On December 23, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission added DJI and all other foreign-made drone manufacturers to its Covered List. The move didn't come with a dramatic press conference. It arrived as a regulatory deadline that nobody met — and the consequences are now reshaping the aerial photography market in the United States.
If you fly a drone for photography, videography, real estate, or any commercial purpose, this affects you. Not tomorrow. Now. And the details matter more than the headlines suggest.
What actually happened
The deadline nobody met
This didn't happen overnight. The FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law in late 2024, gave federal agencies until December 23, 2025 to complete a national security audit of DJI. That audit was never completed. According to DJI, no U.S. agency was ever formally assigned to conduct it — despite the company publicly requesting one.
When the deadline passed without action, the regulatory mechanism kicked in automatically. The FCC added foreign-made drones to its Covered List, which blocks new FCC equipment authorizations. Without FCC authorization, a product cannot legally be sold or imported into the United States.
The practical effect: any drone that DJI or other foreign manufacturers announce going forward cannot receive the FCC certification required to enter the U.S. market. DJI's global 2026 product roadmap — whatever it includes — will not be available to American buyers unless a national security exception is granted.
What it does and doesn't do
There's a lot of confusion circulating, so let's be precise about what the ban actually means:
It does not ground existing drones. If you own a DJI Mavic, Mini, Air, or any other model that was already FCC-certified and purchased before the ban, you can continue flying it. No law prevents you from using equipment you already own.
It does not change FAA flight rules. Part 107 commercial operations and recreational flying rules remain unchanged for existing equipment.
It does block new products. Any drone DJI announces in 2026 or beyond will not receive FCC authorization and cannot be legally sold or imported into the U.S.
It does affect the supply chain. Replacement parts for existing drones may face import challenges under the new framework. Long-term maintenance of your current fleet just became less certain.
The FCC now has authority to revoke existing approvals. This hasn't happened yet, but the regulatory power exists. That's worth noting even if the likelihood seems low in the short term.
The exemptions that don't help photographers
Blue UAS list: not what you think
In January 2026, the FCC issued an update that exempted drones on the Department of Defense's "Blue UAS Cleared List" from the ban through the end of 2026. Some headlines framed this as a softening of restrictions. It isn't — at least not for photographers.
The Blue UAS list consists of drones approved through rigorous cybersecurity assessments for government and enterprise use. These are not consumer drones. They're purpose-built systems for surveillance, search and rescue, and infrastructure inspection. The exemption also covers drones that qualify as "domestic end products" — partially manufactured in the United States.
Neither category includes the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, the Mini 5 Pro, or any consumer drone designed for photography and videography. The exemption exists for government operations and first responders, not for the working photographer trying to shoot a wedding venue from above.
Firmware updates — temporarily safe
One early concern was whether existing DJI drones would stop receiving firmware and software updates. The FCC initially appeared ready to block those too, but reversed course on January 21, 2026, issuing a temporary waiver allowing firmware updates to continue through January 1, 2027.
That's a one-year window. After that, the situation is uncertain. A drone that can't receive updates eventually becomes a drone with unpatched security vulnerabilities and degrading software compatibility — which is a slow path to obsolescence even if the hardware still works.
Why this matters for working photographers
The upgrade path is gone
DJI controls roughly 80% of the U.S. consumer drone market. That dominance wasn't accidental — it was earned through a combination of reliable hardware, excellent cameras, intuitive software, and aggressive pricing that no competitor has matched. For photographers, DJI wasn't just the best option. For many applications, it was the only practical option.
That creates an immediate problem: there is no direct replacement. American drone manufacturers like Skydio focus on enterprise and military applications. Their products are capable but designed for different use cases at different price points. A real estate photographer who needs a reliable sub-$2,000 drone with a quality camera doesn't have an obvious alternative sitting on a shelf right now.
The realistic scenario for many American drone photographers in 2027 is flying 2023 or 2024 hardware while the rest of the world has access to whatever DJI releases next. That's a competitive disadvantage that compounds over time.
Commercial operators feel it most
If you use drones commercially — real estate, construction documentation, event coverage, landscape photography — the implications run deeper than missing one upgrade cycle. Fleet expansion is now limited to existing inventory. Standardizing equipment across a team becomes harder. Planning a multi-year equipment budget just became guesswork.
Industrial inspection teams that rely on DJI for thermal imaging, LiDAR integration, and standardized data capture face the same challenge at a larger scale. These workflows depend on fleet consistency — identical platforms producing comparable data across projects. Mixed fleets introduce variables that affect data quality and increase training costs.
The price question
Less competition generally means higher prices. With DJI effectively removed from the U.S. market for new products, the remaining manufacturers face less pricing pressure. Whether that translates to immediate price increases or simply slower price decreases over time depends on how quickly domestic manufacturers can scale — but the direction is predictable.
Existing DJI inventory may also appreciate in value on the secondary market, particularly for models with capabilities that domestic alternatives don't match. If you've been considering selling your current drone, that calculus just changed.
What to do right now
Practical steps
If you've been considering a DJI purchase, don't wait. Existing inventory can still be sold in the U.S. Once it's gone, it's gone. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro, Mini 5 Pro, and other models that received FCC authorization before December 2025 remain legal to buy and fly. But supply is finite and won't be restocked.
Secure spare parts and batteries now. Replacement components may face import restrictions under the new framework. Having backup batteries, propellers, and gimbal parts on hand is prudent insurance.
Don't panic about your current gear. Your existing drones still work. Firmware updates are protected through at least January 2027. FAA rules haven't changed. The sky hasn't fallen — but the supply chain has shifted.
Watch for domestic alternatives. The ban creates market opportunity that U.S. manufacturers will try to fill. Skydio, Autel (also Chinese but with some U.S. presence), and potentially new entrants will compete for the gap DJI leaves behind. Whether any of them can match DJI's consumer camera quality at a comparable price point remains to be seen.
Follow FCC communications directly. The situation is evolving. Exemptions, waivers, and policy adjustments are arriving in real time. The FCC's official announcements are more reliable than secondhand reporting.
The bigger picture
The DJI ban is part of a broader pattern of U.S.-China technology restrictions that includes TikTok, Huawei, and various semiconductor export controls. Whether the security concerns driving these restrictions are proportionate to the disruption they cause is a political question that reasonable people disagree on. What's not debatable is the practical impact on working professionals who built workflows around DJI hardware.
DJI has pushed back publicly, arguing that no security audit was ever conducted, that their products operate with transparent data practices, and that the ban affects not just hobbyists but critical public safety operations — including search and rescue teams, firefighting operations, and law enforcement agencies that rely on DJI equipment daily.
The counterargument, articulated by national security officials, centers on data exfiltration risks and the strategic implications of critical infrastructure being surveilled by foreign-manufactured equipment. The FCC explicitly cited upcoming events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics as context for protecting U.S. airspace.
Both sides have legitimate points. Neither side's position changes the fact that you need to plan your equipment strategy around a market that just fundamentally shifted.
For American aerial photographers, the immediate task isn't choosing a side in a geopolitical debate. It's adapting to a supply chain reality that no longer includes the world's dominant drone manufacturer. That adaptation starts now — with inventory decisions, maintenance planning, and a clear-eyed assessment of what alternatives actually exist versus what alternatives people hope will eventually arrive.
The drones you own still fly. The drones you planned to buy may not exist in this market anymore. Plan accordingly.