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President Trump is looking to further US expansion into flying car and drone technologies, signing executive orders to that effect. It remains to be seen if this action will in fact help push the industry forward, or if this is a meaningless gesture made only for political points.
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Trump’s executive orders, which also apply to supersonic aircraft, seek to remove government red tape, streamline supply chains critical to these innovations, and cut how much companies working on these technologies have to rely on “adversarial nations.”
More specifically, the White House announced these executive orders address drone development by allowing for “routine beyond line-of-sight operations” as a way to allow for drones to be used in more roles.
That could mean drones piloted more often for emergency response situations, to maintain critical infrastructure in the country, even the long-distance transportation of cargo. While Amazon Air has been using drones to drop lightweight packages off in customers’ yards, we might see more innovation in that area.
Maybe this pushes drone technology forward or in new, exciting directions? We’ll have to wait and see.
Another aspect is the creation of a pilot program for testing flying cars, especially electric vertical take-off and landing designs. We’ve covered these types of aircraft before, but the Trump administration envisions these being used for defense purposes, emergency medical services, and cargo transportation.
There’s been increasing talk of using flying cars as more than just playthings for the rich. Perhaps they will become regular sights in major US cities before long.
Sadly, whenever there are technological innovations, some will use them for nefarious purposes. The White House includes in its press release on these executive orders that terrorist or adversarial nations’ misuse of drones in US airspace is a focus. That includes real-time detection and identification of drones, as well as methods for downing any that deem a threat.
Image via Pok Rie/Pexels
