Last year, Matt Sloane of SkyfireAI gave us his predictions for the drone industry… and he wasn’t wrong. DroneLife.com asked for a 2025 update. His take on BVLOS rule, Chinese drone tech, and major players in the industry starts below.
“2024 was a big year for the drone industry — the FAA Reauthorization of 2024 was passed, which included a pathway to Part 108 regulations, there was a battle royale over whether Chinese-made drones would be blacklisted, lots of mergers, acquisitions, numbers added to the end of “DFR” (2.0, 3.0, etc.); and a few truly shocking moments.
So, what’s on tap for next year? A lot more of where all of that came from.
First, Part 108.
As the clock struck midnight on New Years, the Biden Administration had just 19.5 days left to release the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Part 108 – something that was mandated to have happened in September but is still working its way through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the White House.
Whether or not this proposed rulemaking will be published before Biden leaves office remains to be seen; but as I’ve recently communicated publicly, it is absolutely CRITICAL that it be released before the change of administration.
Not because the Trump Administration will stall it, at least not on purpose, but the effect of a change in administration will mean delays for all kinds of rulemaking, not just this one; and a delay of any kind here will set the drone industry back.
Even if OIRA pushes the rulemaking out before the 20th, the Trump Administration (along with the public) will have plenty of chances to comment before this rule becomes law.”