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ARTICLE · 10 MARCH 2026

Autonomous Akin Update - February 2026

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December and January saw many regulatory developments impacting advanced aviation and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).

United StatesMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Jennifer Richter
Jennifer Richter
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Christian Davis
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Susan Lent
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Rubén Muñoz
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Virginia Hiner Antypas
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Halie Peacher
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Sharanya Sriram
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Alexandra Van Cleef
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December and January saw many regulatory developments impacting advanced aviation and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). As an initial matter, DJI drones landed on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Covered List (which DJI is fighting at the FCC) preventing DJI from obtaining future equipment authorizations for its drones. The FCC also placed all foreign produced UAS and UAS-critical components on the Covered List and then followed that release with adoption of exemptions and limited waivers.

Finally, the FCC recently adopted a new framework that would allow it to further restrict the importation and marketing of previously authorized equipment on the Covered List, which could include foreign-produced drones. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened a new comment period for its Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) regulations focused on electronic conspicuity (EC), an important concept for safety, and the industry is awaiting decisions on

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