Federal Ban On Chinese DJI Drones Is Costing American Taxpayers The Oregon Department of Aviation (ODA) published a white paper saying recent federal restrictions and guidance affecting foreign-manufactured uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) have triggered widespread operational disruption across state transportation agencies. The white paper’s state-by-state data tells a story that individual news reports could not. It is not a handful of agencies scrambling to adjust; rather, it is systemic operational disruption across American transportation infrastructure. Based on responses from 25 states, programs that relied heavily on Chinese DJI and Autel drones report the largest impacts, including fleet grounding or restrictions on federally funded projects, interruption of survey/mapping and construction workflows, and near-term funding gaps.
