China owns the drone industry. Now America needs to usurp it

The article discusses the growing dominance of China, particularly companies like DJI and Autel Robotics, in the global drone industry, with DJI controlling over 90% of the US consumer drone market and more than 70% globally. This concentration has raised significant national security concerns in the United States, prompting the Trump administration to issue executive orders aimed at reducing reliance on Chinese-made drones. These orders restrict federal agencies from using foreign adversaries' drones, accelerate risk assessments, and prioritize domestically built platforms. The US government’s scrutiny of Chinese drone firms has been ongoing since 2017, including bans, warnings about data sharing, and placing DJI on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List, culminating in a 2024 law mandating a national security review and potential sales bans. In response to these challenges, US startups like Corvus Robotics and Zepher Flight Labs are innovating by designing and manufacturing drones entirely in-house, avoiding imports and aiming for technological breakthroughs such as full-stack autonomy and hydrogen propulsion. Cor