Navigating Domestic Manufacturing, Chinese Imports, and Integration Programs in a New Era With Donald Trump set to take the White House in January 2025, the U.S. drone industry faces a future shaped by his longstanding approach toward China, manufacturing, and industry innovation. As legislators on both sides weigh a potential ban on Chinese-made drones, the […]
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Congress is on the verge of taking down a giant in the drone industry, but the collateral damage could clip the wings of American hobbyists. And it’s not just that, but it could also pinch their wallets as taxpayers. Here’s what you need to know about what might happen if Congress bans DJI drones.
Proposed legislation, called the Countering CCP Drones Act, takes aim largely at DJI, which has long been the world’s largest drone manufacturer. The Countering CCP Drones Act would place DJI on a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) blacklist, effectively blocking new DJI drones from accessing the communication infrastructure needed to operate in the US.
Such a rule would very likely stifle innovation in the drone market, and it would almost certainly make it more expensive for hobby drone pilots and photographers to buy new gear. It also could make procuring government equipment more expensive for all Americans who pay taxes. That’s all due to proposed legislation that could ban DJI drones.
The bill at hand is called H.R. 2864, the “Countering CCP Drones Act.” Introduced by Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the controversial bill calls out Shenzhen Da-Jiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies Company Limited (the Chinese drone maker commonly known as DJI Technologies), specifically. The bill proposes a wide-ranging ban on drones manufactured by DJI, the world’s leading drone maker based in China.
And perhaps worst of all, the bill would prevent new DJI products from coming to market in the United States. Yes, the ban would only apply to new models of DJI drones from the time of the law being passed and on. That means it’s still okay to fly drones you already own. That’s a change from previous considerations of a rule change that would have also revoked authorizations of drones currently in use, according to federal filings.
So how exactly would it apply? DJI technologies would potentially be prohibited from operating on U.S. communications infrastructure. Since drones largely rely on FCC networks, the law would make these drones unusable in the U.S., as the FCC would no longer be able to approve new equipment authorizations for DJI products in the U.S. Read the full Countering CCP Drones Act bill text here.
While the act cites national security concerns over potential Chinese espionage, the real-world impact could be felt most acutely by American drone enthusiasts. And on a secondary level, it’ll be felt by all people who pay taxes to the use government.
Of course, the Countering CCP Drones Act isn’t happening in a vacuum. This proposed legislation comes at a time when lawmakers are also discussing bans on other Chinese technology, such as TikTok. While the specific concerns differ – TikTok with social media influence and DJI with potential drone surveillance – both are fueled by anxieties over Chinese technology companies potentially collecting user data or acting as conduits for espionage. And both proposed bans raise similar questions about the effectiveness of broad strokes in addressing complex national security issues.
“Communist China is using their monopolistic control over the drone market and telecommunications infrastructure to target Americans’ data and closely surveil our critical infrastructure,” the bill’s sponsor Rep. Elise Stefanik (R–N.Y.) said in a statement related to the Countering CCP Drones Act.
DJI is synonymous with consumer drones, offering a wide range of affordable, user-friendly options. With no more DJI products, the concept of affordable, user-friendly options for hobby pilots could end. After all, very few recreational drones are aimed at hobby users.
According to the Countering CCP Drones Act, DJI makes more than 50% of drones sold in the U.S. By some metrics, the DJI market share is even higher.
There’s not a single drone under $500 made in America that I’d recommend. Even with a larger budget stretched to $1,000, I would have recommended the Skydio 2 drone, which started at $999. But that drone is no more either. Skydio killed its consumer drone arm in 2023 to focus on military and enterprise markets — as that’s where the money is at.
What about drones that aren’t necessarily made in America, but that just aren’t made by DJI? Even the options are slim. My guide to the best camera drones focuses on products that hobbyists and prosumers would reasonable be able to afford. There are only a few other options I’d recommend. That includes the Autel Evo Lite+. That drone is also made in China.
There’s no shortage of proposed legislation seeking to crack down on DJI.
For example, the American Security Drone Act of 2023 is a bipartisan bill that would prohibit federal agencies from purchasing drones made by Chinese government-linked countries. Sponsors include Sen. Mitt Romney [R-UT], Sen. Mark Warner [D-VA], Sen. Marco Rubio [R-FL], Sen. Richard Blumenthal [D-CT], Sen. Marsha Blackburn [R-TN], Sen. Christopher Murphy [D-CT], and Sen. Josh Hawley [R-MO].
