For this week’s round-up of commercial drone industry news, we look at the impact the government shutdown will have on counter-UAS in the U.S., how drones are helping Brazilian farmers, and New York City’s effort to coordinate and expand the use of drones in public safety.

U.S. Government Shutdown Impacts C-UAS Response

The inability of U.S. congressional leaders to agree on a funding bill has led to a shutdown of the government—a development that will have a significant impact on counter-UAS efforts. As explained in Dronelife, the failure of Congress to reauthorize Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security counter-UAS powers, as granted by the federal FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, will increase the risks posed by rogue drones. Organizations, such as the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), have raised concerns about the current C-UAS lapse, stating that Congress’s failure to extend these powers before the government shutdown “could leave critical infrastructure more vulnerable at a time when the risks posed by careless or malicious drone use continue to grow.”

Drones Protect Crops from Unpredictable Weather in Brazil

According to report in UAS Weekly, “agricultural drones are now part of daily life in the field” for Brazilian farmers—particularly during planting season when unpredictable weather can endanger valuable crops. The piece details how Brazilian farmers are using UAVs to address “long-standing problems by saving time, reducing waste, and giving producers the flexibility to act within shrinking windows.” In particular, farmers are turning to vehicles like XAG’s P100 Pro to spread fertilizer and cover-crop grass seed. The article explains how drones “can generate real savings in water usage, inputs, and labor while also improving the precision of crop applications,” which is critical “as Brazil moves toward more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.”

NYC Coordinates Drone Efforts for Public Safety

New York City is taking steps to improve public safety-focused drone efforts by coordinating activities across the city’s various departments. As reported in Inside Unmanned Systems, the city has created “a new joint Drone Operations Committee coordinating usage of unmanned systems between the New York City police department (NYPD), Fire Department (FDNY) and other agencies ranging from Parks and Recreation to the offices of Emergency Management and Environmental Protection.” The article states that this effort may also “help expand the NYPD’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, which kicked off in November 2024 with deployment of drone stations in three precincts in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx and another in Central Park, Manhattan—each with two ready-to-launch UAVs.”