The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that new models of Chinese-made toy drones will be permitted for import into the United States.
Back in December, the FCC had moved to block all new models of foreign-manufactured drones and key components from entering the country, specifically targeting products from China’s DJI and Autel, citing unacceptable threats to national security. Since then, the agency has gradually allowed some new drone models back in.
The latest decision stems from a Pentagon finding that “unsophisticated, low-risk toys” lacking the “organic capabilities and features in range, endurance, sensing, payload, connectivity, and data collection and storage” associated with conventional drones do not present national security concerns.
The FCC laid out tight criteria for what qualifies as a toy drone under this exemption. Qualifying devices must weigh no more than 150 grams — about 5.29 ounces — and can only be operated within a line-of-sight distance of 100 meters or less, which is roughly 328 feet. They also cannot have any network or connectivity features, cannot carry cameras or sensors capable of recording or collecting data, and are limited to no more than 10 minutes of flight time.
The U.S. government has been taking a number of steps to restrict Chinese technology products, and the FCC is weighing additional measures. Last month, the agency said it would allow Chinese drones and consumer routers already sold in the United States to continue receiving critical software updates at least through the end of 2028.
Separately, the FCC is reviewing whether to ban the import of Chinese equipment from a group of manufacturers, having already prohibited the import or sale of their new models back in 2022.
The commission is also considering a proposal that would bar U.S. telecommunications carriers from connecting their networks with Chinese telecom companies identified as national security risks — a move that would also prevent those Chinese firms from operating data centers on American soil.
