Export Controls
Export Controls
ITAR, drone export policy, and international procurement rules.
Coverage
FCC Moves to Bar Anzu Raptor Drones Over DJI Licence
Comments close on 23 September on a proposal that would stop import and sale of a drone the maker already withdrew in February.
XAG Tells FCC That Banning Its Farm Drones Is Arbitrary
Eight of the nine firms in the FCC's July proposal ignored its investigators. The ninth answered, and is the only one arguing back.
Iran Captures Anduril Dive-LD Drone; CENTCOM Says It Failed
The IRGC showed off a US underwater drone taken near the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM says it broke down a day earlier and carried nothing classified.
Russia Unveils Dan-T Loitering Munition at Egypt Airshow
Rosoboronexport showed the Dan-T at El Alamein, calling it a loitering munition. On its own figures it flies 450 km at 500 km/h.
US Drone Tariffs of Up to 100% Take Effect September 3
A Section 232 proclamation puts 100% duties on drones over 25kg and on thermal imagers, and 25% on everything lighter, starting September 3.
Safran and Baykar Deal Puts French Sensors on TB2 Drones
Safran will fit its Euroflir optronics and navigation systems to Baykar's TB2, replacing the Canadian L3Harris Wescam MX-15.
Chinese Firms Still Ship Drone Parts to Iran and Russia: WSJ
Chinese exporters are openly shipping drone engines, batteries and microchips to Iran and Russia despite US sanctions, the WSJ reports.
Ukraine's Drone Deal: Exporting Battle-Tested Weapons
Ukraine is launching a structured arms export program selling combat-proven drones and electronic warfare systems to allies.
Red Cat to Deliver 173 Black Widow Drones to Japan
Red Cat Holdings wins ATLA contract to supply 173 Black Widow sUAS to Japan Ground Self-Defense Force under FY2026 procurement.
No One Is Replacing DJI in the US Consumer Market
Ten months after the FCC shut out new foreign-made drones, no American consumer drone has filled DJI's place. US makers are selling to the military.
Beijing Bans Drone Sales and Storage in Urban Areas
Beijing's May 1 drone restrictions — sales bans, storage caps, mandatory registration — signal a tightening global model.
Companies
DJI
Chinese private manufacturer of consumer, enterprise and agricultural drones, cameras and imaging systems.
China
Red Cat Holdings
US defense drone company supplying NDAA-compliant small unmanned systems for military reconnaissance through its Teal Drones subsidiary.
United States
Unusual Machines
US drone manufacturer and components distributor building NDAA-compliant drones and parts to cut American dependence on Chinese supply chains.
United States
Anduril Industries
US defense technology company building autonomous weapons, counter-UAS, and AI command software, and manufacturing them at its own Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio.
United States
Anzu Robotics
US drone company that built the Raptor series under licence from DJI, now owned by XTI Aerospace and developing a replacement after ending production.
United States
Autel Robotics
Chinese drone manufacturer producing consumer and commercial UAVs, including the EVO and Dragonfish series, with a growing defense-adjacent presence.
China
Baykar
Turkish defense company behind the Bayraktar TB2, the most widely exported armed drone of the past decade, now also the owner of Italy's Piaggio Aerospace.
Turkey
Drone Nerds
US drone distributor and enterprise solutions provider, bought by XTI Aerospace in November 2025 and now the source of almost all its revenue.
United States
Funding
Contracts
U.S. Army
Wescam USA (L3Harris)
Ceiling of a three-year IDIQ for commercial counter-drone capabilities under JIATF-401's Domestic…
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Dedrone Defense, D-Fend Solutions, Leidos, Fortem Technologies, CACI, BAE Systems, EMS Defense Technologies, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics Information Technology, Parsons, Anduril Industries, Astrion
Five-year multiple-award counter-UAS IDIQ led by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate…
U.S. Air Force
General Atomics, Anduril Industries
Engineering and manufacturing development and production contracts for Collaborative Combat Aircraft…
U.S. Army
Anduril Industries
Three-year production framework with the Department of War for a minimum of 3,000 Surface-Launched…
U.S. Department of War
Anduril Industries
Contract modification adding $100.3M to upgrade the Space Surveillance Network with mesh networking…