President Trump on Friday signed executive orders aimed at bolstering the U.S. drone industry, cracking down on unauthorized, unmanned flights and countering threats to national security and public safety.
The orders sought to expand opportunities for commercial and recreational drone use, and tighten restrictions to address security threats. American officials have been concerned about foreign adversaries using drones to spy on sensitive areas, including military installations, and about China’s dominance of the drone market, which they see as a national security threat.
“Building a strong and secure domestic drone sector is vital to reducing reliance on foreign sources, strengthening critical supply chains and ensuring that the benefits of this technology are delivered to the American people,” one of the orders said.
Mr. Trump’s drone orders were part of a broader federal push into airborne technology. A third order he signed on Friday sought to revive high-speed commercial air travel, by repealing regulations prohibiting cross-country supersonic flights, which for decades have precluded nonmilitary air travel over land at faster-than-sound speeds.
Democratic and Republican administrations, as well as Congress, have grappled in recent years with the risks posed by Beijing’s role in drone manufacturing. The United States has struggled to develop alternatives at a scale necessary to wean drone operators, including the U.S. military, completely off Chinese components.
At the same time, the growing popularity of both commercial and recreational drones, and an increase in incidents of drones flying over sensitive sites, have heightened demand for regulations.
The Trump administration warned that drones have been used to smuggle drugs across borders, and that they could pose threats to large public gatherings, such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, both of which are being held in the United States.
One of Mr. Trump’s executive orders directed the Federal Aviation Administration to allow commercial users and public safety officials to fly drones beyond their range of sight. Under current rules, a user must be able to see the drone they are operating.
It also backed a program to test aircraft that make vertical takeoffs and landings, which have the potential to improve cargo transport, medical responses and access to rural areas.
The order also directed the commerce secretary to promote exports of U.S.-made drones, and instructed federal agencies to prioritize purchases of them.
Another executive order directed the F.A.A. to develop processes to restrict the airspace over critical infrastructure, military installations, large airports, federal facilities and national borders.
It also called on the attorney general and the F.A.A. to more robustly enforce civil and criminal penalties for drone operators who violate laws or airspace restrictions. And it promoted grants for state and local law enforcement agencies to access drone-detection and tracking equipment.
Industry representatives said that the orders were an important investment in the U.S. drone sector.
Lisa Ellman, chief executive of the Commercial Drone Alliance, said in a statement that they were “long-overdue steps.”
The orders were Mr. Trump’s most comprehensive attempt yet to boost the U.S. drone industry.
In his first term, he signed directives that sought to increase the use of drones. Days before he departed the White House, he instructed federal agencies to determine whether they could reduce the procurement of drones manufactured made by foreign adversaries.
Congress has taken steps to single out drone manufacturers for scrutiny and potential restrictions in the United States. In last year’s defense bill, an annual measure that authorizes policies and funding for the Pentagon and military, lawmakers directed national security agencies to determine whether equipment produced by DJI or Autel, both Chinese companies that manufacture drones, posed a risk to the United States.
A provision of the legislation said that if no determination was made within a year, the equipment would be added to the Federal Communications Commission’s list of devices that cannot be sold in the United States.
It is not clear how many Chinese-manufactured drones exist in the United States, though they are estimated to be a majority of those in use. In the spring, there were over a million registered drones in the United States, according to the F.A.A., over 400,000 of which were commercial drones and over 350,000 of which were for recreational use.
The F.A.A. requires the registration of all drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds. The F.A.A. also restricts how high drones can be flown without authorization, to less than 400 feet, unless they are within a certain radius of tall structures. In restricted airspace, drone use is limited even further.
Chris Rocheleau, the acting F.A.A. administrator, told House lawmakers earlier this week that it was not possible for the F.A.A. to know exactly how many drones were in the sky, given the limits of registration requirements.
“We do in fact work with legal operators, and we would be able to collect that,” he told the Appropriations Committee, adding: “A child with a drone would be more challenging.”
Karoun Demirjian is a breaking news reporter for The Times.
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