There’s also the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)’s Buy American Act. That Act sets a threshold for how much of a product needs to have been made in America to actually count as American-made. Right now, the threshold is 65% of parts must have been made in America. Though, it increases to 70% by 2029.
FAR’s Buy American Act only applies to products that the U.S. government buys for its own use using federal financial assistance. Though, there are a number of exceptions. That includes if the U.S.-made version is not available at what’s considered a ‘reasonable’ cost. And if DJI drones are considered reasonably priced, then its American-made counterparts are definitely not.
Those all apply to federal agencies. This new law, though, would impact hobby drone pilots if enacted.
This legislation could introduce a slew of changes for the way hobby pilots buy and fly drones. That includes: Here’s what hobbyists need to worry about:
The security concerns around DJI are a valid discussion to have. But a blanket scenario where Congress bans DJI drones is a blunt instrument that punishes American consumers in the process.
It’s not just hobbyists who could pay more for their own drones — but all taxpayers who could pay more for the government’s drones.
Government agencies, like the National Park Service, use affordable DJI drones for non-sensitive operations like counting wildlife or surveying landscapes. These tasks are crucial for conservation efforts, and DJI drones offer a cost-effective way to conduct them.
Similarly, many search and rescue, law enforcement and other first responder operations also use DJI drones. The DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise offers survey and thermal tools at amuch more affordable price than other enterprise drones. Even indoor drones like the $999 Avata 2 conduct indoor inspections in buildings that are too unsafe for people to enter.
Forcing a switch to more expensive alternatives could waste taxpayer dollars.
Congress should explore more targeted measures that address the specific security risks without crippling the burgeoning drone hobbyist community. Alternative solutions worth exploring could include:
Drones offer a unique perspective for photography, videography, mapping, environmental monitoring, and even just pure fun (like racing!). They have the potential to revolutionize industries and empower individuals. Congress needs to find a way to address security concerns without grounding the dreams of American drone enthusiasts. Perhaps even more critical though, is doing it without squeezing the budgets of government agencies.
If Congress bans DJI drones, the hobby drone industry as we know it will change forever. For now, though, the bill is just in the introduction phase. It has not passed in the House nor the Senate. Track its status here.
Whether TikTok or DJI drones, lawmakers should come wit a more nuanced approach that fosters domestic innovation while mitigating legitimate security risks. And they should do it without unfairly punishing American consumers, taxpayers and businesses in the process.
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These days, all sorts of U.S. drone pilots are seeking American-made drones. Some of that stems from anti-Chinese sentiment. Other ‘buy American’ motivations come purely from the desire to stimulate the U.S. economy and build up the U.S. as a leader in drone manufacturing.
That said, there are very few U.S. rules regulating where drones are made.
If you’re flying your own drone for recreational reasons or for a private business, there is no federal requirement around where your drone was made. Individual clients might have a preference (say, an oil company might not want a Chinese-made drone inspecting its pipelines). But if someone says the U.S. government has outright banned Chinese-made drones like DJI from flying, period (yes, I’ve heard people say that!), they’re wrong.
Even federal agencies aren’t necessarily required to buy drones made in America, in most cases. Sometimes even Chinese-made drones (like DJI drones) are okay for federal agencies to use — at least for now.
Maybe you run a small business doing contract work for a city. Perhaps you work for a county wildlife department and want to map the land. There’s no federal law requiring you use a U.S. made drone. Plenty of police departments, GIS teams and wildlife managers use DJI drones.
That said, it’s impossible to ignore the high interest in American-made drones. And some customers really are required to buy American-made drones.
If you’re required to buy an American made drone, it’s likely because of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)’s Buy American Act. The Act was designed to boost domestic supply chains and decrease reliance on foreign-made goods.
Of course, very few products are made 100% in America. Screws were perhaps made in Mexico. Mounting brackets perhaps came from India. What the Buy American Act focuses on, though, is where the major parts (e.g. sensors or processors) were made.
And recently, the threshold needed for a product to be considered American-made under FAR’s Buy American rules have increased.
