Chinese-made drones have dominated US skies for many years, with private owners, police departments, and fire crews using them across the nation. However, a new Federal Communications Commission rule on Tuesday will prevent American consumers from purchasing the next generation of these unmanned aerial vehicles.
The FCC banned the import and sale of all nascent drone models and crucial equipment manufactured by foreign makers, including the world’s largest drone producer DJI, by placing them on the so-called “Covered List” of entities deemed to present an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.
The FCC’s decision, excluding models already cleared for purchase and currently in use, culminates years of effort to push back against Chinese drones, such as those made by DJI and another major drone maker, Autel Robotics.
DJI expressed disappointment with this ruling, which may also annoy numerous drone operators in the country. DJI alone commands roughly 70% of the worldwide market, according to marketing research firm Research and Markets. Beyond governmental sector use, Chinese drones are widely employed throughout the US for power infrastructure and construction inspections, crop monitoring, and for professional and amateur videographers.
In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to quicken the commercialization of drone technology and scale up domestic drone manufacturing “against foreign control or exploitation.”
“President Trump made it clear his administration would take action to secure our airspace and dislodge American drone dominance,” stated FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on X on Monday.
“We are doing that through today’s action, which does not impede the continued utilization or acquisition of previously authorized drones, nor does it preclude appropriate mechanisms for excluding drones that do not pose a risk,” he added.
The importation, vending, or operation of existing device versions previously authorized by the telecom regulator will remain permissible, and consumers can keep using any drones legally acquired beforehand, stated the FCC.
This week’s announcement followed language in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress last year, mandating a safety review of gear made by DJI, Autel, and other foreign drone producers by December 23, 2025.
Over the past year, DJI has penned letters to US officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hejsek, welcoming rigorous vetting and necessary inspections of its products.
“We stand ready to cooperate with you, to be open and transparent, and to furnish you with the requisite data to conduct a thorough review,” penned Adam Welsh, DJI’s head of global policy, in his latest correspondence early this month.
But instead of the comprehensive review anticipated by the industry and DJI, the FCC remarked that the determination was based on a finding by an interagency body established by the White House, which concluded that foreign drones and components “may enable persistent surveillance, data exfiltration, and disruptive operations on US territory.”
A DJI representative told CNN on Monday that the firm was “disappointed” by the FCC’s move, asserting there was “no information provided as to what evidence the executive branch relied upon in making its determination.”
The spokesperson reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the US marketplace and product security, which is backed by independent reviewers.
“Concerns regarding DJI’s data security are not evidence-based but rather reflect protectionism contrary to open market principles,” the individual added.
CNN reached out to Autel for comment.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday labeled the FCC list “discriminatory,” adding that Beijing opposes Washington’s excessive generalization of national security.
“The United States should correct its erroneous practices and foster a fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory environment for Chinese companies to operate,” he remarked.
Several Chinese firms, including tech and telecom giant Huawei and state-owned telecom carrier ZTE, have already been placed on FCC lists over comparable national security hazards.
Longstanding Concerns
Worries surrounding Chinese drones and DJI are not new. As far back as 2017, the US Army prohibited the use of DJI drones due to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. That same year, the Department of Homeland Security cautioned in an internal memo that Chinese drones might transmit sensitive flight data back to their makers in China.
In 2020, DJI was placed on the Commerce Department’s economic blacklist, the so-called Entity List, for the company’s alleged complicity in human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance of China’s Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and other minorities. The following year, the US Treasury Department also imposed investment curbs on DJI for similar reasons.
In 2022, the Defense Department added DJI to a roster of companies supposedly collaborating with China’s People’s Liberation Army. Although DJI disputed the Pentagon’s characterization and pursued a lawsuit to have its designation lifted, it lost a legal bid this September.
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