UNITED STATES – Two senators have reintroduced their own version of an act to ban the sale of DJI drones in the United States, initially passed in the House of Representative National Defense Authorization act, to the U.S. Senate National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) FY25. It is yet to be considered in the Senate, but the Countering CCP Drones Act (CCCPDA) was initially left off the Senate NDAA released in early July.
The new version of the act, titled the Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act, was introduced by Florida Senator Rick Scott and Indiana Senator Mark Warner. According to DJI’s View Points Blog, the new act calls for the Secretary of Defense to determine any connections drone companies have to the Chinese military, the inclusion of DJI drones on a restricted equipment list, and the creation of a “First Responder Secure Drone Program”, which provides grants for local agencies to purchase drones not produced by a determined “foreign entity of concern”.
DJI’s response includes the following:
- “DJI is not a military company. We remain one of few drone companies to clearly denounce and actively discourage use of our drones in combat.
- DJI has a longstanding commitment to drone security and safety. Since 2017, we have invested in regular security audits, conducted by reputable third-party experts, and have expanded the range of privacy controls across our consumer and enterprise drones.
- DJI supports the creation of grant programs that empower greater public safety use of drone technologies, but restricting their access to the best products in the market – solely based on protectionist politics and unsubstantiated allegations – will only hinder their operations and damage the drone programs they have built and strengthened over time.
- DJI deplores the use of drones to cause harm. For over a decade, Americans have used DJI drones for a wide range of peaceful and productive applications. While most people fly their drones responsibly, DJI has developed a suite of safety solutions to help relevant authorities protect people and places from the small number of bad actors.“
The Senate will not vote on NDAA amendments until September at the earliest. If the act is included in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act, the Senate and House will hold a conference to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA, including the differences between the two Countering CCP Drone amendments.