Drone delivery pioneer Flirtey announced a new cargo-carrying drone and a launch platform that it says will help it begin commercial drone deliveries next year.   "I'm here to tell you that a new age of technology is dawning and it is being driven by mission-driven technology startups," Flirtey CEO and cofounder Matt Sweeny said at a press conference Monday morning at the National Press Club.   "We protect data, we defend the privacy of our customers, we empower our partners, we manufacture in America, we reduce traffic congestion and we reduce carbon emissions and we work hand in hand with the communities who want drone delivery."  

American Aerospace Technologies Inc. (AATI) and its subsidiary company, Sky Scape Industries (SSI), recently successfully tested the concept of using UAS to deliver emergency supplies to first responders after disasters on behalf of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). On July 24 and 25, AATI and SSI completed two UAS research flights at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal in Cape May, New Jersey. Other entities involved in the testing included the New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey Innovation Institutes Unmanned Aviation Systems Test Site, the Delaware River & Bay Authority and the DLA.

Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang has selected Guangzhou, China as its first urban air mobility (UAM) pilot city in the world to establish a low-altitude aviation transportation network that shuttles passengers and goods in a “safe, fast, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient and intelligent way.” Through the pilot program, EHang will help the Guangzhou government establish a command-and-control center to make sure that multiple AAVs flying at the same time in the city can remain in the air in a “safe and efficient manner,” and can respond to emergencies quickly. EHang also plans on helping the city build up the basic infrastructure to support urban air mobility, which will include designing safety rules and market entry thresholds.