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Aquiline Drones – Pioneering Drone Technology for Energy and Utility

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Aquiline Drones (AD) partners with Drone Volt (ALDRV) to advance LineDrone technology for power-line inspection services in the US.

HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Aquiline Drones (AD) signs historic licensing agreement with long-time partner Drone Volt SA (ALDRV) to introduce and provide electrical power line inspection services in the United States using the LineDrone – a unique combination of advanced and pioneering technology.

Pioneering Drone Technology

AD, a leading U.S.-based drone technology enterprise, has announced a strategic partnership with Drone Volt to introduce and expand the capabilities of the LineDrone to the US market. Dubbed an engineering marvel, the LineDrone is a specialized unmanned aerial system (UAS) developed in collaboration with Hydro-Québec – Canada’s largest energy producer. This groundbreaking technology is designed to revolutionize the inspection and maintenance of high- voltage power lines, by offering advanced, non-contact measurement solutions.

Hydro-Québec is renowned not only for its extensive hydroelectric power generation but also for its significant investments in research and development, particularly in robotics for power line inspection and maintenance. The company’s research is primarily conducted through its Institute de recherche d’Hydro-Québec (IREQ), established in 1967.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to control the drones and analyze acquired data – along with other pioneering technologies, Aquiline Drones will introduce and deploy LineDrone inspection services nationwide.

The LineDrone is the only drone – globally, capable of landing on live high-voltage lines (315,000 volts / 2,000 A) to conduct inspections by traversing the power lines using a unique motorized rolling system – LineOhm and LineCore probes, to analyze and document the condition of overhead conductors without having to de-energize the line. The LineDrone is also engineered to perform critical diagnostics on live transmission lines using state-of-the-art sensors to conduct high-precision inspections, including resistance measurements, corrosion assessments, and splice evaluations, without requiring power outages. This innovation significantly reduces operational risks while enhancing grid reliability and efficiency.

By reducing the need for costly helicopter and high-risk manual inspections, the LineDrone represents a safer, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative for the energy industry. With increasing demand for efficient grid management solutions, this collaborative effort aims to redefine how utility companies monitor and maintain their critical infrastructure.

Aquiline Drones will leverage its extensive expertise in autonomous drone operations and regulatory compliance to help deploy the LineDrone technology for utility companies and infrastructure service providers throughout the US.

“Our collaboration with Drone Volt aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver cutting-edge drone solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability,” said Barry Alexander, Founder and CEO of Aquiline Drones. “By incorporating advanced AI and cloud technology into the LineDrone system, we aim to set a new industry standard for high-voltage power line inspections” Alexander says.

Like AD’s Flight to the Future (F2F) online drone training course – in scope and scale, the LineDrone project aims to train a workforce of professional drone service providers (DSPs) to then participate as professional LineDrone DSPs (LDSPs). The US has 600,000 + miles of transmission lines that move electricity from power plants to cities and towns nationwide.

The following is an overview of F2F: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgd0zD-mcw4

AD aims to expand the distribution of LineDrone services within the US, to provide high-tech job opportunities as LDSPs. Under the agreement AD will provide the following:

Expanded distribution of LineDrone services across the USA.Specialized drone pilot training for operational support to energy sector professionals adopting the technology. AD-trained pilots or drone service providers (DSPs) could then work as AD affiliates – ensuring FAA compliance and integration with evolving U.S. drone regulations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Hul4xenscCompetitive commercial liability insurance and warranty options to the US drone marketplace, primarily focusing on individuals and entities trained through our program. Various insurance coverages will be available for purchase through Aquiline Drones Indemnity Corporation (ADIC).Contracted opportunities for LDSPs through extended Service Level Agreements (SLAs) held by AD, under contract with industry stakeholders.

Transmission lines require rigorous and routine maintenance, involving inspection processes that are typically less-safe, cumbersome and more restrictive than what can be more easily achieved using an AI drone solution. Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) can now use this much safer LineDrone system to replace having to shut down lines, and can realize significant manpower and equipment savings, often done with the addition of helicopters and linesmen.

