[11:44 Fri,26.December 2025 by Thomas Richter] |
The long-awaited deadline for imported drones in the USA expired on December 23rd. By this date, some US security authority should have completed a security assessment of foreign drones (especially DJI and Autel) to prevent a ban. However, since no assessment was submitted by an authority, the FCC, the American agency responsible for regulating radio and telecommunications, decided to ban all newly manufactured drones from abroad (de facto mainly Chinese, specifically DJI) along with their components. ;)
This means that future new drone models will no longer receive FCC approval and therefore cannot be imported or sold in the USA. This ban is more comprehensive than drone owners previously assumed, as it currently has no exceptions and affects not only drones but also, among other things, controllers, batteries, sensors, and navigation systems for drones. Already approved drone models that are already in possession, as well as models in US warehouses, are exempt—these will remain usable and sellable. The far-reaching ban is explicitly justified by the FCC Chairman with security concerns and the Trump administration&s "America First" strategy, which aims to strengthen American drone production: I welcome this security policy determination by the Executive Branch and am pleased that the FCC has now added foreign drones and associated components that pose an unacceptable risk to national security to the FCC&s Covered List. In line with President Trump&s leadership, the FCC will work closely with US drone manufacturers to unleash the supremacy of American drones. §PIC12 The national security concerns explicitly and implicitly include several arguments: firstly, the long-feared espionage of American infrastructure (which, however, has never been proven), and secondly, explicitly a possible threat scenario from terrorist-modified drones regarding upcoming major sporting events in the USA, such as the 2026 Soccer World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games. This seems strange given the permission to continue using existing drones, which could easily be modified for attacks, and the fact that terrorists might not be deterred by a drone import ban. Finally, the "unacceptable risk to national security" includes the dominance of Chinese manufacturers in the entire drone market, which affects the increasingly important military significance of drones. Without the knowledge and technology acquired in civilian drone production (hence the component ban), it will be difficult to manufacture military drones domestically in the future without relying on Chinese models or even drone components. ;) Like almost all political MAGA decisions, such as the confusing tariffs, this one also seems somewhat headless: if American drone production is to be strengthened, it would need a lead time to build up the corresponding production capacities and accumulate knowledge and technology—this will not be possible in the short term, especially since the drones currently produced in the USA also largely use components from abroad—namely China. Drone pilots in the USA are thus temporarily excluded from all new drone developments—DJI had already refrained from launching some drones in the USA before the ban due to difficulties with customs and uncertain market conditions, meaning the FPV model Neo 2 or the latest semi-pro top model, the Mavic 4 Pro, was not available in the USA. Presumably for the same reason, DJI—contrary to rumors—did not circumvent the looming deadline and released its 360° drone DJI Avata360 before it, even though the major competitor Insta360 just launched its Antigravity—earlier than expected and well before the deadline. ;) The worldwide effects of this decision regarding, for example, the development of new models, the emergence of new drone manufacturers, and a grey or black market for old and new drones in the USA, price increases in the USA, and a possible fragmentation of the markets—remain to be seen. Bild zur Newsmeldung:
 more infos at bei docs.fcc.govdeutsche Version dieser Seite: USA verbieten neue Drohnen aus China - und dem Rest der Welt |
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