- US Commerce Department withdraws proposal to ban all imports of Chinese drones
- Separate FCC ban on new foreign-made drones continues
- DJI’s future in the US remains unclear
As we recently reported, the so-called “DJI ban” recently implemented in the US is actually a ban on all new foreign-made drones, which will likely make purchasing drones more difficult and more expensive in the country.
But here’s something to cheer up US-based drone users looking for good news amid the doom and gloom: The Commerce Department has decided not to make matters even worse by restricting the import of all Chinese-made drones into the country.
This proposed ban (which is separate from the FCC ban introduced on December 23, 2025) would have restricted the importation into the US for the sale of new stock of previously approved drone models, such as the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, HoverAir X1, and Antigravity A1.
The future remains murky
According to PakGazette, this move may come as a result of a partial thaw in relations between the United States and China ahead of a meeting between the respective presidents of both countries, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, in April 2026.
While this means things won’t immediately get worse for anyone trying to buy a Chinese-made drone in the United States, the future is much murkier. The separate FCC ban covers any foreign-made drones that have not yet received FCC approval, meaning future DJI, Autel, Antigravity and Zero Zero Robotics (the owner of HoverAir) models are unlikely to be available in the States barring US government intervention.
The FCC ban includes a provision for specific future models to be approved and allowed for sale, but this does not seem likely to happen in the current climate, and the uncertainty surrounding the rules (not to mention the tariff situation) may deter companies like DJI from participating in the US market.
With no US-based drone manufacturer currently offering genuine competition to DJI, the outlook for consumers is not particularly rosy, but they will be able to continue purchasing previously approved Chinese-made models, at least for now.
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