The United States Air Force Renews and Extends Partnership with the Drone Racing League to Celebrate 75 Years of Innovation

The U.S. Air Force and DRL will showcase their mutual commitment to “Innovate, Accelerate, and Thrive” through new cutting-edge content, immersive gaming and pilot spotlights from Military Appreciation Month through the 2022-23 DRL Algorand World Championship Season

The United States Air Force and the Drone Racing League, the world’s premier, professional drone racing property, today announced a renewal and expansion of their partnership, supporting the Air Force’s 75th Anniversary theme to “Innovate, Accelerate, and Thrive.” The partnership is designed to accelerate the skills of drone pilots around the world and recruit the next generation of innovators into the U.S. Air Force. This year, the league will launch new programming during Military Appreciation Month, leading into the U.S. Air Force’s 75th anniversary in September, coinciding with their 2022-23 DRL Algorand World Championship Season.

The U.S. Air Force and DRL share a culture of innovation, centered around technological advancements. With 60% of DRL’s fans viewing brands and organizations that partner with DRL as “more innovative” and “on-trend,” the U.S. Air Force will continue to educate and recruit the league’s Gen Z tech-obsessed, Tech-setter fans as Airmen. Recently named one of FastCompany’s Most Innovative Sports Companies in the world, DRL transcends sports through disruptive technology, a boundary-pushing ethos, and a new era of athletes that compete across IRL, esports and the metaverse.  

“For the past 75 years, the spirit of innovation has driven the U.S. Air Force and enabled our Airmen to Fly, Fight and Win. As we celebrate our historic milestone, we are proud to expand our partnership with the Drone Racing League, a sport that shares our passion around technology, speed and precision, and inspires their young fans to aim high,” said Lt. Col. Jason Wyche, chief of the national events branch at Air Force Recruiting Service.

Adding to their co-branded broadcast integrations, digital series aimed to teach aspiring FPV (First Person View) drone pilots how to fly, and U.S. Air Force Boneyard maps and drone skins in the DRL SIM, a true-to-life drone racing video game, the U.S. Air Force and DRL will unveil new cutting edge content, immersive gaming, course gate, and pilot spotlights throughout the 2022-23 DRL Algorand World Championship Season.

“As the nation pays tribute to military members this month, we are thrilled to extend our partnership with the U.S. Air Force as they celebrate their 75th Anniversary. We have a young, global fanbase that follows the U.S. Air Force and loves to discover new career opportunities within technology, innovation and aviation through our sport. We’re excited to take our partnership to the next level, and empower the next generation of pilots to serve our country,” said DRL President Rachel Jacobson.

Leading into Armed Forces Day this Saturday, May 21, DRL will honor Cathyrine “Lilo” Armandie, Lt Col of the U.S. Air Force, as part of their #WomenTakingOff series that highlights women leaders in tech, sports and aviation. The league will also host a Military Appreciation Month Tournament on their Drone Racing Arcade mobile game on iOS and Android, offering the top 75 Leaderboard Winners special prizes to commemorate the U.S. Air Force’s 75 years of being a separate service from their roots as the Army Air Corps.

Tomorrow, DRL will announce their annual DRL SIM Tryouts, the only player-to-pilot esports tournament that transforms DRL SIM gamers into professional DRL Pilots overnight. 

About the U.S. Air Force

The mission of the U.S. Air Force is to fly, fight and win – airpower anytime, anywhere. For 2022, the Air Force Recruiting Service is hiring over 26,000 new Airmen. An emphasis is on recruiting people with no prior military service into one of over 130 enlisted career opportunities. The Air Force recruits to retain, so we recruit the best and brightest candidates possible, then provide them with tough, highly technical training that gives them the right skills to sustain the combat capability of America’s Air Force. For more information about Air Force benefits and opportunities, go to www.airforce.com.

About Drone Racing League

The Drone Racing League (DRL) is the world’s premier, professional drone racing property. The best drone pilots in the world fly in the league and millions of fans watch them race on NBC and Twitter. With groundbreaking technology and immersive competition, DRL is creating a new era of sports, bringing drone racing IRL, in virtual simulation and in the metaverse. 

Founded by Nicholas Horbaczewski in 2015, DRL is a privately held company headquartered in NYC. For more information, visit www.drl.io. To join the conversation, follow DRL on Twitter @DroneRaceLeague and Instagram, TikTok and Facebook @thedroneracingleague.