What is known

According to American media, Senators want to control supply of critical components to Chinese company. At the center of the dispute was Maryland-based American manufacturer Ceva. Its technology is used in some of DJI’s most popular drones, including the Mavic 3, Mini 3 Pro, Air 2S and DJI FPV.

The letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin states that multiple “credible industry reports” provide evidence that DJI drones contain American components, and that the US government has therefore issued export licenses for them. In particular, for example, the Ceva company provides machine vision technology. For this reason A group of 15 Republican lawmakers calls on the Biden administration to block export licenses on American components for the Chinese giant, because “American technology should not contribute to the development of DJI drones.” The problem, according to lawmakers, is that DJI’s drones pose a threat to US national security.

From facilitating terrorist attacks in the Middle East to intelligence threats to America, drones from Chinese company DJI pose an unacceptable risk to our national security. Despite these obvious threats, which has landed DJI drones on multiple government blacklists, DJI is using bureaucratic “get out of jail free cards” to steal American technology and undermine our national security. this needs to stop
– says Mike Gallagher, who chairs the House Special Committee on China.

DJI, meanwhile, responded that the letter “trades in distortion and misrepresentation of facts.” The company told Reuters: “We strongly reject any human rights allegations against DJI. Our drones have proven to be among the most innovative, cost-effective and easy to use, while leading the way in data security.”.

It’s worth noting that the U.S. Security Drone Act of 2023, currently awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), prohibits government agencies from using drones manufactured or assembled in China.

• Let us remind you that in April 2022, DJI announced that it was withdrawing from Ukraine and Russia following accusations of collaborating with the invaders.
• In March 2023, a study by the Ruhr University in Bochum and the Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Germany showed that DJI drones are not that safe; It reveals the location of its operators and allows this data to be intercepted with cheap equipment.
• A few months later, in September 2023, an investigation by OSINT analysts from the Molfar agency emerged showing that China was supplying drones to Russia, bypassing sanctions, and DJI also played a key role in this process.