Drone News: IF Secures $12M, Anzu Robotics V3.8, ACSL's Controller & Payload, Mini 5 Pro Price Leaks

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have four stories for you this week: Inspired Flight has secured $12 million in funding, Anzu Robotics V3.8 is out, Japanese drone maker ACSL is releasing new stuff and pricing leak for the upcoming DJI Mini 5 Pro. First up, American manufacturer Inspired Flight Technologies has raised $12 million in Series A funding. The investment was led by Tri-Valley Ventures and is aimed at accelerating new product releases and, most importantly, scaling up the company's U.S.-based manufacturing. Inspired Flight is known for its NDAA-compliant and BlueUAS-certified platforms, like the IF1200 Hexacopter and the IF800 Tomcat. These drones are used in government and commercial sectors for everything from mapping and inspection to public safety. It takes a LOT of time and money to build up manufacturing capacity, and this is a step in the right direction. Next, Anzu Robotics has introduced Version 3.8 for their Raptor Series. This update introduces augmented reality overlays for street names and custom airspace. Also included in this update are some bug fixes, map layer customization, and other map upgrades. Before we get onto the last story, this is your last chance to join us at Commercial UAV Expo. On Tuesday, join Vic Moss, Amy Wiegand, and Jared Janacek and myself for a deep dive into the regulations, technology, and business strategies that are shaping the future of the drone industry.On Wednesday, I’m personally teaching a workshop on how to build your drone business. On Thursday, Jared will teach you his professional mapping process. Spots for each day are limited and they are filling up. Go to pilotinstitute.com/cuav to see the details and secure your seat.Next, another company is stepping up to provide more NDAA-compliant options for professional pilots. ACSL, Japan’s top drone manufacturer, has announced a new smart controller, an upgraded thermal payload, and a partnership with Teledyne FLIR. First is the new TAITEN Smart Controller. It's an NDAA-compliant remote with a 7-inch integrated display that boasts 1500 nits of brightness and an IP54 ingress protection rating. The company also enhanced its SAMO payload, which is now ITAR-free and features Teledyne FLIR’s Hadron 640R camera module. This payload is a dual-sensor system, combining a 64-megapixel optical camera with a 20x zoom and a 640x512 Boson radiometric thermal camera. ACSL says it will also support FLIR's MSX fusion technology by the end of the year, which overlays visual details onto the thermal image for better situational awareness. And finally, a European online store allegedly listed the DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo with the RC2 controller for 1129 euros. That's the exact same price as the current Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo. Getting a 1-inch sensor and LiDAR for the same price seems almost too good to be true, but we'll have to wait and see. Leaked accessory prices also seem to be in line with current models. With all these details and even a folding animation video surfacing, rumors are pointing to a mid-September release. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one!And on Post Flight, our weekly show in the premium community, where we discuss our opinions on these stories and the ones that didn’t make the cut, we’ll be talking about a cool drone from the UK that flies like an owl and about Commercial UAV Expo.That’s it for this week, if you’re going to Commercial UAV Expo next week, be sure to check out the workshops and stop by the booth! https://www.inspiredflight.com/news/12m-series-a-tri-valley.phphttps://dronexl.co/2025/08/26/dji-mini-5-pro-animation-retail-price/https://dronexl.co/2025/08/27/acsl-taiten-smart-controller-teledyne-flir/https://www.anzurobotics.com/