The U.S. will consider whether to restrict drones made with Chinese and Russian parts over national security and espionage concerns, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.
Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security is examining the threats posed by foreign adversaries in drone supply chains and weighing new rules to limit imports, according to a statement soliciting public feedback to shape any future regulations.
Drone use in U.S. agriculture is still in its infancy, but the technology is increasingly being used for mapping and surveying purposes and is rapidly expanding to perform other functions.
“We’re seeing that spray drones are coming online as another tool for crop protection,” Mariah Scott, CEO at ag drone company Rantizo, told Agri-Pulse last month. Some farmers are also using specialized drones for hauling materials, Scott said, and using them for pest identification and analysis functions.
The global agriculture drone market is expected to grow nearly fivefold between 2023 and 2030. Lawmakers, however, have expressed concerns that Chinese drone-makers dominate the international and domestic market, accounting for some 70% of international sales and 90% of U.S. consumer sales.
In its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which will be published in the Jan. 3 Federal Register, BIS argues adversaries like China could exploit their dominance in drone supply chains to “compromise U.S. infrastructure and security through cyber espionage.” Accordingly, it is seeking public comment on the security risks as well as the ways to mitigate those risks – which, it says, may include prohibitions of certain hardware and software.
“Securing the unmanned aircraft systems technology supply chain is critical to safeguarding our national security,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement. She added that the call for public comment is “an essential step in protecting the United States from vulnerabilities posed by foreign entities.”
Federal agencies are already barred from buying Chinese drones. President Joe Biden has also signed legislation to assess the threats posed by specific Chinese drone-makers. But a sweeping ban on sensitive technologies would go further than previous efforts.
Peter Harrell, a former economics adviser to President Biden, said Commerce’s latest action “launching a process to restrict Chinese drones is a big deal.” In a post to X, Harrell argued that an import ban would strengthen U.S. security and provide a “chance for U.S. suppliers to step up.”
Rantizo and other agricultural drone services providers have balked at efforts to restrict Chinese drones in the U.S. market, however. The company joined with five other spray distributors in July to form a coalition to counter such proposals. The coalition argues that any effort to address security concerns should preserve technological innovation and the efficiency gains reaped by U.S. farmers.
“There has been no factual evidence suggesting that data collected by agricultural drones is being provided to the Chinese government,” Bryan Sanders, president of HSE-UAV, said in a statement announcing the coalition.
Scott also told Agri-Pulse last month that the U.S. must ensure U.S. farmers have access to the best technology and regulatory efforts enhance competitiveness.
“We can use other measures to work on security standards, data protection standards, and ensure that any data collected is safe and secure in the same way we would with other technologies,” Scott said.
The U.S. spray drone industry cannot yet meet domestic demand, Scott added.
“We don’t have U.S. option yet for spray drones that are comparable in terms of price point and performance,” Scott said, arguing that any ban should be deferred until the domestic industry is sufficiently grown. “Let’s maintain competitiveness for American agriculture and American farmers.”
