Uncrewed aircraft, from FPV racing frames to jet-powered interceptors.

On December 22, 2025 the FCC added all foreign-produced drones and drone critical components to its Covered List, DJI and Autel among them. New models cannot receive FCC equipment authorization; existing units keep flying and models authorized earlier stay sellable. Exemptions exist: products on the Blue UAS Cleared List, products that qualify as Buy American domestic end products (through January 1, 2028), and individual Conditional Approvals. The label marks makers without such an exemption, and each company page notes its basis.

Section 848 (FY2020 NDAA) barred the Department of War specifically from procuring or operating drones made in covered foreign countries. The American Security Drone Act (2023) went further: since December 2025, federal funds — including grants that flow to state and local agencies — can't be spent on covered foreign drones, which is what pulled police and fire departments into the restriction even though they aren't federal agencies.

Only with an individual FAA waiver today — Part 107 covers visual-line-of-sight operations only. The FAA's proposed Part 108 rule would create a standing framework for routine BVLOS flights (package delivery, agriculture, infrastructure surveys) instead of one-off waivers, but as of this writing it's still in the proposed-rule stage with no final effective date.

Zipline and Wing both run real commercial delivery volume in parts of the U.S. today, not just pilots — but nationwide, most drone delivery remains limited-market rather than ubiquitous.

Less than the rest of this category, honestly — crewed eVTOL air taxis (Joby, Archer, Beta) answer to FAA aircraft type-certification, not Part 107/BVLOS drone rules. They're grouped here because the manufacturer landscape and investor base overlap heavily with uncrewed UAS, but treat the regulatory path as a separate conversation from the rest of this page.

Less current than the rest of the site, by design disclosure: this category launched from a preliminary research pass rather than the company-by-company verification the methodology page promises elsewhere. Treat every label here as a working draft until it's been independently confirmed.