Drone News: DOC Investigation, Expedited Audit, Amendment to Audit, New FAA Admin, 3 New DJI Drones

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First up, the U.S. Commerce Department has officially launched a
Section 232 national security investigation into drones and their
components, with a clear focus on Chinese manufacturers . This
investigation falls under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, giving
the government the power to recommend tariffs, quotas, or other
restrictions if it finds that imported products threaten national
security. The probe will look at whether our reliance on
foreign-made drones weakens US supply chains and exposes
sensitive data.If the ODNI review finds what they call
"unacceptable risks," it could trigger rapid regulatory action
along with inclusion on the FCC’s Entity list, which would
prevent any FCC licenses from being issued. Now, DJI has
repeatedly denied any affiliation with the Chinese military, and
a 2022 Pentagon audit found no malicious code in their Government
Edition drones. However, the lawmakers behind this push argue
that audit was limited and is now outdated. This is a developing
situation, but a 30-day timeline is extremely aggressive. It’s
also very curious that the lawmakers behind the language in the
NDAA are the ones pushing for this audit to occur. We’ll keep you
updated when we know more. Along the same lines, Representative
Stefanik introduced an amendment to the 2026 NDAA that would
require all Chinese drone manufacturers to undergo the same
security audit as DJI and Autel. And even more news from the US
Government, The Senate has confirmed Bryan Bedford as the new FAA
Administrator with a 53-43 vote. Bedford is the former CEO of
Republic Airways. Next up, DJI rolled out three new agriculture
drones for the global market, but not for the US. The new models
are the Agras T100, the T70P, and the T25P, each designed for
different scales of farming. The Agras T100 is an absolute beast,
basically a flying tractor. It can carry a massive 100-liter
payload for spraying or 150 liters for spreading. With a top
speed of 20 meters per second, it's twice as efficient as its
predecessor. The T70P is a step down, designed for mid-sized
farms, with a 70-liter spray capacity and a 100-liter spread
capacity. It features DJI's new Safety System 3.0, which combines
millimeter-wave radar and a Tri-Vision system for better obstacle
avoidance in tricky terrain.Finally, there's the Agras T25P,
which is built for solo operators or smaller, more complex plots
like orchards. It's compact and foldable but still packs a punch
with a 20 kg payload and a spray rate of 16 liters per minute. It
even allows for adjustable droplet sizes between 50 and 500
micrometers for super precise applications. These drones were
actually released in China last year, but their global launch
signals a major push by DJI in the agricultural space.And on post
flight, our show where we discuss these stories and share our
opinions, along with discussing DJI’s FlyCart 30 that’s been
operating on Mt Everest this season! We’ll see you there on
Monday, on Youtube for Live on Monday, and back here on Friday
for news update!
https://dronedj.com/2025/07/15/dji-autel-drone-national-security/https://dronedj.com/2025/07/16/dji-agras-new-drone-launch/https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/https://dronexl.co/2025/07/10/natsec-review-chinese-drone-maker-dji/https://dronexl.co/2025/07/09/senate-confirms-bryan-bedford-as-faa-administrator/