– Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has won a five-year contract worth up to $91 million to provide its Black Hornet 4 Personal Reconnaissance Systems to the United States Army. The advanced nano-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are being acquired under the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) program, Phase II. Teledyne FLIR has received […]
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There are a few bucket list items all drone pilots need to participate in: seeing a drone show, getting a drone delivery, and watching a drone race. For the latter, that’s set to be highly attainable. That’s all due in part to the 2025 DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational.
The DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational is set to be a major drone race, scheduled for Feb. 1, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET. It’s happening at LoanDepot Park, which is most famously known as the home of the Miami Marlins.
Tickets are on sale now, coming in at $25 per adult. Discounted tickets are available to children and seniors. And if you buy for a group of adults (that’s five or more), you can get tickets for just $20 each.
What to expect at the 2025 DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational
The Miami Invitational will see 12 of the world’s top drone pilots, including two-time DRL World Champion Evan “Headsup” Turner, compete on an aerial racing course. Fans will witness drones racing at over 90 mph through loops, dives, and twists, all in a stadium transformed into a real-life video game. This championship is expected to attract a live audience of 10,000 spectators.
But even if you can’t make it to the real event, it’ll stream online too. In fact, DRL said it anticipates millions of people will watch online. In fact, DRL claims a global broadcast footprint of 320 million households through agreements with various sports networks and streaming distributors.
It’ll be a pretty packed event, spanning five hours if you get there as soon as doors open. The racing itself is set to last three hours, with the other two hours consisting of your chance to roam around loanDepot Park, eat, grab photos and watch the pre-show.
2025 DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational event details:
It’s a solid location, as Miami in the winter is quite desirable with average highs in the mid-70’s. Plus, it’s a 12-minute drive from Miami International Airport, and just a 7-minute drive from the Brightline train station, which connects Miami on an efficient, private rail line to other Florida cities such as Orlando.
DRL’s evolution under Infinite Reality
Drone Racing League at loanDepot Park in 2023. (Photo by Joe Lemke)
Though DRL has hosted all sorts of in-person races, the 2025 DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational marks DRL’s first major event since being acquired by Infinite Reality (iR). Infinite Reality, which is a company that works on a range of artificial intelligence, extended reality and immersive technology, acquired DRL in April 2024 for $250 million. With it, DRL said it boosted its valuation to $3.5 billion.
And though Infinite Reality itself isn’t necessarily a huge name, the companies in its portfolio are. It’s also the company between eSports franchises Team Rogue (League of Legends) and London Royal Ravens (Call of Duty), plus spatial web design pioneer, Ethereal Engine.
As part of the acquisition deal, DRL CEO & Founder Nicholas Horbaczewski was named iR Global President and DRL President Rachel Jacobson was named iR President, Global Business Ventures and Partnerships.
Continuing the U.S. Air Force partnership
Drone Racing League at loanDepot Park in 2023. (Photo by Joe Lemke)
The event is yet another even put on in a partnership between the Drone Racing League (DRL) and the United States Air Force (USAF).
The USAF has partnered for many years now with DRL. Presumably, the government agency has seen DRL’s focus on tech innovation and talent development as a recruiting tool. Past initiatives between the two have included a marketing campaign called “Women Taking Flight” which focused on recruiting more female drone pilots to fly with DRL. And in 2023, the Air Force officially endorsed a DRL Pilot, who flies as the official U.S. Air Force Team Pilot.
But this marks the first time that the U.S. Air Force has decided to be the presenting name on the event, suggesting that the Air Force sees huge value in tying itself to the world of drone racing.
“The Drone Racing League’s partnership with the U.S. Air Force has always been about driving tech innovation and recruiting top talent – and DRL Championship events are magnets for next-gen engineers and STEM leaders,” Jacobson said.
Drone Racing League at loanDepot Park in 2023. (Photo by Joe Lemke)
– Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has won a five-year contract worth up to $91 million to provide its Black Hornet 4 Personal Reconnaissance Systems to the United States Army. The advanced nano-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are being acquired under the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) program, Phase II. Teledyne FLIR has received […]
