US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing tariffs on imports of drones and their components, the White House announced on 13 August.
According to the statement, the decision is intended to address “the national security threat posed by imports of drones and their components, in particular by strengthening the US drone industry and supply chains”.
The document provides for the imposition of a 100 per cent ad valorem duty on drones of a certain size or with certain capabilities, “which are particularly sensitive for national security purposes, the docking stations for these drones, and certain critical components of these drones”. The White House clarified that this category includes unmanned aerial vehicles with a maximum take-off weight of more than 25 kilograms and drones with thermal imaging capabilities.
A 25 per cent tariff will be imposed on UAVs that are smaller in size and do not possess specific capabilities that particularly affect national security.
A 15 per cent tariff will be imposed on drones and components from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan, and a 10 per cent tariff on drones from the United Kingdom, provided that a significant proportion of the hardware, software and technology originates from these countries and the United States, the White House added.
According to the report, the tariffs will come into force 21 days after the proclamation is signed. For drone components that are not particularly sensitive, the tariffs will take effect 180 days after signing.
China, which dominates the drone manufacturing sector, announced restrictions on drone exports to the US earlier this month. This followed the US administration of President Donald Trump’s announcement in July of new tariffs on imported goods from 60 trading partners, including China.