responder program during a news conference July 25. Chief Teresa Theetge called the program "life-saving" and "future-changing." Law enforcement technology companies Axon and Skydio sent representatives to witness the first flight. Noreen Charlton with Skydio said Cincinnati's program is the largest "drone as first responder" program in the Midwest. Axio's Kristin Lowman said it was one of the most advanced programs in the country. The new police drones can be remotely deployed and piloted toward the scene of an incident from "hives" placed across the city, Charlton explained. Within seconds, a drone could be at the scene of an incident while officers are still on their way. The department first introduced the program earlier this summer as one of its measures to combat an uptick in crime across the city, particularly in the urban core. Police Chief Teresa Theetge said officers have already been using the small aircraft to assist with ongoing investigations, like wanted persons or traffic incidents, and during street crime task force operations. Now, police say docks have been installed across the city to make deployment easier. The program will cover approximately 40% of the city – the Price Hill neighborhoods, Over-the-Rhine, Queensgate, West End, Downtown, CUF, Northside and Spring Grove Village. Theetge said she plans to have 90% of the city covered by the end of the year. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is in the process of launching its own Drone as First Responder program, and other major departments nationwide such as the New York Police Department have programs in place as well. The drones are part of a contract with Skydio, a U.S. manufacturer of drones for police departments and the military, and with Axon. Axon is known for Taser technology, body cameras, and online evidence storage. Cincinnati police's drones integrate with Axon's systems to allow officers to use one platform for monitoring and responding to incidents in progress. Police say drones will be used only in response to dispatched calls for service, not for random surveillance or general patrol. "The camera will be pointed at the horizon line during flight," Theetge said. All drone operators are Federal Aviation Administration-certified and trained in public safety drone use, police say. This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police launch 'Drone as First Responder' program Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Robert W. Baird Maintains a Buy Rating on Axon Enterprise (AXON), Keeps the PT
Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON) is one of the 12 Best Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Long Term. On June 8, analyst William Power of Robert W. Baird maintained a Buy rating on Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON) with a price target of $800. The maintained bullish sentiment comes after President Donald Trump signed two major executive orders on June 6, aimed at significantly enhancing the commercial use of drones in the United States. William Power noted, that the executive orders to enhance the commercial use of drones significantly improve the strategic position of Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON). This becomes more relevant considering the company's strategic partnership with Skydio to deliver scalable drones as first responders for public safety. Power believes the drone market is expected to grow significantly as regulations will allow more drone operations. A technician in a white coat testing an in-car system on a modern military vehicle. Additionally, Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON) acquired Dedrone last year which also strengthens its capabilities in drone technology and provides its field importance. According to analyst Power, the drone and robotics industries are valued to be worth more than $20 billion, thereby presenting an opportunity for the company to deploy more DFR programs. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON) is a global technology company focused on public safety. It manufactures and provides various products including TASER energy devices, body and in-car cameras, and cloud-based software for managing digital evidence. While we acknowledge the potential of AXON as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None.
Nikkei Asia
19-06-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Taiwan needs drone testing that simulates Ukraine warfare: Skydio exec
TAIPEI -- Ukrainian forces have shown the world "what creative drone use could look like" in war, and a testing center that can mimic the electronic warfare conditions of the Russia-Ukraine theater is a "critically important" next step in building Taiwan's capabilities, a major U.S. drone manufacturer's executive said. "You can't learn that unless you actually operate it," Mark Valentine, global head of national security strategy at Skydio, told Nikkei Asia during a visit to Taipei. "If you can create a test range where you can simulate the EW (electronic warfare) conditions that are going on in Russia and Ukraine right now," he said, it would help Taiwan's domestic drone industry and lead to a "highly EW-resilient drone."