On Jan. 25, 2021, when President Biden signed an Executive Order that increased requirements determining what sorts of products qualify under (FAR)’s Buy American rules. Here are those new thresholds:
So, a drone could still have 100 screws (worth 10 cents each) made in Mexico, or four propellers (worth $5 each) made in China. That’s as long as, say, the onboard computer and sensors (worth $1,000) were made in the U.S.
FAR’s Buy American rules actually apply to very few types of drone operators. In short, they apply to products that the U.S. government buys for its own use using federal financial assistance
That means drones purchased with a federal grant generally must meet that threshold (e.g. 65% of parts were made in America). And by 2029, 70% of parts will need to be made in America.
But even still, there is no single “Buy America” statute. It’s just that certain statutes require those receiving federal goods to prefer products made in the U.S. And even there, note the word ‘prefer.’
There are all sorts of waivers and exceptions from the obligation to “Buy American.” That includes an exception if the U.S.-made version is not available at what’s considered a ‘reasonable’ cost. And as you’ll find, Buy American-compliant drones are far more expensive than their counterparts.
The Buy American Act (BAA) is not the same as National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) compliance.
NDAA compliance refers to a federal law prohibiting the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) from buying drones and related equipment (like controllers, radios, cameras or software) that was manufactured or made by a country based in certain foreign countries. Those countries include China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.
Because the DoD is held to such a standard, many other private companies also choose to only fly NDAA-compliant drones.
But while both BAA and NDAA-compliance are both related to where products were made, their spirit is quite different:
| Buy American Act (BAA) | NDAA Compliance (National Defense Authorization Act) | |
| Focus | Where product was made | Whether the product is a security risk |
| Requirement | Mandates that certain purchases by the federal government prioritize purchasing goods manufactured in the U.S. | NDAA Section 889 prohibits the Department of Defense (DoD) from procuring certain equipment from companies based in countries deemed to pose a security threat |
| How it achieves this requirement | Sets a minimum percentage of domestic content a product must have. | The government buyer will conduct an NDAA compliance check |
| Goal | Support the domestic economy and U.S. job growth. | Mitigate security risks of using drones made by countries tied to foreign adversaries |
That said, a company can be NDAA-compliant and use parts made outside of the U.S. Plenty of NDAA compliant drones are made outside the U.S. Examples include the German-made Aaronia Aartos Counter UAS System and the Japanese-made SOTEN drone.
Of course when it comes to government drone procurement, BAA and NDAA compliance may sometimes be both required. This means a drone must be substantially American-made (BAA) and not made by a blacklisted company (NDAA).
It’s incredibly unlikely that the U.S. would ban Chinese-made drones from recreational or private business use.
That said, there’s a bill floating around that — if signed into law — would prohibit federal agencies from purchasing drones made by certain foreign entities. Drones from certain countries, notably China and Chinese government-linked countries, would be banned for federal use. That would have a huge impact on companies like DJI.
But don’t expect such a drastic change to happen anytime soon. Called the American Security Drone Act of 2023, Florida Senator Rick Scott introduced the bipartisan bill in February 2023. As of April 2024, it is still in the ‘introduction’ stage. That means it has yet to have been passed in the House nor the Senate.
But even that bill sets forth a slew of exemptions for agencies including the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Federal agencies like NOAA have used drones for environmental projects including monitoring whales, performing bottlenose dolphin “blow” sampling and assessing algal blooms. Alas, demanding that Chinese-made drones couldn’t be used for such use cases has been acknowledged as overkill even in the eyes of that law.
Even the Department of Homeland Security, the DoD, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Justice are exempt from the restriction under specified circumstances.
Though this is far from a comprehensive list of all American drone makers, here are some big names that have confirmed to The Drone Girl that they meet the FAR Buy American Act requirements.
Based in San Luis Obispo, California, Inspired Flight has a long history of American manufacturing. That commitment even goes back to its early days making simple UAV motors and speed controllers. These days, it builds full drone platforms, including the IF800 Tomcat and the IF1200A.
Its IF800 Tomcat aircraft is in the $20,000 to $25,000 range. Meanwhile, its larger IF1200 aircraft is in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.
Not only do its drones meet standards for NDAA Compliance and Blue sUAS approval, but the veteran-owned company also meets Buy American Act requirements.
