This week’s “Around the Commercial Drone Industry” news round-up looks at President Trump’s pick to head the FAA, a drone-based port security program in Denmark, and advances in hydrogen UAVs from Mach Industries and HevenDrones.

Bryan Bedford Tapped to Head the FAA

Last week, multiple news outlets reported that President Trump had nominated Bryan Bedford to serve as the next Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to Dronelife, Bedford is a certified pilot and “the longtime CEO of Republic Airways.” His nomination has been praised by several aviation groups, including Airlines for America, AUVSI, and National Business Aviation Association. If confirmed, Bedford would take over from former administrator Michael Whitaker. Confirmed in October 2023, Whitaker resigned from his post in January of this year.

Danish Port Turns to Drones for Security

To address “incidents where drones have unlawfully entered secured areas,” the Port of Hirtshals in Denmark has launched a drone-based security pilot project. As reported in Unmanned Systems, the pilot will test “a drone surveillance system from AirPlate to proactively strengthen security measures concerning the airspace above the port’s facilities.” Unmanned Systems reports that “the pilot project has been running for just over a month and the system has already detected several drone flights.”

Mach Industries and HevenDrones Team Up on Hydrogen Drone Production

From DroneDJ comes news that “Mach Industries and HevenDrones are teaming up to scale the production of hydrogen-powered drones in the United States.” According to the report, the two firms will “use Mach’s manufacturing network, Forge, to build HevenDrones’ H100, H2D55, and Raider models” at Mach’s California facility. The article the two companies “aim to expand US production of drone components, including avionics, radios, fuel systems, and propulsion” in order to “reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing and create a stronger domestic supply chain for drones.” Mach and HevenDrones also hope to “expand Forge into other countries, building local production hubs to support US allies.”