The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday partially reversed a sweeping ban on the sale of foreign drones and components. But to the chagrin of American uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operators, the ban still covers China’s DJI, which produces some of the world’s most widely used drones.
The FCC in December added all UAS and components produced in foreign countries to its covered list at the direction of the White House, which determined they pose “unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.”
The ban does not affect equipment previously authorized by the FCC or already in the hands of American consumers. But it effectively prohibits the sale of any new foreign models in the U.S. It also impacts new components such as cameras and batteries, which could make it more difficult to maintain or upgrade approved drones.
On Wednesday, the FCC loosened the ban, exempting UAS and critical components on the Pentagon’s Blue List of cleared UAS aircraft. That means drones produced by Parrot, Aerovironment, Teledyne FLIR, AgEagle Aerial Systems, Wingtra, Auterion, and others on the list will remain available. So too will components produced by Sony, Nvidia, Panasonic, and others.
“UAS and UAS components included on the Blue UAS list have met the highest security standards so they are able to operate in sensitive environments, protect sensitive information, and prevent cyber vulnerabilities,” an FCC notice announcing the move reads. “Given the extensive testing of the Blue listed UAS and UAS critical components, the [Pentagon] has determined that UAS and UAS components included on the Blue UAS list, do not pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States.”
The exemption will expire in 2027 and be reassessed to determine if foreign equipment is “hampering the resiliency of our domestic drone industrial base,” the notice adds.
Also exempted are UAS and components that are manufactured in the U.S., so long as domestic components account for 65 percent of the cost of the finished product. That provision will also sunset in 2027. The FCC said the industry should view the 65 percent requirement as a “baseline” that will be raised in the future.
The agency further clarified that the ban does not impact drones made exclusively for use by the U.S. government.
DJI Ban Persists
Federal officials and industry groups such as the Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA) have long clamored for restrictions on foreign drones, citing them as a national security concern and a hindrance to American UAS manufacturing.
In 2020, for example, DJI’s market share among U.S. hobbyists and public safety operators was estimated as high as 77 and 90 percent, respectively. Officials and industry stakeholders worry about the potential of the manufacturer’s drones to surveil American citizens and infrastructure. The Pentagon went as far as labelling DJI a “Chinese military company”—a designation the company sought but failed to reverse in September.
However, even Chinese drone hawks felt the FCC’s initial ban went too far.
“We were surprised by the expansion of the FCC’s action to add UAS and UAS critical components produced in any foreign country, rather than just certain foreign adversary produced drones, to the covered list,” the CDA said in a statement Monday. “The scope of this action will create unnecessary challenges for American innovators without thoughtful implementation.”
The majority of American drone operators surveyed by The Pilot Institute, which offers online drone and airplane training, share that sentiment.
In a white paper published Wednesday, the company said it surveyed 8,056 stakeholders, most of whom identified as commercial or professional drone operators. More than 43 percent of them said their business could shutter if the DJI ban remains, including more than half of agriculture, public safety, and utility operators. About 47 percent said they support targeted restrictions on foreign drones—in line with the FCC’s Wednesday update—but only for sensitive government or critical infrastructure uses.
Strikingly, 70 percent of respondents said they operate drone fleets that are fully DJI. Eighty-five percent said DJI drones make up at least three-quarters of their fleet. And 97 percent said they use at least one DJI drone.
By contrast, only 5 percent of respondents said their drones come from Skydio, one of the leading American manufacturers. Nearly 30 percent said there is no FCC-approved alternative to DJI that meets their needs, citing higher costs and lower performance and reliability.
Overall, about 58 percent of operators said they are “extremely concerned” about the direction of U.S. policies on foreign UAS.
“More than 80 percent of the nation’s 1,800-plus state and local law enforcement and emergency response agencies that operate drone programs use DJI technology; these programs will be at immediate risk if they no longer have access to the most cost effective and efficient drone technology available,” DJI wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in December.
The FCC restrictions come about six months after President Donald Trump issued an executive order that expedited security reviews of foreign drone manufacturers. A second order aims to ramp up domestic UAS manufacturing. In alignment with the latter, the Pentagon in December launched a Drone Dominance program that will spend upwards of $1 billion to produce more than 300,000 small drones by 2027.
