Can you still buy a DJI drone in the US? (Yes.) Will you be able to buy future drones? (Maybe.) Here are the current drone dos and don’ts.
The key word in the previous paragraph was any new drone. Nothing DJI has made in the past is banned. No one is taking your drone away. It's still perfectly legal to fly a drone. And this isn't just a DJI ban.
It's a ban on foreign-made drones, which includes those from companies such as DJI, Autel Robotics, HoverAir, and thers. That DJI is singled out in headlines has more to do with its market dominance than the way the rules are written. I'd like to say that with the biggest competitor essentially removed from the market that US-based companies are swooping in with new drones. Actually we did say that once about Skydio, and we even liked the Skydio drone we tested, but since then Skydio has shifted away from the consumer market. No New Drones While it's good news that the old stuff is still for sale, it's unlikely that any new drones will arrive. In order to sell in the United States, anything that uses radio frequency components has to be approved by the FCC. Drones use radio frequencies when flying, so they fall under FCC jurisdiction. Because none of the drone companies have had the security review they need by an approved US agency, they have all been placed on what's called the Covered List. Companies on the Covered List do not have approval to import products into the US, effectively banning them. There's some evidence that wheels are turning somewhere, in a way that could spell good news for consumer drone flyers. Last week, the FCC amended its Covered List to exempt drones and components already approved by the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS list. The FCC says in its public statement, “The DoW has determined that UAS and UAS critical components included on Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS list do not currently present unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of US persons.” For the most part, this doesn't really impact consumer drones, unless you were in the market for a $13.6k Parrot Anafi USA Gov edition thermal drone, but it's better than silence, which has been the primary thing we've heard leading up to the December ban. It could be worse. While the FCC regulations govern what can be sold, which so far doesn't have much impact on those of use who fly hobbyist drones, the Commerce Department was planning its own ban, which could have grounded existing drones. Thankfully, that plan has been shelved, at least for now. Currently, the biggest issue is that any future drones DJI releases won't be available in the United States unless something changes. Drones are entangled in the politics of US-China relations, and it's unlikely that we will get any clarity on the future of US drones until there's some clarity in the US-Chinese relationship. Should You Buy a New Drone Now? Well … probably? The future of drones in the US will likely depend on the future of US-Chinese relations, and that could be rocky given recent trade negotiations. US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping are due to meet in April, so it's a good bet that not much is going to change between now and then. If you've been wanting a drone but are concerned about the future of drone sales, now is the time to buy. We will keep this article updated as things develop. What About Gray-Market Drones? Like networks, capitalism seems to have ways around what it considers damage. So yes, there will likely be ways to get a drone that doesn’t have FCC approval. However, buying one and importing it into the US would be legally murky at best and could possibly land you in considerable trouble. We do not recommend it. Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
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