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

Join our community 👉 https://bit.ly/pilot-institute-community 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 However, the lawmakers behind this push argue that audit was limited and is now outdated.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/