The U.S. Justice Department last week issued an order (OJP Order 2700.1) banning unmanned aircraft and components manufactured by “covered foreign entities” from being used by U.S. law enforcement entities and programs funded by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) on the grounds that such aircraft pose a national security risk. The move is seen as a shot at China’s DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of small unmanned air systems (sUAS), and covers a plethora of U.S. state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that receive funds from the OJP to buy equipment or fund programs. OJP has an annual budget of $1.13 billion.
Though the order doesn’t specifically cover technology for larger autonomous aircraft originating in states deemed to have hostile intentions, the move raises questions about whether the U.S. government may take wider action to block such technology. During a launch event for the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program to promote the development of eVTOL aircraft and advanced air mobility applications, several speakers made a case for keeping what they called “adversarial capital” out of the U.S. market and allowing only “trusted” investors, making it clear that they were referring to Chinese companies. Some speakers argued that Chinese companies had been allowed to become overly dominant in the U.S. recreational drone market and that this should not be allowed to happen in other sectors of autonomous aviation.
