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Indian startup Airbound has raised $37 million in a Series A round to develop lightweight cargo drones after completing more than 13,000 autonomous flights. The company aims to build a network connecting three cities in Andhra Pradesh, but regulatory approvals—particularly for beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights—remain the biggest obstacle to commercial expansion.
More than 1,000 U.S. public safety agencies have received FAA waivers paving the way for autonomous drones to respond to calls, following an acceleration of approval procedures in 2025. EFF believes the expansion poses significant privacy risks, particularly through the storage and analysis of footage and its connection to automatic license plate reader systems.