Many drones in the U.S. could get their wings clipped after a proposed ban on Chinese-made drones.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering rules that could restrict or ban drones manufactured in China. The U.S. government said the push is to protect national security.
Security drone agencies have been worried about undetected threats. And drones made in China have recently become a focus of those worries.
The problem? China holds a majority share of U.S. commercial drone sales.
Taking flight: Over the past decade, U.S. agriculture has been willingly adopting drones to help visualize and analyze crops. Chinese-manufactured drones helped drive adoption by making affordable technology accessible to farms.
Spray drones, for example, are becoming more common for crop protection methods.
Sky-high tensions: However, the Department of Defense recently labeled popular brands like DJI as Chinese military companies, blacklisting future drone sales. That could increase the burden on U.S. manufacturers, which have already faced pressure from China’s dominance.
Agricultural companies have pushed back against the proposals, which they see as threatening the affordability of the technology.
Soundbite: “We don’t have a U.S. option yet for spray drones that are comparable in terms of price point and performance. Let’s maintain competitiveness for American agriculture and American farmers.” — Mariah Scott, CEO of ag drone company Rantizo.