COMING SOON

In December 2025, the Federal Communications Commission added four drone manufacturers — DJI, Autel Robotics, Yuneec, and JOUAV — to its Covered List under the Secure Equipment Act. If you have read headlines about a "DJI ban" and want to know what actually changed, here is the short answer.

What the ruling does

It blocks **new equipment authorizations** for these four manufacturers. An equipment authorization is the FCC clearance required before a device can be legally marketed, sold, or imported in the United States. Without one, new models from these manufacturers cannot enter the US market.

What the ruling does not do

It does not:

- Retroactively cancel existing authorizations

- Ground the existing fleet

- Require operators to stop flying current units

- Prohibit private ownership

- Directly affect Part 107 commercial operations using existing platforms

Units already authorized and imported remain legally operable. Whether you own a DJI Mavic 3 Pro or a Matrice 350 RTK and you fly it commercially under Part 107, the ruling did not change your legal status as an operator.

What changes over time

The ruling restricts the supply pipeline, not the existing fleet. Over months and years, the absence of new units, new model releases, certified parts, and continued software support creates compounding pressure on existing fleets. The timeline for that pressure to materially affect commercial operators is measured in years, not weeks.

Why it matters for your procurement decision

If you are purchasing drones today for commercial use, the practical question is whether the platforms you buy will remain supportable and procurement-eligible over their operational life. For the four manufacturers on the Covered List, that question cannot be answered with the certainty most commercial buyers need.

That uncertainty is why US Drone Review excludes these four manufacturers from the directory. We do not list them, review them, or recommend them. 

The directory will document the 71 commercial drone manufacturers operating outside FCC Covered List restrictions and those that are developed and marketed in the future — US-made manufacturers and allied-country manufacturers with established US commercial presence. Those are the platforms a buyer making a purchase decision in 2026 can evaluate with the confidence that supportability and procurement-eligibility will remain stable.

What this ruling is, and what it isn't

The Covered List ruling is one part of a broader procurement landscape that includes the DOD's Blue UAS Cleared List, NDAA Section 848 compliance, state-level restrictions (notably in Florida and Tennessee), the FCC Conditional Approval exemption pathway through the Department of War, and various cybersecurity certifications. These are separate frameworks with separate criteria and timelines. A platform's status under each can vary.