On August 13, 2026, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing Section 232 national-security tariffs on imported drones and drone components, with most duties taking effect September 3, 2026. Large drones (over 25 kg maximum takeoff weight), drones with thermal imaging, and docking stations face a 100% tariff; smaller consumer drones (25 kg or under) face 25%. A separate 25% tariff on additional components is delayed until February 9, 2027, to give domestic manufacturers time to scale up. The action follows a Commerce Department investigation that found U.S. reliance on foreign drone supply chains — especially for motors, batteries, and electronics — creates cybersecurity and national-security vulnerabilities. The concern is not abstract: Chinese manufacturer DJI has held roughly 70–80% of the U.S. commercial drone market, and federal policy has been progressively restricting Chinese-made drones since 2017. Qualified imports from allied nations (EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and others) are capped at lower rates, and a Commerce-administered onshoring program offers tariff relief to companies committing to build U.S. production facilities before January 20, 2029. An open question is whether domestic manufacturers can realistically scale fast enough to replace foreign supply at competitive cost.