Out of range

16 October 2020 By Gina Chon Follow @GinaChon

The Chinese producer of unmanned aircrafts is flying high on Washington’s blacklist as lawmakers worry about it collecting data. But it is the world’s largest drone-maker by far. Expanding a ban will hurt the future of U.S. businesses – like farmers and energy companies.

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Congress is considering banning U.S. government agencies from using foreign-made drones as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate must reconcile their versions of the bill before putting it to a vote, which could be held in November.

In January, the U.S. Interior Department grounded its drone fleet, which includes products made by Chinese firm DJI, amid concerns about national security. In 2017, the U.S. Army banned the use of DJI products.

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