The economic and technological rivalry between the U.S. and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player in America.
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Russell Hedrick puts a battery in a DJI drone to put crop cover on his farm, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Hickory, N.C. Russell Hedrick uses a DJI drone to put crop cover on his farm, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Hickory, N.C. Russell Hedrick's DJI drone puts crop cover on his farm, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Hickory, N.C.
FILE - A DJI Phantom 3 drone flies during a drone demonstration at a farm and winery, June 11, 2015, in Cordova, Md. Russell Hedrick shows footage of when he used his drone to drop supplies to people during Hurricane Helene recovery, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Hickory, N.C. Russell Hedrick prepares a DJI drone to put crop cover on his farm, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Hickory, N.C.
It’s another front in the U.S.-China economic and technological competition that’s likely to intensify with the return to the White House in January of Republican Donald Trump, who has promised to get tough on China. It was the role of drones in everyday life that drove Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to get Congress to restrict the purchase of Chinese drones by federal agencies. Those restrictions were included in a defense bill that Democratic President Joe Biden signed last year.
That vulnerability was clear earlier this year when Beijing sanctioned the U.S. drone maker Skydio, forcing it to ration its batteries sourced from China. For now, it remains unrealistic to ban Chinese drones when there are few comparable products, said Faine Greenwood, a drone enthusiast who writes extensively about drones. “If we ban the Chinese drones, we knock out many amazing things we do.”The best-known Chinese drones are those by DJI Technology Co., a company founded in 2006 and based in the southern city of Shenzhen. It's named in the defense spending bill, along with another Chinese company, Autel Robotics.
“I am not going to say I won’t love to have U.S. drones, but I don’t see the American drones as anywhere close to the DJI drones in terms of reliability, ease of use, and just the user-friendly software,” Hedrick said. “The U.S. drones are not as good as the DJI ones but cost twice as much.” That caused a headache for Capt. Chris Lowe of the Kingsport Fire Department. After his department lost a DJI Mavic Pro drone, he was quoted $5,000 for a replacement from an approved list of drones, when another DJI Mavic Pro would cost $1,000 to $1,500.
At the Interior Department, the policy against foreign-made drones has hamstrung its drone operations, resulting in the “loss of opportunities to collect data on landscape, natural and cultural resources, wildlife and infrastructure," according to a September report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Michael Robbins U.S. News Technology Adam Bry Gene Robinson Russell Hedrick Elise Stefanik Christopher Todd World News Chris Lowe John Goodson Washington News Business Donald Trump Joe Biden
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