Government Agencies Divided Over Chinese-Made UAVs Written 10 February 2020
![DJI-Phantom4-AP-Purchased-1000 DJI-Phantom4-AP-Purchased-1000](/images/default-source/uploadedimages/industry-news/dji-phantom4-ap-purchased-1000.png?sfvrsn=7d37bcba_0&MaxWidth=250&MaxHeight=174&ScaleUp=false&Quality=High&Method=ResizeFitToAreaArguments&Signature=A2E33243462982B8FD0E97A75BFC5BA26C2A6E45)
DJI Phantom 4. Credit: Associated Press-©
The New York Times reported that government agencies “are split on how best to handle national security concerns surrounding popular and ubiquitous Chinese-made” UAVs. The Department of the Interior “grounded all those made in China or built with Chinese parts” in October and “reaffirmed” the decision in January. However, last year, both the Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget “raised warnings...about congressional legislation that would make it impossible for the United States government to buy Chinese drones at all.” The debate demonstrates how the Trump Administration’s “attempts to ‘decouple’ America from Chinese industry can crash into the realities of the global tech supply chain.” Chinese company DJI, for example, is estimated by analysts to have a market share of 70 percent.
Full Story (New York Times)