California-based Skydio’s clients include the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and energy clients including American Electric Power and Southern Company. It designs, assembles and supports its drones in the U.S. using software developed in-house.
Note that the Skydio X10 drone uses two processors: the NVIDIA Jetson Orin SoC and Qualcomm QRB5165 SoC. Though Qualcomm is based in San Diego, it makes many of its chips in the Asia-Pacific region. And while Nvidia is based in Santa Clara, most Nvidia chip production is done by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited in Taiwanese factories.
That said, the Skydio X10 drone is NDAA-compliant and is still BAA compliant.
Based in Stevensville, Montana, Skyfish makes its drones in America. In addition to meeting the Buy American threshold, Skyfish Drones comply with Congress and DoD supply chain standards. Its drones are also NDAA sec. 848 compliant.
On top of that, Skyfish is ITAR sec. 126.1 compliant. That meanins it ships its drones to countries with which the United States does not have a policy of denial of trade.
Montana-based Vision Aerial has been in business for more than a decade, and its drones include its SwitchBlade-Elite Tricopter and Vector Hexacopter. The SwitchBlade drone costs about $14,000 and the Vector is about $21,000 for everything except the payload.
Though note that payloads can add on a huge amount to that cost, and the payload itself wouldn’t necessarily meet the Buy American requirements. On the cheaper end of supported payloads includes the $750 Sony α6400 camera body used with the $250 Sony E 16mm f/2.8 Lens (Sony is a Japanese camera maker). But on the higher end, you might use something like the Flir Workswell GIS-320 Optical Gas Imaging Payload, which can visualize over 200 gasses that are invisible to the human eye. That payload, which comes from Oregon-based FLIR, costs an eye-popping $75,000.
Going back to the actual drones though, Vision Aerial designs, builds, manufactures, assembles, and supports its drones all from the U.S. It makes its unique parts at its factory in Bozeman, Montana, though it purchases drive components, flight computer and batteries from off-the-shelf providers which run Vision Aerial’s own software. That said, the company said it’s working toward a goal of raw materials in one door and flying robots out the other.
“We keep operations stateside for supply chain stability, to better manage quality control, and to provide the best service possible,” according to a statement on its website.
Government clients including the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Department of Agriculture use its industrial drones. It also has oil, gas and other utility clients including Marathon Petroleum, DTE Energy and NorthWestern Energy.
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, WingXpand builds fixed-wing drones with a unique, expandable wing design that enables the drone to fit in a backpack, despite its 8-foot wingspan.
Its airframes are made in the U.S., though some compliant subcomponents are made outside the U.S. (but are still NDAA-compliant). For example, among the WingXpand-supported payloads including the NextVision Nighthawk 2-UZ (used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and the NextVision Colibri 2 (used for inspection, public safety and mapping).
NextVision is based in Israel, and its payloads aren’t cheap. For example, the Ascent Aerosystems NextVision NightHawk2-U goes for about $26,000 alone — and that’s before you add it to the drone.
While many drone makers design and assemble drones in America, they don’t all necessarily meet that Buy American threshold. Here’s a list of some major American drone companies that would not promise they meet FAR’s Buy American Act requirements.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t meet the requirements, but they weren’t willing to at least make the guarantee.
Doodle Labs is a big name in the news lately, particularly after having been named to Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. Founded in 1999, Doodle Labs has offices in the U.S. and Singapore, builds industrial-grade wireless networking solutions. They’re largely for government and defense reasons.
Doodle Labs’ Helix Mesh Rider Radio was developed with sponsorship from DIU. What’s more, it’s considered the Blue UAS program’s data link of choice. And last year, Doodle Labs announced a partnership with another big name in American drone makers, Teal. Together, they’re building Blue UAS-certified, industrial-grade wireless networking solutions used in Teal’s sUAS prototype for the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) program.
That said, a spokesperson for Doodle Labs said the company believes it does not meet the FAR Buy American Act requirements.
Freefly drones are designed, assembled and supported in Woodinville, Washington. But there’s a big reason why this American drone company can’t claim to meet the Buy American threshold: it contracts out the manufacturing of components from a variety of non-restricted countries to keep costs low.
