Drones are Grounded

Posted on Apr 7, 2026 by

I’m not a hunter, but I have a bunch of buddies who are. One of the biggest frustrations they share with me is tracking a prized buck all season and shooting it, but the deer doesn’t die and scrambles away. Without snow, it can be extremely difficult to track it, especially at night. It’s unfortunate for the hunter for losing out on a trophy and meat, and awful for the deer.

Thanks to my friend, Jeff, however, finding lost deer isn’t a problem. Jeff owns a drone that has an infrared camera on it. He’s helped many hunters find their lost deer. He’s even found deer that they weren’t looking for.

Drones have been instrumental in helping view things that people normally could never see. And that’s what worries the Federal Communications Commission.

At the end of 2025, the FCC banned the import and sale of all new drone models and critical equipment made by foreign manufacturers. This includes drones made by DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial and consumer drones. Founded in 2006, the Chinese technology company, headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, which is often considered China’s Silicon Valley, is on the Commission’s so-called “Covered List” of entities deemed to “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.”

According to data from market research firm Research and Markets, DJI has cornered about 70% of the global drone market. Drones have been used in the public sector in the U.S. by police departments, firefighters and public works departments. They’ve also skyrocketed in popularity by private users for monitoring crops, inspecting roofs, finding lost deer, and just for fun.

The ban, which has been years in the making, does not apply to models already approved for sale and those currently in use. In 2017, the U.S. Army banned the use of DJI drones due to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. In an internal memo issued that same year by the Department of Homeland Security, the agency warned that Chinese-made drones might be sending sensitive flight data to their manufacturers in China.

In 2020, the Commerce Department placed DJI on its economic blacklist, or so-called Entity List, for the company’s alleged involvement in human rights abuses and high technology surveillance against China’s Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and other minorities. In 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department also placed investment restrictions on DJI for similar reasons. In 2022, the Department of Defense added DJI onto a list of firms allegedly working with China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Early in 2025, Congress passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which mandated a security review of equipment produced by DJI, Autel and other foreign drone makers by December 23. In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate the commercialization of drone technologies and increase domestic drone production “against foreign control or exploitation.”

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in a post on X, “President Trump has been clear that his Administration will act to secure our airspace and unleash American drone dominance.” He added, “We do so through an action today that does not disrupt the ongoing use or purchase of previously authorized drones and with appropriate avenues for excluding drones that do not pose a risk.”

DJI expressed disappointment with the ban. Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, called the FCC listing “discriminatory” and that Beijing opposes Washington’s overgeneralization of national security. “The U.S. should correct its erroneous practices and provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies to operate,” he said.

With no new drones coming into the country, I hope I can finally go back to nude sunbathing in my backyard.



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Reg P. Wydeven

Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney at McCarty Law LLP
Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps from a young age, Reg’s practice primarily consists of advising individuals on estate planning, estate settlement and elder law matters. As Reg represents clients in matters like guardianship proceedings and long-term care admissions, he feels grateful to be able to offer families thorough legal help in their time of need.
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