Bipartisan legislation would bring about $200 million to Arizona to use drones to inspect roads, bridges and other infrastructure – half for state, local and tribal governments to purchase drones and the other half to train pilots to fly them. Read more» 
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The Tempe Police Department recently released video from its DJI Phantom Pro 4 drone that it used to surveil protesters over the weekend, but the agency isn’t the only law enforcement in the state with the technology. Read more»
Yuma-area Border Patrol agents seized more than $300,000 in cocaine and meth dropped by drones flown from Mexico last week, authorities said. Read more»
Drones have become a lifesaving tool for fighting wildfires – The whir of aerial drones provided a distinct soundtrack to the month it took to contain the Woodbury Fire, which ranks as the fifth-largest wildfire in Arizona history. Read more»
The numbers of pilots and spectators involved in drone racing is growing each year. Read more»
Firefighters battling the Goodwin Fire in central Arizona had to suspend operations twice in one week after drones flew into airspace over the blaze. Read more»
Since January 1, 858 wildfires have burned more than 130,000 acres across Arizona and on Sunday, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management announced that fire crews are now battling 30 wildfires throughout the state — including the nearly 15,000-acre Lizard Fire near Tucson. Read more» 1
The Federal Aviation Administration last week released new rules for commercial drone pilots, but one local unmanned aircraft enthusiast said the agency is focused on regulating the wrong group of users. Read more»
An undercover operation by Homeland Security agents thwarted a Pakistani man's attempt to buy gyroscopes and other electronics from a Tucson-based company and export them under falsified documents to Pakistan for use in that country's military drone program. Read more»
U.S. Sen. John McCain wants military drones, flown during Air Force training missions in Arizona, to begin patrolling the border. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, McCain demanded that DHS ask the Pentagon for support to "combat drug trafficking and secure the U.S.-Mexico border." Read more»
Yuma Station border agents intercepted drugs delivered across the border by a drone near San Luis in what officials said was the first such incident resulting in a seizure. Read more»
FAA officials told state and local authorities last week that only the federal government has the ability to regulate remote-controlled aircraft. This week, Pima County reiterated a ban on drones in public parks — a policy they said isn't a violation of the federal regulations. Read more» 1
Drug seizures have declined 17 percent in the past year along the Arizona-Mexico border, but nearly a million pounds were still intercepted in the state — nearly one-third of all narcotics intercepted by federal border authorities. Read more»
Gates Pass at sunset isn't the place for that drone you might find under the Christmas tree, Pima County officials said. Radio-controlled aircraft, including quadcopters and other drones, have been prohibited in county parks and open space areas for years. Read more»
Researchers using drones to track the spread of buffelgrass, an invasive species originally from Africa that poses a threat to desert wildlife. “It spreads fast, it’s a fire hazard, it steals the water that the native plants need and it can create a monoculture, capable of really changing our Sonoran Desert ecosystem,” said Sandy Bahr of the Sierra Club. Read more»
Spurred by rising reports of encounters between drones and other aircraft, the FAA wants to require drone registration. Read more»
