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The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added China’s DJI, Autel and other foreign-made drones and components to its list of entities posing unacceptable national security risks. This action prohibits the approval of the import or sale of new types of drones in the United States.
Joining the FCC’s “Covered List” prevents DJI, Autel and other foreign drone companies from gaining the mandatory FCC approval needed to sell new drone models or critical components in the US. This decision effectively blocks their market access for new products.
It marks a significant escalation in Washington’s efforts to curb Chinese drones, after the Commerce Department announced plans to restrict such imports in September.
The FCC designation does not prohibit the import, sale, or use of any existing device models already authorized by the telecommunications regulator, and does not affect any drones already purchased. It says consumers can continue to use any drones they have already purchased legally.
DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, said it is disappointed by the FCC’s decision to add foreign-made drones to the covered list. “Although DJI has not been singled out, no information has been released by the executive branch regarding what information was used in reaching its determination,” the company said.
DJI previously said that being added to the covered list would effectively ban it from introducing new drone models in the United States. The company sells more than half of US commercial drones.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that China opposed the US’s “excessively broad interpretation of the concept of national security” and setting up “discriminatory” lists. He urged Washington to “correct its wrong practices” and provide a fair environment for Chinese companies.
The FCC said it received the results of a White House-convened, executive-branch interagency review of the risks of foreign drones on Sunday, which found that imported drones and components pose a security risk “given unauthorized surveillance, sensitive data exfiltration, supply chain vulnerabilities and other potential threats to the homeland.”
The review said the Pentagon could decide in the future that specific drones or classes of drones do not pose a risk and remove them from restrictions.
In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing America’s reliance on Chinese drone companies.
Sebastian Gorka, senior director of counterterrorism at the National Security Council, said the action was part of ensuring that drones are made in the United States. “Drones are a big part of America’s future security. They should be made in the United States,” he wrote on X Monday.
DJI said earlier this month that “More than 80% of the nation’s more than 1,800 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 do not have access to the most cost-effective and efficient drone technology available.”
Both Trump and the FCC cited concerns about the upcoming Olympics and World Cup and misuse of drones.
Republican Representative Rick Crawford praised the decision, saying, “The use of Chinese-made drones, with broad reach over American airspace, has been a counterintelligence nightmare for years… We cannot compromise our national security in exchange for cheap goods intent on flooding the American market.”
Sugar Manufacturer Hikvision filed a lawsuit The FCC’s decision was challenged earlier this month in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to block new approvals for devices containing parts of companies included on its covered list and to allow the agency to put a hold on already approved devices in some cases.
In September, a US judge rejected DJI’s bid to be removed from the US Defense Department’s list of companies allegedly working with Beijing’s military.