Symbolic imageUS imposes 100% tariff on larger drones and components
Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday imposing duties of up to 100 percent on imported drones and parts. The White House cites national security and reliance on foreign suppliers.
The 100 percent rate covers unmanned aircraft with a maximum take-off weight above 25 kilograms, systems with integrated thermal imagers, docking stations and certain components; smaller drones and other parts face 25 percent. Most of the duties take effect on 3 September. Trump said they should encourage drone production in the United States. Clayton Swope of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told AFP that industrial and commercial models are affected above all, less consumer ones, because US makers have often not been cost-competitive with drones built abroad.
Capped rates for allies
TASS reports that the proclamation caps the rate at 15 percent for Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and EU member states, and at 10 percent for Britain.
Washington's pressure on DJI
DJI has taken more than two thirds of the global drone market in recent years, according to several studies, and has been on a US list of Chinese firms linked to the army since 2022; the company said in 2024 it is neither owned nor controlled by the military. A December 2025 US resolution called drones inherently dual-use.
Other opinions
Bloomberg and Le Monde present the step as aimed at China, while the state-run Global Times reports it only as a White House tariff announcement.