Trump imposes tariffs on drones to support the American industry

Donald Trump announced on Thursday the upcoming imposition of tariffs on drones and related components imported into the United States in order to support American companies, which are largely outpaced by an ultra-dominant Chinese industry.

The American president justified this decision by the protection of United States national security, as drones can have a dual use, both civil and military.

A 100% tax is to apply to drones with a takeoff weight exceeding 25 kilograms, to those equipped with thermal cameras, to drone docking stations, and to certain components.

A 25% tariff is planned for smaller drones.

This means that 'industrial and commercial drones are primarily targeted' and less so those intended for the general public, Clayton Swope, a specialist at the American think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), points out to AFP.

Not competitive

The goal, according to Donald Trump, is to 'encourage the production' of drones in the United States and to 'reduce dependence' on foreign suppliers.

The American industry 'has often not been cost-competitive against foreign-made drones,' explains Clayton Swope.

These new tariffs, most of which are set to take effect on September 3, constitute the latest measure by the government to turn the tide and support an American drone industry that is independent of foreign suppliers, and particularly Chinese ones.

The Chinese company DJI, founded in 2006, controls more than two-thirds of the global drone market, according to several studies. Its products are very popular all over the world, right up to the front line between Ukraine and Russia.

It is 'essential that America be able to produce its own drones without parts or even materials from China,' emphasizes Joshua Steinman, a former official at the White House National Security Council in charge of supply chain security, to AFP.

Dual use

In an official memo from December 2025, the American government established the need to build drones and their components in the United States, which would 'reduce the risk of direct attack and disruption by drones, unauthorized surveillance, exfiltration of sensitive data, and other risks to the homeland.'

This 'national security resolution' also emphasized that drones are 'inherently' dual-use: most drones, even those sold for civil use, can be used in a military manner.

The war in Ukraine has shown the vital importance of these unmanned aerial vehicles on current battlefields.

Following this December resolution, the American telecommunications regulator, the FCC, added drones and their components to a list that would allow for their importation to be banned in the future, even if for now, 'devices already authorized may continue to be used.'

The Chinese leader DJI has been in Washington's crosshairs for several years, having been accused of providing products for the surveillance of ethnic minorities in China, particularly the Uyghurs.

The company has been on the American list of Chinese companies linked to its military since 2022, and is therefore subject to restrictions on access to American technologies. DJI fought against its presence on this list in 2024, asserting that it is 'neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military.'

Because Washington fears that drones 'have backdoors that allow for remote espionage,' Clayton Swope specifies that many rules already limit the ability of the federal government, and therefore the American military, to equip itself with foreign drones.