According to Nanda Morning Post report on August 15th, an American appeals court once again gave China’s drone manufacturer DJI a chance to challenge the United States Department of Defense’s inclusion of it in a so-called blacklist of companies associated with military activities.
Headquartered in Shenzhen, DJI Innovation has been engaged in legal battles with the U.S. Department of Defense for many years, seeking to be removed from this list.
The latest ruling by the United States District Court of Appeals in Columbia has not removed DJI from the list, but has sent the case back to a lower court, requiring a review of the reason why the U.S. Department of Defense included DJI in the list.
DJI has repeatedly stated that it has no affiliation with the military.
DJI was first listed as a "Chinese military company" by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2022. The company subsequently applied to have its listing removed, and later filed a lawsuit against this determination.
In 2025, a lower court issued a ruling in favor of the United States Department of Defense. Afterward, DJI filed an appeal, leading to this ruling on Friday.
China holds a dominant position in the drone market, which exacerbates the geopolitical tensions behind such cases. Over the years, China has been developing its own drone industry.
According to anti-drone detection data tracked by the drone detection and defense company Dedrone, in 2025, only DJI alone accounted for 83.48% of all detected drones.
DJI's dominant market position has fueled concerns about US reliance on Chinese-made drones and whether the US can maintain its leadership in the field.
In recent years, American policymakers have increasingly no longer view drones as a niche tool, but rather as crucial military infrastructure. In June 2025, the Trump administration signed an executive order titled "Unleashing American Drone Dominance."
On August 13, President Trump stated that he would impose tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones and their components, including products from some important allies of the United States.
Meanwhile, more and more Chinese companies are using legal means to challenge the United States Department of Defense’s decision to include them in this list. Earlier this month, a U.S. federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, preventing the Department of Defense from including the Chinese biotech company WuXi AppTec in the list.
