President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on imported drones Thursday, taking aim at America’s reliance on foreign supply chains as his administration raises national security concerns surrounding unmanned aircraft systems.
Under a proclamation signed by Trump, larger drones equipped with certain sensitive capabilities, including thermal imaging, will face a 100% tariff. Other critical drone components will also be hit with the 100% rate.
Smaller drones and components considered less sensitive will face a lower 25% tariff.
The White House said the new duties are designed to strengthen drone manufacturing in the United States while reducing the country’s dependence on foreign suppliers. China, in particular, has dominated the commercial drone market.
Some U.S. allies will receive more favorable treatment under Trump’s proclamation.
Certain qualifying drones imported from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan will be subject to a 15% import tax. Qualifying drones coming from the United Kingdom will face a 10% tariff.
The move follows an investigation ordered by Trump last year into the national security implications of America’s dependence on imported drones and drone components.
According to Trump’s proclamation, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick determined that U.S. manufacturers currently lack the capacity needed to satisfy the country’s security requirements in the unmanned aircraft system industry.
The new tariff policy is intended to address that weakness while encouraging additional manufacturing investment inside the United States.
Trump’s proclamation gives Lutnick the authority to create a program that could provide tariff relief connected to new investments in the domestic drone manufacturing market. The provision comes as part of the administration’s broader “America First” efforts.
The tariffs mark another effort by the administration to use trade policy to address industries it considers important to national security and domestic manufacturing.
The White House’s action specifically distinguishes between drones and components based on their capabilities and sensitivity, with the highest 100% tariff reserved for larger unmanned aircraft possessing certain sensitive technology and other critical parts.
At the same time, lower rates will apply to smaller and less sensitive systems, while qualifying imports from several U.S. allies will receive substantially reduced tariffs compared with the highest rate.
The administration is imposing the new duties under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
That provision gives the president authority to restrict imports on national security grounds.
With the proclamation, Trump is seeking to reduce U.S. dependence on overseas drone suppliers while creating incentives for companies to put additional resources into American production.
The administration’s tariff relief provision also gives the Commerce Department a mechanism to encourage new investments in the domestic industry as the White House works to expand U.S. drone manufacturing capacity and address the national security concerns identified by Lutnick’s investigation.
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