And indeed, costs are low relative to other enterprise drones. For example, the Freefly Astro Base Industrial drone — including mapping payload and pilot controller — comes in at less than $30,000. Many other drones in this guide charge more than $30,000 for such payloads alone.
Freefly largely relies on Auterion Enterprise PX4 for its flight controller software, as well as Auterion Mission Control. The Auterion Suite handles online fleet management. Auterion is based in Europe with offices in Germany and Switzerland. Alas, that puts it out of the running for Buy American requirements.
While Teal is a U.S. drone manufacturer, it also would not commit to guaranteeing it meets FAR Buy American Act requirements.
However, its flagship drone, the Teal 2 does have other major stamps of approval. That includes NDAA compliance and clearance from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) as a Blue UAS.
Teal is particularly interesting because it has a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. In fact, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney visited Teal’s Utah facility in August 2023. Romney is a co-sponsor of the American Security Drone Act of 2023.
Teal’s leadership has publicly supported the American Security Drone Act of 2023 — unsurprising given the boost it could offer the company by forcing more federal agencies to buy from American drone companies such as Teal.
“The American Security Drone Act, if passed, will lead to further investment in American UAS, accelerating our domestic industry’s ability to close the gap with China and build a strategic deterrence to future conflict,” said George Matus, Teal founder and CEO in a prepared statement in August 2023.
It’s no secret that drones made in the U.S. are more expensive. There’s a higher cost of labor and parts. There’s also a higher cost of simply ensuring U.S. products are safe and truly up to standards via the NDAA certification process.
Given that, it can be far more expensive to buy a drone that officially meets Buy American Act requirements than a similar-quality drone that was made in, say, Germany or Japan.
“It costs a lot more to get those subcomponents made in the U.S., and to make sure they’re NDAA compliant,” said Michelle Madaras, President of WingXpand.
It’s so expensive, that even the U.S. government has carved out many exceptions to Buy American requirements. Waivers are often granted for situations including ‘the public interest.’ Other examples include if the cost of U.S. products is ‘unreasonable’ compared to equivalent foreign products.
If you’re looking to buy a drone that might have to comply with Buy American requirements, consider if you really have to comply. Especially as the threshold increases to 70% American-made by 2029, compliance is only going to get tougher.
In fact, many have criticized the act. Some opponents argue it raises costs for government projects (which just means more money coming from taxpayers). After all, American-made drones can easily cost double (or more) the cost of foreign competitors.
If American-made drones are outside your agency’s budget, seek clarification — especially if security is your primary concern. You may be able to apply for those exemptions, even with federal funding (though there may still be an NDAA-requirement). And, consider the purpose behind wanting to Buy American — because you might not actually need to buy American at all.
“So many people hear security, and they jump to the conclusion that it needs to be U.S.-made,” Madaras said. “In that case, it’s most important that you’re NDAA-compliant.”
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Here’s a compelling tidbit from the drone world that happened in December. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks paid a visit to California-based drone maker Skydio as part of a broader tour of Silicon Valley tech companies. The key topic at hand? To discuss the Department of Defense’s goals for how tech companies can innovate to outpace Chinese technology, with a focus on how U.S. tech companies can deliver the most cutting-edge technologies to warfighters.
Especially in the drone industry, the current dominant players are made in China, namely DJI. So dominant is DJI’s position as a potential provide of war fighting technologies, in fact, that Chinese leader Xi Jinping imposed an export ban on certain DJI drones in an effort to prevent either side from using its drones in the Russia-Ukraine war.
But drone companies like Skydio are proving to be viable contenders to building technology that offers an alternative to DJI. In fact, Skydio has been providing autonomous, AI-powered drones to the U.S. and allied defense enterprises for years now largely through its Skydio X2D drone.
And Skydio’s military production will likely only increase, given news earlier this year that Skydio would shut down its consumer drone arm. The reasoning wasn’t because Skydio was struggling. Instead, the move was to capitalize on the need for building drones and related products for enterprise and defense industries. Shortly after that announcement, Skydio went on to host a mega press event where it launched its Skydio X10 drone, an enterprise-range drone that stands out for its high-resolution cameras.
