Read or listen to all of the headlines in one place: excerpts from the DRONELIFE drone news of the week, June 17.  Click on the links below to read or listen to each story in full.

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The drone news of the week:

Wisk Aero Signs Agreement to Bring Autonomous Air Taxi Program to Australia

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) leader Wisk Aero has formed a partnership with the Council of Mayors South East Queensland in order to introduce its autonomous air taxi service to the region. Wisk will also be bringing on locally-based personnel to expand its physical presence in Australia.

London Biggin Hill Airport Deploys Altitude Angels Guardian UTM

This week, UTM (Unified Traffic Management) leader Altitude Angel revealed that London Biggin Hill has become the most recent airport to make use of its proprietary GuardianUTM Enterprise platform.  The platform, launched in March 2021, offers airports and airfields an intuitive and affordable way to manage on and off-site drone operations.

It Takes a Bird to Stop a Bird: The RoBird® Flying Robot Defends Airports Against Bird Strikes

At the Edmonton International Airport and Grand Forks International Airport in North Dakota, a Peregrine falcon soars near the runway to deter birds from interfering with air traffic. It looks real. But it’s not. It’s a flying robot called the RoBird®.RoBird has wings that flap. It flies, like a falcon, for five minute high-impact stints. Also like its counterpart in nature, the RoBird can reach speeds of up to 27 miles per hour.

Aerial Cities: The VIP Event Bringing Together European Cities, Aviation Authorities, and Drone Company Executives

Earlier this month, Bern-Switzerland based DroneTalks Academy announced its inaugural invitation-only Aerial Cities event. DroneTalks co-founders and event organizers, Eszter Kovacs and Lorenzo Murzilli, slated this two-day conference to take place on Thursday and Friday, November 17th and 18th at the Stufenbau Eventlocation in Bern.

Japans Night Hawks Fly Drone Search and Rescue Missions After Dark in Nishikawa

Japan’s Night Hawks search and rescueservice are a drone team using infrared technology to perform missions at night. The Night Hawks search and rescue team has signed an agreement with Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture Agreement to begin night-time, drone enabled search and rescue services for the town from May through November.

D-Fend on Dawn of Drones June 15: Counter Drone Technology and the Emerging Drone Society

How does the evolution of drone technology affect the emerging drone society? How can counter-drone technologies safely protect society, while allowing authorized drones to provide benefits to the world? How will trends in drone technology impact counter-drone technology? How will trends in Uncrewed  Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) affect drone and counter-drone technology?  Learn about all of this and more this week, with D-Fend on the Dawn of Drones Podcast.

Determination to Be a Global Drone Hub Clear in Indias First Government Approved Drone Announcement

India’s first government approved drone, the Agribot, was certified in only 35 days – the latest evidence of the country’s determination to support domestic drone manufacturing and become a global drone hub. India’s Union Aviation Minister has awarded the first Type Certificate issued under the 2021 Drone Rules to Gurugram-based IoTechWorld, for their precision agriculture tool Agribot.

Asylon Scores BVLOS Waiver for Automated Security Drone System

This week, leading air and ground robotic security company Asylon, Inc. revealed that it has been granted three beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Pertaining to the company’s automated security drone-in-a-box system and service, these waivers will authorize Asylon to conduct BVLOS operations within four initial sites around the U.S. Though similar waivers have been granted to groups such as Google’s Wing, Zipline, Xcel Energy, and Matternet, this is the first time a waiver of this class has been granted for an automated security drone system.

Quantum Systems and Propeller Aero: Trinity F90+ Drone Compatible with 3D Mapping Software

This week, advanced eVTOL UAV developer Quantum-Systems and drone data visualization and analytics platform Propeller Aero announced a joint effort to enable compatibility between Propeller’s site surveying and 3D mapping software and the Quantum-Systems Trinity F90+ drone.

Propeller’s Post-Processed Kinematic solution (PPK) allows for flawless surveying and 3D mapping of construction, mining and earthworks worksites. Pairing it with the Quantum-Systems Trinity F90+ large scale mapping drone enables contractors to improve survey accuracy, complete the otherwise weeks-long data collection process in a matter of hours, and rapidly share digital models with team members.

FAA Drone Safety Day is Saturday, June 18: FlyRIGHT

The 2022 FAA Drone Safety Day is this Saturday, June 18: an opportunity for everyone in the drone industry to ensure that the skies continue to open for all.  As the use of drones continues to expand, regulatory authorities like the FAA have worked to ensure that all fliers know the rules.  More than 800,000 drones have been registered: over 260,000 Remote Pilots have been certified.

Indoor Robotics Tando Drone: Startup Scores $15 Million for Building Security Solution

Following the recent launch of its Tando drone, Indoor Robotics announced that it has closed $15 million in its series A round of funding.  The round, led by Pitango and with contributions by Target Global, European Innovation Council Fund, and Spider Capital, will provide Indoor Robotics with the ability to increase product development and enable intelligent indoor security worldwide.