The US administration's new tariffs on drone imports, effective from September 3, will do more harm than good, as the US drone industry cannot meet demand on its own, according to The New York Times (NYT).
Additional US tariffs of 10% to 100% on drones and some of their components are in effect from today. The 100% tariff applies to drones weighing more than 25 kg or equipped with thermal imaging. These drones are often used to search for missing persons or monitor forest fires. The newspaper notes that most of these drones are manufactured in China.
The Trump administration believes that the US should reduce its dependence on China in this sector. Critics of the tariffs, however, argue that the U.S. drone industry cannot meet all the demand on its own and that the new tariffs will do more harm than good, the newspaper wrote.
“This is all the result of lobbying by American manufacturers who want to eliminate foreign competition. This is not about national security. This is protectionism,“ Scott Mlakar, head of the drone unit for the Lake County Police Department in Ohio, told the NYT.