The US is expected to ban the sale and operation of Chinese-made drones as early as next week, according to a Washington Post report. According to inside sources, the Trump administration is preparing a draft executive order that would ban the sale of Chinese-made drones such as DJI and Autel on national security grounds.
Since last year, several efforts have been made to ban Chinese-made drones because manufacturers are accused of sharing GPS and camera data with the Chinese Communist Party. For the same reason, the use of DJI drones has been banned for military personnel, police, firefighters and SAR agencies.
The ban is carried out by not approving the license of wireless radio equipment used to control the drones. Without this approval, new drones cannot be marketed and even if imported illegally, the owner can be subject to legal action.
This executive order will also empower the local drone industry with the federal government to more actively support drone manufacturers in the United States. Since DJI entered the US market, local companies have not been able to compete due to lower selling prices and higher capabilities.
The Trump administration's move to ban Chinese-made drones is expected to receive positive support from local industry players who have long asked the federal government to intervene due to threats from foreign companies, especially after Skydio, a drone company from California, was sanctioned by China for supplying drones to Taiwan last year.