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FAA certification clears way for DroneUp to scale up
Virginia Beach-based drone delivery company DroneUp has received a Federal Aviation Administration certificate that will allow it to grow its delivery operations. On Tuesday, the company announcedi t received an FAA Part 119 air carrier certificate under Part 135. The certificate allows DroneUp to carry third-party property as an air carrier and to fly drones […]
From seed to success
On an early morning in summer 2021, a small group of engineers and drone operators gathered at Lake Elsinore in California to see if their machines would fly as designed. With newly incorporated sensor technology, it was the first time the founders of Leesburg-based Flying Ship Co. attempted to fly one of their autonomous vehicles […]
Sterling drone-jamming firm to be acquired by Taser maker Axon
Dedrone, a Sterling-based maker of drone-jamming and detection devices, has reached an agreement to be acquired by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser manufacturer Axon Enterprise. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024, the companies announced Monday, and terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dedrone’s portable gunlike jammers can thwart aerial drones […]
DroneUp promotes chief growth officer
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp has promoted Rishap “Rish” Malhotra to be its growth officer, a newly created position at the autonomous drone delivery company. Malhotra had been DroneUp‘s senior vice president of corporate development, and heading up the company’s mergers and acquisitions will be part of his new job, which the company announced Thursday. He will […]
HII’s Mission Technologies wins $347M Navy contract
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies will build nine undersea drones for the Navy’s Lionfish System program in a deal that could grow to as many as 200 vehicles during the next five years, with a total value of more than $347 million. Newport News-based HII announced the contract Wednesday. The system is based on […]
Gathering power
While working on a cellular tower a few years back, Kyle Mullins got what he describes as the “call of a lifetime” — an invitation to work on the first two pilot wind turbines for Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. A Navy veteran who received a telecommunications technical certification from Texas A&M University, […]
Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: TOM WALKER
After a 17-year stint as a Navy officer, serving as a nuclear power engineer on submarines, and another 17 years as president of software company Web Teks, Walker launched DroneUp, a provider of aerial drone services, in 2016. The Virginia Beach tech company has grown quickly since then, purchasing Web Teks in 2021 and partnering […]
DroneUp takes off
Virginia Beach‘s DroneUp LLC is riding the leading edge of the unmanned aerial vehicle industry wave. Founded in 2016, the company, which specializes in commercial drone delivery, flight services and software, has grown its ranks from three to 530 employees. Retail giant Walmart Inc. is a new partner, and DroneUp is close to completing a […]
Report: Air taxis could land Va. $16B in new biz by 2045
Air taxis could generate up to $16 billion in new business in Virginia and carry as many as 66 million passengers by 2045, according to an economic impact study released Tuesday. The report, commissioned by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. and the state commerce and trade secretary, forecasts short, carbon-free flights connecting cities, suburbs and rural […]
RapidFlight to add 119 jobs at Manassas HQ
RapidFlight LLC, a designer and manufacturer of unmanned aircraft will invest $5.5 million to establish operations in Manassas, creating 119 jobs over the next three years, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. RapidFlight is an integrated, end-to-end provider of airborne drones. Founded in 2021 by RapidFlight President Jay Gundlach, the company works for national security and […]
DroneUp appoints second Walmart exec to board
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp LLC has appointed David Guggina, Walmart Inc.’s senior vice president of innovation and automation, to its board of directors, the commercial drone delivery and flight services company announced Monday. “DroneUp has been a key player in making customer delivery via drone a reality for millions of customers across the country,” Guggina said […]
DroneUp taps former NFL exec as board chair
Virginia Beach-based DroneUp LLC announced Tuesday that former NFL executive Eric Grubman is the company’s new board chairman. “Eric is incredibly respected across many business sectors for his tremendous vision, insight and passion for technology,” DroneUp CEO and founder Tom Walker said in a statement. “We are truly fortunate to have him as our chairman […]