CNBC
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- CNBC
The Army is testing 40+ new technologies on the battlefield
CNBC's Morgan Brennan speaks exclusively with industry leaders from GM Defense and Skydio to discuss the U.S. army's ongoing technological overhaul that includes hundreds of drones and autonomous Infantry Squad Vehicles.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China dominates the drone industry. The West needs to change that fast
At its factory near San Francisco Bay, the American drone maker Skydio produces hundreds of drones a month. Its small, high-tech quadcopters, typically equipped with cameras and capable of a dizzying variety of tasks, are in demand among utility companies, aircraft manufacturers, police, fire departments and the military. Skydio's X10 drone, for example, can be used to detect hairline cracks in a concrete bridge, read a car's licence plate from 800ft away, or inspect potential faults in an electricity substation. It can also pilot itself autonomously and stay airborne for up to 40 minutes, travelling at speeds of up to 45mph. The company, which is the biggest drone manufacturer in the US, proudly advertises its machines as 'home-grown aircraft' that reflect 'the best of American innovation, trustworthiness and craftsmanship'. But as recent events demonstrate, that is not quite the full story. Skydio has depended on a stream of critical components from China to produce its drones for years. That dependence was brutally exposed in late 2024, when the Chinese government ordered the company's battery pack suppliers to cut ties with the American firm over business it had done in Taiwan. The move forced Skydio to rely on stockpiles and ration deliveries to its customers, as it scrambled to find alternatives. On Wednesday, a spokesman for the company declined to say whether it had succeeded in doing so. The company's situation is far from unique. Across the West, analysts have warned that drone manufacturers and their customers have become reliant on the Chinese Communist Party's goodwill. Unsurprisingly, that is now prompting calls for a major rethink. Adam Bry, Skydio's founder, described Beijing's move against his company as a 'clarifying moment' for the industry. 'If there was ever any doubt, this action makes clear that the Chinese government will use supply chains as a weapon to advance their interests over ours,' the chief executive wrote in a statement on his company's website. 'This is an attempt to eliminate the leading American drone company and deepen the world's dependence on Chinese drone suppliers. It won't work.' Experts say the security risk of relying on China is twofold. On one hand, Chinese-made drones could collect potentially sensitive data that could be shared with Beijing. On another, companies using Chinese components could have their operations crippled if they suddenly face export restrictions of the kind unleashed on Skydio. Yet breaking the West's dependence on China, which has built up over decades, promises to be a costly affair. According to research by Drone Industry Insights, China controls 90pc of the commercial global drone market. One Chinese firm, DJI, possesses 80pc by itself. The communist country also has a stranglehold on key components, some of which it makes almost exclusively, such as motors and flight controllers, Lithium-ion batteries, sensors, cameras, propellers and frames. Credit:They are also produced at rock-bottom prices, making it extremely difficult for Western companies to compete. That partly reflects huge economies of scale reaped by firms such as DJI, which produces drones from a base in Shenzhen, the vast Chinese metropolis famous for its sprawling hardware industry. But it is also the fruit of Chinese policies designed to ruthlessly corner the market. Under Beijing's 'Made in China 2025' plan, drones were among the critical technologies singled out 10 years ago for generous government support. This makes using Chinese parts financially irresistible for many manufacturers, particularly those that produce high volumes of drones. 'They are bringing out drones at prices that European manufacturers are not capable of matching,' says Kay Wackwitz, of Drone Industry Insights. Of all the patents related to drones that were filed last year, 79pc were registered by Chinese firms, according to analysis by law firm Mathys & Squire. 'It's an indicator of the level of innovation going on in the sector in China, and a warning sign,' says Andrew White, an intellectual property specialist at Mathys & Squire. China's dominance is most pronounced at the cheaper, high-volume end of the market. But when it comes to low-volume, high-end drones such as those used by the military, many Western governments have already taken steps to ensure Chinese drones or parts are excluded. For example, the StormShroud drones recently purchased by the Royal Air Force from Portuguese aerospace manufacturer Tekever, which has a factory in Wales, use no Chinese parts. In fact, the company has rigorously checked its supply chain to ensure there is no exposure to China at all. Credit: X/@RoyalAirForce 'It's really important that companies in the West, for research purposes, test stuff from all over the world, including China, to make sure they stay at the cutting edge,' explains Ricardo Mendes, Tekever's chief executive. 'But that's completely separate from the actual systems that are going into the field, where you need to have a very careful supply chain in place. 'You need to know who your suppliers are, how they manage their own suppliers, everything.' This is a necessity for Tekever because of the highly sensitive nature of its work. But the cost advantage the company could theoretically get from using cheap Chinese parts is also lower, Mendes says. If you are building a small number of highly advanced drones for hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds each, saving £20 on a small component makes little difference. But if you are building thousands of them, that extra cost adds up quickly. One executive at a Western drone maker also points out that some components are clearly riskier than others. Using a Chinese-made battery or engine does not carry the same risks as using a flight controller or radio system, for example. 'If there's no active component that is processing information, there's no way intelligence could be gathered,' the executive adds. But Beijing's leverage over a large number of commercial drone manufacturers is still prompting serious concerns. In 2023, MI5 warned against using drones made in countries with 'coercive data sharing practices', widely seen as a reference to China. But the devices are still used for a range of sensitive activities anyway. For example, Wiltshire Police says on its website that it uses a fleet of 18 drones made by DJI for searches, aerial photography and monitoring high-risk police operations. At the same time, Chinese firms can sometimes take ruthless measures to protect their market positions, says Ian Hudson, a drone enthusiast behind the UAVHive website. Attempts to challenge Chinese manufacturers at the lower end of the market by companies such as Skydio have largely failed, partly because the likes of DJI can afford to drop their prices dramatically. DJI's cheapest drone on Amazon sells for just £169 and comes equipped with a 4K camera. Skydio pulled out of the consumer market in 2023. But chief executive Bry has vowed that Beijing's coercive behaviours will fail in the long run. 'We will come out of this stronger than ever, with the most secure supply chain in the industry,' he says. 'We were targeted because we are the largest drone company outside of China, and because we serve critical customers that advance our national security, but no Western drone manufacturer is safe. 'As we develop the supply of batteries outside of China, we will share our work with our Western peers to help the world move on from this dangerous dependency.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
