US lawmakers want ban on Chinese drones

Associated Press Washington: Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilisers on his corn, soybean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader. As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded — something he did after Hurricane Helene.

Now he is fretting that one day he will have to ground his drone fleet. Most commercial drones sold in the United States, including those used by Hedrick, are made in China. They have become a target of US lawmakers, who see the dominance of Chinese drones not only as an espionage threat but as a commercial threat because they make it nearly impossible for American manufacturers to compete. It's another front in the US-China economic and technological competition that's likely to intensify with the return to the White House in January of Republican Donald Trump, who has promised to get tough on China.

Washington has already placed restrictions on Chinese telecommunications companies and imposed high tariffs on Chinesemade electric vehicles as the US competes with China in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and other areas. A defence bill that Congress passed on December 18, includes a clause to stop two Chinese companies from selling new drones in the US if a review finds they pose “an unacceptable risk” to American national security. Congress has banned federal agencies from acquiring Chinese drones, with some exceptions, and several states have barred publicly funded programmes from using or procuring Chinese drones. A broader ban is worrisome for Americans for whom drones have become a part of their lives and work. It could disrupt wideranging operations, from law enforcement to mapping and filmmaking that drone operators say are viable because of the low cost and high performance of the Chinese drones.

American-made drones just aren't comparable, they say. In Hickory, North Carolina, Hedrick began flying Chinese-made drones in 2019 to fertilise crops and monitor crop health. A drone spreader costs $35,000, while a conventional ground sprayer would set him back $250,000, he said.