\n<\/p>\n
December 23, 2025<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n FCC Blocks New Foreign-Made Drones, Citing National Security Risks<\/p>\n The U.S.\u2019s decision to ban the sale of new foreign-made drones will have far wider-reaching implications than its effect on pilots\u2019 ability to access new models and parts<\/p>\n By Eric Sullivan edited by Claire Cameron<\/span><\/p>\n Drones do far more than ruin a day at the park. Formally known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), they are integral to myriad sectors, from real estate to agriculture to disaster mapping and engineering. The Federal Communication Commission\u2019s decision to change which drones can be sold in the U.S. matters far beyond the recreational use of such devices.<\/p>\n On December 22 the FCC added the products of Chinese drone makers DJI and Autel Robotics along with other foreign-made drones and critical components, to its \u201cCovered List,\u201d a compilation of communications technologies that have been deemed a risk to national security. FCC chairman Brendan Carr said in a recent announcement that the goal is to \u201cunleash American drone dominance.\u201d In effect, it means that new models of these drones cannot be imported or sold in the U.S.<\/p>\n The FCC\u2019s decision is the latest move by the federal government to restrict Chinese technologies. Like telecom and video-surveillance gear before them, drones have raised concerns among U.S. officials over potential attacks, disruptions and surveillance. Indeed, the FCC announcement cites the 2026 FIFA World Cup, part of which will be hosted in the U.S., and the country\u2019s 250-year anniversary celebrations as cause for preemptive action.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n If you already own a foreign-made drone, you can keep it, and U.S. retailers can sell previously approved models. But because the FCC\u2019s move covers critical components, it could affect drone maintenance and repair as batteries, controllers and other parts become harder to obtain. The ban has triggered an uproar among the country\u2019s nearly 500,000 certified commercial drone pilots: a Pilot Institute survey of 8,000 pilots, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, found that around 43 percent believe the ban will have an \u201cextremely negative\u201d or \u201cpotentially business-ending impact\u201d on their companies. Some had already begun stockpiling drones and parts in anticipation of the ruling.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019ve never flown a drone, these aircraft affect your life. Chances are your town operates at least one UAS to conduct inspections or assist in emergency response\u2014and it is likely that device was made overseas. Shenzhen, China\u2013based DJI alone accounts for 70 to 90 percent of the commercial, local-government and hobbyist market in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n Spexi, a Vancouver-based geospatial data company, scans regions using a freelance network of paid pilots; those pilots primarily fly DJI drones. \u201cWe\u2019re reliant on the DJI Minis\u201d to do the work, says CEO Bill Lakeland. \u201cNow we\u2019re looking to diversify.\u201d But U.S.-made drones are often more expensive than foreign-made counterparts; Spexi is exploring building its own hardware.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" December 23, 2025 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm FCC Blocks New Foreign-Made Drones, Citing National Security Risks The U.S.\u2019s decision to ban the sale of new foreign-made drones will have far wider-reaching implications than its effect on pilots\u2019 ability to access new models and parts By Eric Sullivan edited by Claire Cameron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[21191,18180,9654,3244,4698,1861,2851,12411],"class_list":{"0":"post-38862","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-banwhat","9":"tag-covered","10":"tag-dji","11":"tag-drone","12":"tag-fcc","13":"tag-list","14":"tag-means","15":"tag-pilots"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/h2>\n