By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks Academy, 26 July 26 This week in un-crewed systems, the division between defense-centric manufacturing and commercial airspace integration widened significantly. Supply chain nationalism, aggressive spectrum regulation, and large-scale military investments dominated headlines from Washington to Ottawa, while commercial logistics expanded in key Asian markets. Here is your comprehensive breakdown of everything that unfolded acros

By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks Academy, 25 July 26 Not long ago, operating a commercial drone required a highly trained pilot staring at a remote screen, manually adjusting for wind, dodging power lines, and spending hours manually sorting through thousands of aerial photos. Today, that picture looks fundamentally different. Drones are no longer just remotely piloted cameras—they are becoming autonomous edge devices powered by artificial intelligence (AI). By

By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks Academy, 31 May 26 Welcome to this week's comprehensive brief on the major breakthroughs, geopolitical shifts, and technological disruptions shaking up the drone universe. It has been an incredibly busy week, punctuated by Canada's massive CANSEC defense expo, shifting defense policies in Washington, and critical security incidents in Europe. Here is what happened in the drone universe this past week. Global: The Rise of "Drones

By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks Academy, 17 May 26 Global Innovations, Strategic Alliances, and Changing Skies. The past seven days have been a whirlwind of high-tech breakthroughs, major commercial debuts, and deep geopolitical shifts. From the premier of next-gen propulsion systems at XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit to massive aerial security operations across Europe and upcoming cross-border initiatives in North America, autonomous systems are evolving faster th

By Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks Academy, 25 April 26 As America celebrates FAA Drone Safety Day, the industry is at a historic crossroads. The shift from Part 107 to the new Part 108 is not just a change in rules; it is a total reimagining of how to use the sky. Here is a comprehensive guide to the Part 108 era—what it is, what has changed, and how to get "108 Ready" today. What is FAA Part 108? If Part 107 (introduced in 2016) was the foundation for commercial