(Credit: DJI)
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Drone maker DJI will not be removed from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) list of Chinese military companies.
DJI sued in October 2024 to be removed from the list. The latest ruling came from US District Judge Paul Friedman, who said DJI "met three of the definitions of 'military-civil fusion contributor.'" There is "substantial evidence” provided by the DoD that shows it “contributes to the Chinese defense industrial base," he adds. "DJI acknowledges that its technology can and is used in military conflict but asserts that its policies prohibit such use."
"Whether or not DJI’s policies prohibit military use is irrelevant. That does not change the fact that DJI’s technology has both substantial theoretical and actual military applications."
DJI, however, says the ruling confirms "DJI’s long-held position that DJI is not controlled by the government and has no ties to the military.
"First, the Court affirmatively rejected most of DOD’s allegations," DJI adds. "It found no basis for DoD’s claims that DJI is owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, affiliated with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or affiliated with a military-civil fusion enterprise zone. Second, the Court concluded that just two of DoD’s allegations were not 'arbitrary and capricious,' but those limited conclusions in fact further clarify that DJI does not have any military affiliation."
Placement on the list prevents an entity from accessing certain covered support, which includes grants, contracts, loans, and other programs.
This ruling is separate from the issue of a possible US ban through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Drones manufactured by China must pass a national security risk assessment by Dec. 23, 2025, to continue to be sold in the US. If a brand doesn’t achieve that, it will then be banned from selling those products. DJI says it hasn’t been able to find anyone in the US government willing to talk about a security risk assessment.
In August, the brand’s head of global policy told Bloomberg, “We’ve been through the meat grinder on this issue, and we’re happy to put ourselves through the meat grinder again. We’d love to get to the point where we could actually have a conversation.”
Many of the company's products are currently sold out at retailers, while the brand’s newest DJI Mini 5 Pro won’t get a US release.