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Yes.
Reports in 2024 and 2025 said China controls up to 90% of global drone markets.
Media reports citing market research firm Drone Industry Insights said China controls nearly 90% of the global commercial drone market.
The U.S., reliant on Chinese-made parts, is “years behind building the manufacturing infrastructure that could come close to rivaling China’s,” Forbes reported.
MIT Technology Review reported that DJI, one China-based drone maker, has more than a 90% share of the global consumer market and that the supply chain there is “so competitive that the world can’t really use drones without it.”
The Atlantic Council think tank said China’s market dominance means Chinese-made drones operating in the U.S. can send sensitive information to China and gives China a military advantage.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman, raised the issue Aug. 5.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- The Telegraph: China dominates the drone industry. The West needs to change that fast
- Forbes: Silicon Valley’s Military Drone Companies Have A Serious ‘Made In China’ Problem
- LinkedIn: Drone Industry Insights post
- MIT Technology Review: Why China’s dominance in commercial drones has become a global security matter
- Atlantic Council: A global strategy to secure UAS supply chains
- U.S. Department of Transportation: Secretary Duffy Hosts Press Conference on Unleashing American Drone Dominance
- Special Competitive Studies Project: Commercial Drones
- The Hill: China’s dominant drone industry is a step ahead of Congress
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