President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Friday aimed at boosting the US drone industry and shoring up protections against malicious drone activity.
The measures stop short of ordering a full ban on Chinese-made drones from companies like DJI or Autel. However, one of them calls on the Federal Acquisition Security Council to “publish a Covered Foreign Entity List…identifying companies that pose supply chain risks.” So, DJI and Autel could end up on that list.
In 2022, the US Treasury added DJI and seven other companies to its Chinese Military-Industrial Complex list, which indicates some level of national security concern and prohibits US-based companies from exporting technology to them. Since then, DJI has been locked in a legal battle with the US over its inclusion on the list.
(Credit: Jens Büttner/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Last year’s defense bill also requires the US to evaluate whether communications and video surveillance equipment made by DJI and Autel Robotics “pose an ‘unacceptable risk’ to US national security.” Officials are supposed to do that within one year of the bill’s Dec. 23, 2024, signing. If they don’t, DJI products will be automatically added to the FCC’s Covered List of products that can’t be sold in the US.
In a statement, DJI said it “welcomes and embraces opportunities to demonstrate our privacy controls and security features.”
DJI also praised a provision that would enable “routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for UAS for commercial and public safety purposes.” This would allow operators to fly drones outside their field of view under certain conditions. Currently, operators must be able to see the drones they’re operating unless they get a waiver. The FAA must issue a proposed rule on BVLOS operations within 30 days and publish a final rule within 240 days.
Securing Airspace for the World Cup and Olympics
Overall, the EOs are more focused on high-level threats posed by drones. The second EO argues that “criminals, terrorists, and hostile foreign actors have intensified their weaponization” of drone technologies, with the White House pointing to cartels that use drones to smuggle drugs across the border, deliver contraband to prisons, and surveil law enforcement.
“Mass gatherings are vulnerable to disruptions and threats by unauthorized UAS [unmanned aircraft system] flights,” the EO adds. “Critical infrastructure, including military bases, is subject to frequent — and often unidentified — UAS incursions. Immediate action is needed to ensure American sovereignty over its skies and that its airspace remains safe and secure.”
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To combat this, the EO creates a Federal Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, which will “develop and propose solutions to UAS threats.”
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It also calls on various US agencies to “take all appropriate steps [to] secure major upcoming national and international sporting events held in the United States, such as the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the 2028 Summer Olympics.”
The National Football League (NFL) tells Reuters that the order marks a “significant step” in addressing the risk of drones entering restricted airspace during games. Last year, the NFL reported a 20,000% increase in unauthorized drone activity over games between 2017 and 2023, some of which delayed games.
Ideally, these EOs help the US drone industry. “All agencies shall prioritize the integration of UAS manufactured in the United States over those made abroad,” one EO says, which could boost the fortunes of American drone makers like Skydio.
Trump also wants to “amend export control regulations within 90 days of the date of this order to enable the expedited export of United States-manufactured civil UAS to foreign partners.”
About Will McCurdy
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