South Korea on Tuesday apologized to its citizens for failing to shoot down North Korean drones that crossed its borders for the first time in five years. Lt. Gen. Kang Shin Chul, chief director of operation at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a televised address that the military deployed warplanes and attack helicopters but they were unable to take out the drones – including one that remained in South Korea for three hours. Five drones were detected by South Korea's military Monday, but not a single drone was shot down before they either returned to North Korean airspace or disappeared from Seoul's radar. In this photo provided by South Korean Defense Ministry, A U.S. B-52 bomber, C-17 and South Korean Air Force F-35 fighter jets fly over the Korean Peninsula during a joint air drill in South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. The mishap has drawn major concern over Seoul's defense abilities as Pyongyang's force posture has become increasingly aggressive.

A UK government backed drone innovation project that's exploring how unmanned aerial vehicles could benefit cities -- including for use-cases such as medical delivery, traffic incident response, fire response and construction and regeneration -- has reported early learnings from the first phase of the project. Five city regions are being used as drone test-beds as part of Nesta's Flying High Challenge -- namely London, the West Midlands, Southampton, Preston and Bradford. While five socially beneficial use-cases for drone technology have been analyzed as part of the project so far, including considering technical, social and economic implications of the tech. The project has been ongoing since December. Nesta, the innovation-focused charity behind the project and the report, wants the UK to become a global leader in shaping drone systems that place people's needs first, and writes in the report that: "Cities must shape the future of drones: Drones must not shape the future of cities."

In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration will admit military, private, and commercial drones into U.S. airspace. The move could dramatically increase the number of unmanned aircraft shooting through the skies, and with it, the value of the domestic drone economy. The Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International estimates that the new regulations will result in "100,000 jobs created and economic impact of $82 billion" by 2025. For several cities and states across the country, that means one thing: ka-ching. Take North Dakota, where law enforcement, local government, federal agencies, and universities have already laid the groundwork for the coming drone-volution.