Drone News: DJI Announces Mini 5 Pro, CA Drone Pilot Sentenced, SAR Drone Shot During Flight

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. DJI has announced the new Mini 5 Pro, a drone pilot has been sentenced for colliding with a firefighting aircraft, and a search-and-rescue drone was shot in Maine. Let's get to it. First, DJI has unveiled the Mini 5 Pro, and the specs are pretty jaw-dropping for a sub-250-gram drone. The headline feature is a 50-megapixel, 1-inch CMOS sensor. This is something pilots have been requesting for years. The camera can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second in HDR and even does 4K slow-motion at 120 frames per second. For the pros, it supports 10-bit D-Log M and HLG color profiles, with a max ISO of 12,800. The gimbal also got a major upgrade, with a 225-degree roll rotation and true vertical shooting. For safety, DJI is introducing what they call "Nightscape Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing," which uses a forward-facing LiDAR and multiple vision sensors for better performance in low light. Flight time is rated at 36 minutes with the standard battery, and an optional Intelligent Flight Battery Plus can supposedly push that to 52 minutes! Now for the big catch: the Mini 5 Pro will NOT be officially available in the US market through DJI's store. Other retailers may carry it, but it won’t be available through the DJI store. Next up, a drone pilot in California has been sentenced for a mid-air collision with a firefighting airplane. Peter Akemann, a 57-year-old from Culver City, pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor for the unsafe operation of a drone. This incident happened back in January 2025, when he flew his drone into the path of a "Super Scooper" firefighting aircraft that was battling the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. The drone struck the aircraft's wing, causing a 3-by-6-inch hole and forcing the plane to be grounded for repairs. The cost of those repairs? A whopping $65,169.As part of his plea agreement, Akemann has been ordered to pay full restitution to the Quebec government, which owned the plane, and to the repair company. He also has to complete 150 hours of community service supporting wildfire relief efforts. This is a stark reminder for everyone: flying in a Temporary Flight Restriction, especially over an emergency scene, is incredibly dangerous and illegal. In our final story, a real-world drones-for-good story took a bad turn in Maine. A commercial drone operated by 2A Tac Air Services was shot while it was being used to search for two missing dogs. The operator, Rob Russell, was flying the drone at an altitude of 366 feet in Corinth, Maine, when he received a warning. Upon inspection, he found a bullet hole straight through the M30’s front sensors. Russell, who uses his fleet of drones for SAR missions across New England, said the damage will cost thousands to repair and takes a critical tool out of service. This incident is now under federal investigation. It’s important for everyone to understand that shooting at a drone is a federal offense, legally equivalent to shooting at a manned aircraft. On this topic, the FAA is proposing in the new Part 108 NPRM to add language that would protect remote pilots and their Visual observers from harassment and distraction. This is a welcome addition.It’s incredibly important to make your voice heard on the issues with the Part 108 NPRM. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out our latest video on our comment for Part 108. Spoiler alert, part 108 as proposed would NOT include current part 107 or recreational pilot. We have a solution to that. Be sure to watch that video next and get your comment submitted before October 6th, 2025! And lastly, if you like our proposal to fix the NPRM, be sure to fill out our form so we can include you and your company as supporters in our joint comment to the FAA.