Trump wants to ground China's drones - but have they flown too high to reach?
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But amid the rapid-fire policy changes that have come to characterise his administration, one arrived last month that could have drastic implications for the world's drone market – and China's role in it.
The order, signed June 6,
requires government agencies to prioritise using home-grown unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) 'to the maximum extent permitted by law', and pledges to slash regulations to speed up domestic production and development.
While this is not the first time Trump and others in Washington have attempted to halt China's rise in the lucrative field – Beijing's firms remain world leaders in the industry – it shows the US has not given up the fight.
However, analysts and industry insiders alike said China's pre-eminent place in the global drone market has made it hard for the US to remove its products from supply chains, at least for now.
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Paul Nielsen, managing director at Proxim – a Pennsylvania-based firm which uses drones for commercial inspections – said he sees the executive order as a negotiation tactic, but bristles at the 'unnerving' prospect of its implementation.
'There are only half a dozen non-Chinese companies in the world that make drones. My guess is the ban will raise costs,' he said during last week's Paris Air Show. 'It's basic economics.'
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