For this week’s round-up of commercial drone industry news, we look at counter-UAS provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, how UAVs are being used to locate abandoned oil and gas wells, and a Texas ruling on the use of drones for fishing.

NDAA 2026 Addresses Counter-UAS

The recently released text of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026  contains several provisions that could impact the UAV sector, particularly around counter-UAS. As detailed in a Dronelife article, the NDAA “contains several updates to federal counter-UAS policy, expanding authorities across the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ)” and “places new emphasis on coordinated airspace security, mitigation authority, and reporting requirements.” Dronelife breaks down key drone-related provisions of the NDAA, stating that “the FY 2026 NDAA introduces the most significant counter-UAS restructuring since DoD’s original authorities were enacted” and signals “a more coordinated federal approach to counter-UAS operations.”

Drones Search for Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

In New Mexico, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are using a  fixed-wing drone from Event 38 Unmanned Systems “to help identify and locate undocumented and abandoned oil and gas wells.” The drone, according to an article in MundoGEO, “is being used to survey large geographic areas, gather high-resolution imagery, and validate potential well sites identified by AI models.” Sensors on the drone include “high sensitivity magnetometers, which detect subtle magnetic disturbances in the ground.” Information captured by these sensors enable the researchers to “pinpoint well locations for inspection and environmental assessments” and identify hidden sites for environmental remediation. The article calls these hidden wells “one of the most widespread environmental challenges facing the U.S.”

Drones for Fishing?

KRQE reports that Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) have responded to recent questions by citizens “asking if they can use drones to spread bait before they go fishing.” Their answer is “No.” TPWD, the news report says, made its decision based the “1956 Federal Airborne Hunting Act, or AHA, which prohibits people from shooting at wildlife from an aircraft, or using an aircraft to harass or take animals.” In addition, the department cited a law that “prohibits Texas from issuing sporting permits to allow aircraft hunting” and provisions that make it “illegal for civilians to arm drones with weapons capable of seriously injuring or killing, which also further restricts the use of drones in hunting or fishing.”