President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Thursday imposing steep new tariffs on imported drones and drone components, including from several close U.S. allies, arguing the country has become overly dependent on foreign suppliers for national security reasons.
The measure sets a top rate of 100% on unmanned aircraft systems above a certain size or equipped with sensitive capabilities — such as units weighing more than 25 kilograms or fitted with features like thermal imaging and docking stations, the White House said. Smaller drones will face a 25% duty.
Allied nations were not exempted. The European Union, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and Liechtenstein will see a 15% tariff on drone imports, while Britain will face a lower 10% rate.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, tasked with examining the drone import market, concluded that foreign penetration of the U.S. market was substantial and that domestic manufacturers cannot currently meet security-related demand, according to the proclamation text. Lutnick further found that drone components from certain foreign sources posed security and safety risks, Trump said.
Most of the tariffs take effect in 21 days. Duties on less sensitive drone components will be delayed 180 days to give supply chains more time to adjust, the White House said. Products granted a Pentagon exemption will not be subject to the new rates.
The move follows a series of trade actions this year targeting China’s dominance of the drone sector. Last week, Beijing announced new restrictions on drone exports to the United States and blacklisted six American companies, responding to earlier U.S. tariffs imposed over forced-labor and national-security concerns. In late July, Washington separately added humanoid and quadruped robots to a list of products barred from import, citing similar security risks.
The tariffs add to a broader pattern of trade measures under the Trump administration that have drawn legal challenges; 25 U.S. states are currently suing the administration over a separate set of sweeping tariffs.