“This agreement extends our existing partnership with Aquiline Drones and enables AD to include specific and adapted drones as part of a proven next generation power grid infrastructure inspection system” says Marc Courcelle, CEO of DroneVolt SA. Aquiline Drones is able to provide an entire ecosystem of AI controlled drones, inspection data analysis, FAA pilot training, operating liability insurance and lifetime system support of each client. No other drone provider in the US can offer this broadly encompassing and complete solution.

About Aquiline Drones

Aquiline Drones Corporation (AD) is an all-American drone technology company specializing in drone manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and superior drone pilot training. AD is also self-insured through Aquiline Drones Indemnity Corporation (ADIC). AD’s core management comprises highly experienced aviators, systems engineers, IT gurus, military personnel (including veterans), and business strategists. AD delivers a vertically integrated blend of products and services. AD’s full spectrum of technological solutions is widely applicable across countless industries and environments for superior, real-time data processing and insights. Visit www.AquilineDrones.com for more information.

Photo Courtesy of: Aquiline Drones Corporation

Media Contact

Barry Alexander, Aquiline Drones Corporation, 1 860-361-7958, info@aquilinedrones.com, https://aquilinedrones.com/

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SOURCE Aquiline Drones Corporation

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Chelsea FC announces multi-year sleeve partnership with Sokin, the business payments and FX platform

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Chelsea FC name fast-growing fintech platform as Principal Partner

LONDON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chelsea Football Club has today announced a multi-year partnership with Sokin, the embedded finance and payments company used by businesses worldwide. Sokin will be named a Principal Partner and Official Business Payments and FX Partner of Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Women.

As a Principal Partner, Sokin will be represented on the sleeves of the Chelsea FC men’s, women’s and academy home, away, and third kits from the 2026/27 season.

The partnership brings together two ambitious London-headquartered organisations with worldwide reach – a club with millions of fans across the world and a fintech platform through which businesses move more than $11 billion a year. A club of Chelsea’s scale works in many currencies every day, with partners, competitions and supporters around the world, and needs a financial partner built to handle that.

Sokin gives finance teams business payments, multi-currency accounts, foreign exchange, checkout and treasury in one place, so they spend less time juggling banks and providers and keep more of what they move.

As Official Business Payments and FX Partner, Sokin will simplify how Chelsea FC sends, receives and manages money in the currencies the club operates in.

The Sokin logo will feature on the sleeve of the Chelsea shirt for the first time [when the men’s team host Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 24th October.]

Jason Gannon, President at Chelsea FC said:

“At Chelsea, we seek to partner with organisations that share our ambition and innovative mindset. Sokin’s expertise in business payments, and their focus on making both simpler for the businesses they serve, makes them a natural fit for the Club. We are pleased to welcome Sokin to the Chelsea family and look forward to working together in the years ahead.”

Vroon Modgill, CEO and founder at Sokin said:

“Chelsea plays on the biggest stage in world football, and its business runs in dozens of currencies. Sokin was built for that with regulated, multi-currency payments and foreign exchange for organisations that operate internationally. We’re proud to be the platform behind the business payments and FX of one of the most iconic teams in football. Sokin’s platform serves businesses in more than 170 countries. We’re thrilled to be partners for the season ahead. An organisation as sophisticated as Chelsea doesn’t leave its finances to chance.”

About Sokin

Sokin is the financial layer global business runs on. Businesses can transact, convert and hold money in 70+ currencies across 170+ countries. Some businesses use Sokin to manage global finance in-house. Others build it into their products to power financial experiences for their customers. Businesses move more than $9 billion a year on licenses Sokin holds in 36+ countries and infrastructure Sokin owns. Founded in 2019, Sokin has raised over $100 million from investors including Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Prysm Capital.

About Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Football Club is one of the biggest, most successful football clubs globally and our men’s team are reigning world champions, having won the four-yearly FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. Our women’s team, Chelsea Women, are also multiple trophy winners.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea is London’s most central football club, based at the iconic 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium. Nicknamed the Blues, the club lifted the Champions League for the first time in 2012 and domestically has won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup eight times, the Football League Cup five times and the Football League Championship once, in 1955.

