New FCC action removes certain toy drones from the Covered List and outlines the characteristics federal officials consider low risk. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has updated its Covered List to remove a narrowly defined category of foreign-produced "Toy Drones" and "Toy Drones that contain foreign-produced components." The action follows a June 12, 2026 … [Read more...] about FCC Creates New Toy Drone Exemption While Defining a Low-Risk UAS Category
National Security
Proposed Patent Bill Could Have Major Implications for Drone Industry Intellectual Property
Prohibiting Adversarial Patents Act would make certain patents unenforceable while leaving ownership intact A newly introduced bill in Congress concerning "adversarial patents" could extend U.S. scrutiny of certain foreign technology companies into a new area: intellectual property rights. The Prohibiting Adversarial Patents Act of 2026 (PAPA), introduced by Rep. Scott … [Read more...] about Proposed Patent Bill Could Have Major Implications for Drone Industry Intellectual Property
FCC Expands Drone Exemptions as Product-by-Product Security Review Takes Shape
VEX AIR receives conditional approval through December 2026 as federal agencies continue evaluating individual UAS outside broad Covered List restrictions The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced another conditional exemption from its Covered List restrictions, adding the VEX AIR uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to a growing roster of drone products that have … [Read more...] about FCC Expands Drone Exemptions as Product-by-Product Security Review Takes Shape
Congress Introduces GUARD Act, Extending FCC Covered List Framework to Robotics
Proposed legislation would require national security review of certain foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that would apply a familiar national security review process to humanoid and quadruped robots, signaling a broader U.S. approach to evaluating connected autonomous systems. The Guarding the U.S. against … [Read more...] about Congress Introduces GUARD Act, Extending FCC Covered List Framework to Robotics
Building a Resilient Supply Chain: Regional Security Leaders Focus on Industrial Readiness
Northeast National Security Conference examines how the U.S. can strengthen its defense industrial base Supply chain security has become a central issue for the drone industry. As the U.S. government pushes to expand domestic drone manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, and secure access to critical technologies, manufacturers are facing new questions about … [Read more...] about Building a Resilient Supply Chain: Regional Security Leaders Focus on Industrial Readiness