And all that effort is catching the government’s attention. Hicks and her team visited Skydio’s offices on Dec. 12 where she met with Skydio execs and received a demonstration of Skydio platforms in action including the X10D and Dock. She also received a tour of Skydio’s manufacturing facility which is located in Hayward, California, and is considered a suburb of Silicon Valley. In fact, that facility is so powerful that Skydio claims it has recently expanded its manufacturing capacity by a factor of 10.
Of course, Skydio isn’t the only company Hicks visited during her trip. She met with nine companies spanning areas including air defense, virtual training for pilots and augmented reality for warfighters. Another standout visit was with Kodiak Robotics, which is primarily known as a builder of autonomous trucks, but that stands out to defense leaders as a potential mover in the world of AI and advanced manufacturing processes.
The visit by Kathleen Hicks was a huge milestone, but Skydio has had other wins (especially in the month of December) in making headwinds with the U.S. government. On Dec. 1, 2023, Skydio leaders met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, where they demonstrated Skydio’s advanced autonomous sUAS systems to show how multiple Skydio drones can operate under the oversight of a single person. His visit, which also encompassed a handful of Silicon Valley tech companies, was focused on how the military can accelerate the adoption of leading commercial technology.
Both that visit and the more recent one by Hicks were part of what’s called the DoD’s Replicator initiative. That initiative, which she announced in August 2023, is an effort to equip the U.S. military with affordable, autonomous systems.
“It’s clear that the character of warfare is changing,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks in a prepared statement. “Replicator is part of how at DoD we’re putting our thumb on the scale to make sure America, not our strategic competitors and adversaries, are the ones who see, drive, and master the future character of warfare.”
The Replicator initiative could provide enormous benefit to not just Skydio, but also other U.S. drone companies building drones for the military such as Utah-based Teal, which builds the Teal 2 drone that’s designed for nighttime flight thanks to its FLIR Hadron 640R sensor.
Other wins for Skydio include being selected in February 2022 as the Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) program of record for the U.S, Army, allowing it to work closely with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to make the acquisition of autonomous drones as simple as possible for the DoD. It also runs a National Defense Authorization Act-compliant supply chain. Skydio claims that, to-date, it has delivered thousands of drones to the U.S. military.
The idea of prominent government leaders visiting American drone companies is not new. In fact, this past summer Utah Sen. Mitt Romney visited Teal’s Utah factory. Republican Senator Romney is co-sponsoring the American Security Drone Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit federal agencies from purchasing drones made by Chinese government-linked countries. The bill has backing from other prominent politicians including Sen. Marco Rubio [R-FL] and and Sen. Josh Hawley [R-MO].
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Is 2024 the year of a 3DR return? It seems like the answer is very much “yes.”
3D Robotics, the American drone company known for building the Iris and later Solo consumer drones, spectacularly crashed and burned. It had raised nearly $100 million, only to build an initial flagship drone that received scathing reviews upon its 2014 launch, including a comparison to a “large, mechanical insect” by PC Mag. The supposed new and improved follow-up, the Solo (which came out in 2015), suffered a similar fate that included missed product deadlines and buggy components. By 2016, the company had shut down manufacturing operations to pivot to drones as a service.
Then in 2021, Kitty Hawk (which was an air taxi company backed by Google co-founder Larry Page) purchased the remaining assets. That included bringing on 3D Robotics co-founder Chris Anderson as Kitty Hawk’s chief operating officer. And by September 2022, Kitty Hawk, too, had shut down.
According to his LinkedIn, Anderson is now “working on something new.” Meanwhile, 3D Robotics’ other co-founder, Jordi Muñoz has stated on his LinkedIn page that he is still at 3D Robotics, where he’s been for the past nearly-16 years.
While lots of products and people have left 3D Robotics, it looks like Muñoz never did. In fact, it seems as though Muñoz might be building 3D Robotics into a new type of company. And that very likely means 3DR has returned.
A relatively-new website has popped up over at 3DR.com. At the top in colorful letters is the fact that the company’s products are made in California, with the words “Proudly Californian” in bold letters. The website indicates that the new 3DR is headquartered in a business park in Chula Vista, California, which is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area located south of downtown San Diego (closer to Tijuana).
The new company also calls itself 3DR Inc, rather than 3D Robotics as the former company was called. The domain is also 3DR.com (as opposed to the old 3DRobotics.com domain). In fact, 3DRobotics.com redirects now to kittyhawk.aero, which today takes you to a simple page stating that Kittyhawk has ceased operations.
