As an American drone pilot, I fully expected to wake up to the news that the drone giant DJI and Autel were now banned from new launches in the US as the long-awaited December 23 deadline arrived – instead, the banned list now includes not just DJI but every foreign-made UAV. With few consumer drones made in the US, the move is a devastating pause on drone tech for American drone pilots and aerial artists.
The Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List, or the list of products that the federal organization will not approve for sale in the US, now includes “uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country.” The foreign drone ban was added to the list on December 22.
