This article was published on January 28, 2015

DJI’s Phantom drones won’t be able to fly over Washington or across national borders anymore


DJI’s Phantom drones won’t be able to fly over Washington or across national borders anymore

DJI, the company behind the insanely popular DJI Phantom drone series, has announced today that it will be rolling out new firmware that will limit flight in specific areas, in accordance with Federal Aviation Authority guidelines.

Due to arrive “in the coming days,” the new firmware will nix any drug-runners hoping to use drones to move narcotics across national borders, as well as prevent a reoccurence of the crash-landed White House drone this week by stopping the devices from operating within its designated No Fly Zones. This new zone centers on downtown Washington, DC and extends for 25 kilometers in each direction, preventing Phantom pilots from taking off in or entering this airspace.

As part of its No Fly Zone list, there are also now 10,000 airports where flight is prevented, and “runways at major international airports” are currently being added.

Phantom 2, Phantom 2 Vision and Phantom 2 Vision+ drones will all be affected by the changes.

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.