As far as 3DR’s homepage, it’s obvious that the 3DR return is official and supposed to be celebrated. In big, bold letters are the words “The Return” which then point to a shop page.
And the 3DR shop is already operational, and most items appear available to ship (with 2-day shipping times, typically). For now, all the products are for the DIY crowd. There are quad frames, brushless motors, sensor and power modules. Unlike companies like DJI that promote ready-to-fly, off-the-shelf drones, the products are very much not that.
It seems as though 3DR’s goal is to embrace those types of products. “We focus on the best known open-source and open hardware-based autopilots,” according to a statement on 3DR’s website.”
The company is also heavily leaning into its made-in-America ties.
“Having the production capabilities in-house allows for keeping the quality at a top level as well as a secured pipeline in US soil from the supply chain all the way to product testing and shipping,” the 3DR website states.
The new 3DR return website has placeholder pages for Instagram and X accounts, as well as for a blog, newsletter and events page, which should all offer information in the future about the 3DR return.
For now, though, the best way to follow along is through the 3D Robotics Discord community server. That server was first created in October 2023, though it doesn’t appear to have begun being advertised and have started accruing members until the tail-end of November 2023. It’s still very small (as of publication, it has fewer than 100 members), but it looks to be a source for resources, announcements, tutorials and random chatter.
3D Robotics was originally co-founded in 2009 by Chris Anderson, who formerly was editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and founder of DIYDrones.com. Whereas Anderson brought the marketing and communications experience, his co-founder brought engineering expertise. Jordi Muñoz, who studied at CETYS Universidad, was considered an engineering prodigy where he lived in Ensenada, Mexico.
While 3D Robotics was headquartered in Berkeley (near Anderson), the company had engineering facilities in San Diego and manufacturing operations in Tijuana, Mexico, all closer to Muñoz.
While the new company is maintaining a very similar name to 3D Robotics, the 2024 incarnation is very much distancing itself from the old in its 3DR return. There’s a large disclaimer on the 3DR website, which is copied below here:
Please note that 3DR Inc was a distinct entity before the year 2023. As a result, any products that were sold prior to 2023 under the previous company name are not covered by our present terms of responsibility or warranty. We kindly request your understanding that our business is not providing any support for sold products under the 3DR label prior to 2023.
For any inquiries, concerns, or issues related to products purchased under the former company name before 2023, we recommend referring to the terms and conditions that were applicable at that time. We appreciate your awareness of the distinctions in our company’s history and the implications this may have on product-related matters.
-Disclaimer page on the new 3DR website
Even the distance is clear on the 3DR Community Discord server. When members make posts with words like Solo, it appears there’s a bot ready to respond. For example, a user posted a question in November 2023 referencing the Solo drone, and was instead met with this bot response:
“It seems like you’re asking about the Solo: a product from 3DR’s earlier days. Just a heads up, we discontinued support for the Solo as of 2023. While we’re fond of its legacy, our focus has shifted to newer & exciting developments.”
As for what to expect from the 3DR return, we’ll be following along. The Drone Girl reached out to 3D Robotics through their email form for comment for this story, but did not receive a response.
I’ve also transparently introduced myself over in the Discord, where I was greeted by the Server’s owner, named Toton. Multiple posts on the Discord server indicate that the company intends to formally launch in 2024.
Come 2024, though, the world will be watching. Especially given concerns around Chinese-made drones, customers have sought a drone that’s made in America. Even price-conscious hobbyists demanded American-made consumer drones (though there really is no good consumer camera drone made in the USA).
Skydio was America’s best shot at a home-grown consumer drone. That was, until Skydio announced this summer that it would shut down its consumer drone arm to instead focus on building drones and related products for enterprise and defense industries. These days, the company seems to be mostly focusing on its Skydio X10 drone, which is an enterprise-range drone known for its high-resolution cameras.
So will the 3DR return fill that void in 2024? We’ll be watching. To ensure you don’t miss a beat, enter your email below so you can receive email updates via our daily newsletter.
Meanwhile, what do you think about the 3DR return? Leave your own comments below!
The post Has 3DR returned? Here’s what we know about the American drone company appeared first on The Drone Girl.