Impending US Ban on DJI Drones: An Analysis

The annual defense spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), has been passed by the US Senate. It may have a significant impact on DJI, the world's largest drone company, although it does not necessarily imply an immediate ban that DJI feared. The legislation does not include the full Countering CCP Drones Act provisions that would have quickly blocked DJI product imports into the United States, but it does start a one-year countdown until DJI and Autel Robotics products are automatically banned.

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Implications of the NDAA

If DJI cannot persuade a national security agency to publicly declare that its products do not pose an unacceptable risk to US national security, the FCC will add DJI's gear to its covered list under the Secure and Trusted Communication Networks Act. This list not only prevents the gear from operating on US networks but also bars the FCC from authorizing their internal radios for use in the US, effectively blocking all imports.

Effects on DJI Product Users

While this would not prevent US citizens from using their existing DJI gadgets, it would ban new DJI drones from import into the United States. Every DJI product with a radio or camera, like the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, would technically be banned.

Future of DJI

The bill has already passed the House of Representatives and is headed to President Biden's desk. It's up to the Trump administration to decide whether it wants to save the Chinese drone company. DJI may try to get face time with Trump, like TikTok, which is more imminently facing a ban.