The Chelsea Women’s team have enjoyed a huge amount of success and in 2025 won the FA Women’s Super League for a sixth consecutive year and the eighth time overall. The Women’s FA Cup has been won on six occasions. We have also captured the FA Women’s League Cup four times as well as reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in 2021. In two seasons, 2020/21 and 2024/25, a domestic treble of trophies was secured.

The Chelsea Foundation boasts one of the most extensive community initiatives in sport, helping to improve the lives of children and young people all over the world.

Media Contacts:

Taina Biggs
taina.biggs@sokin.com 

Nerissa Chesterfield
nerissa.chesterfield@chelseafc.com 

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Amy Johnson Appointed President of GDIT

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RESTON, Va., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) announced today that Amy Johnson has been appointed as president of GDIT, effective November 3.

Johnson is a 27-year veteran of General Dynamics Mission Systems, where she held increasingly senior roles in engineering, engineering management and business leadership across cybersecurity, defense electronics, space and intelligence systems, most recently as vice president and general manager for Space, Cyber and Intelligence. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and computer systems engineering. 

“Amy has a proven track record of leading teams to solve complex and highly technical challenges for our customers,” said Phebe Novakovic, CEO of General Dynamics. “I am confident that her dynamic leadership, operational rigor and deep commitment to our values and culture will deliver value to our customers, employees and shareholders.”

GDIT delivers digital modernization, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software development solutions to the U.S. federal government, defense, intelligence agencies and other customers. It is a business unit of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 120,000 people worldwide and generated $52.6 billion in revenue in 2025. More information is available at gd.com.

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Yazan Al Homsi Invests US$500,000 in Toronto Drone Maker Arcanus Aerial Systems

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Private investment comes as Arcanus builds out Canadian manufacturing capacity for autonomous aerial systems

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Yazan Al Homsi, a UAE-based investor and managing partner of Catalyst Communications DMCC, has invested US$500,000 in Arcanus Aerial Systems Inc., a Toronto-headquartered developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems for defence, public safety and critical infrastructure customers. Al Homsi is an investor only and holds no operational, advisory or board role with the company. Other terms were not disclosed.

Arcanus is a Canadian-controlled company. It currently lists more than 15 platforms across heavy-lift, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), cargo, strike and counter-drone missions. According to the company, its published line-up includes:

AB 516e: a long-endurance vertical take-off fixed-wing aircraft rated for three hours of flight.AE 401: a counter-drone interceptor with a top speed of 300 km/h.AC 5250: a cargo platform with a 250 kg payload and a range of more than 2,300 km.

Alongside defence, Arcanus markets its systems for wildfire detection, search and rescue, Arctic sovereignty, border and maritime patrol, and pipeline and power line monitoring.

The company has spent 2026 assembling its domestic production base. In April, Arcanus signed a binding term sheet with Portugal-based Beyond Vision, granting it rights to manufacture, commercialize and support Beyond Vision’s unmanned aerial systems in Canada.

In June, Arcanus announced a five-year agreement appointing FeralX Systems Inc. as a non-exclusive Canadian contract manufacturer for several of its platforms.

“Canada has the engineering talent to build these systems at home, and recent years have shown how much depends on having that capacity domestically,” said Yazan Al Homsi. “What stood out to me about Arcanus was the manufacturing groundwork already in place: licensing, a production partner, and a range of aircraft that serves wildfire crews and search-and-rescue teams alongside defence customers.”

About Yazan Al Homsi

Yazan Al Homsi is a UAE-based investor and managing partner of Catalyst Communications DMCC, which he founded in Dubai in 2018. He was previously based in Vancouver, where he founded Founders Round Capital in 2017 and built a track record of investments in early-stage and small-cap companies. He earned a finance degree from McGill University in 2004 and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Before turning to investing, he spent more than a decade with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Middle East, rising to director and focusing on transaction due diligence and valuation.

Media Contact
Catalyst Communications DMCC
catalyst-wire@protonmail.com

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