FCC Proposes Ban on Foreign Military-Grade Drones

The Federal Communications Commission proposed rules on Tuesday to prohibit the import, marketing, and sale of certain foreign-produced military-grade drones. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated the restrictions target systems with swarming capabilities, infrared thermal imaging, LiDAR sensing, and aircraft weighing 55 pounds or more. The move follows reports of Chinese military-grade interceptor drones being marketed on social media and aligns with broader Trump administration efforts to restrict Chinese technology.

To prevent domestic supply chain shocks, the commission extended exemptions for components produced outside China until January 2028. The proposed ban excludes equipment used by the U.S. federal government, drones meeting domestic content standards, and those cleared through the Department of War's Blue UAS program. These measures build on previous bans against telecommunications firms like Huawei and ZTE, as well as drone makers DJI and Autel.

In a related enforcement action, the FCC initiated proceedings to revoke authorizations for Odyssey Robot for allegedly falsely claiming its products were domestically produced. The agency maintains these steps are necessary to prevent foreign states from accessing sensitive data and to protect the domestic drone supply chain.