US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday imposing sweeping new tariffs on imported drones and their components, citing national security concerns and the country's heavy dependence on foreign suppliers. The measures, which take effect on 3 September, target an industry increasingly dominated by China and will affect imports from both rivals and close allies alike.

Under the proclamation, signed using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — a law that grants the president broad authority to restrict imports deemed a threat to national security — a 100% tariff will apply to larger drones weighing more than 25 kilograms, as well as those equipped with thermal cameras and docking stations. Smaller drones will face a 25% tariff. Allies including South Korea, Japan, the European Union, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Taiwan will be subject to a 15% levy, while imports from the United Kingdom will attract a 10% duty. Tariffs on less sensitive drone components will not take effect until February 2027, giving manufacturers more time to adjust.

The administration justified the move on dual-use grounds, noting that drones serve both civilian and military purposes. The US Federal Communications Commission argued last December that foreign-produced drones and components could enable surveillance, data theft and even attacks on American soil. The war in Ukraine has dramatically underscored this concern, demonstrating how commercial and hobbyist drones can be rapidly adapted for frontline combat. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had previously conducted an investigation concluding that US domestic industry cannot currently meet the country's security needs and that import penetration from foreign producers is substantial.

At the centre of the issue is DJI, the Chinese company founded in 2006 that controls more than two-thirds of the global drone market. DJI has faced years of scrutiny in Washington, with US officials accusing it of supplying products used to surveil ethnic minorities in China. Since 2022, the firm has appeared on a US list of companies linked to the Chinese military. Last week, Beijing responded to broader US trade pressure by announcing its own restrictions on drone exports to the United States and blacklisting six American companies.

Analysts note that the new tariffs are primarily aimed at industrial and commercial drones rather than consumer models used by hobbyists. The measures are part of a broader pattern: the US government also recently added humanoid and quadruped robots — another sector dominated by Chinese manufacturers — to its import blacklist. Whether the tariffs will succeed in rebuilding American drone manufacturing capacity remains an open question, but the announcement signals that Washington views unmanned aerial technology as a critical and contested frontier in its strategic competition with China.