[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":243},["ShallowReactive",2],{"en-post-dji-97-percent-contractor-drones-2026":3,"en-related-dji-97-percent-contractor-drones-2026":213},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":193,"date":194,"description":195,"draft":196,"extension":197,"image":198,"meta":199,"navigation":200,"path":201,"seo":202,"slug":203,"stem":204,"tags":205,"translation_slug":187,"updated":211,"__hash__":212},"en_posts\u002Fen\u002Fposts\u002Fdji-97-percent-contractor-drones-2026.md","DJI Still 97% of US Contractor Drones Despite FCC Ban","Lucas Buzzo",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":186},"minimark",[10,22,25,30,38,41,50,52,56,59,62,128,136,139,141,145,148,156,159,161,165,167],[11,12,13,14,21],"p",{},"DJI remains the primary drone brand for 97.1% of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) members who fly, according to a survey the trade group published on August 17, 2026. The finding, first reported by ",[15,16,20],"a",{"href":17,"rel":18},"https:\u002F\u002Fdronexl.co\u002F2026\u002F08\u002F24\u002Fabc-survey-dji-97-percent-contractor-drones-fcc-ban\u002F",[19],"nofollow","DroneXL"," on August 24, shows the FCC's foreign-drone Covered List restrictions have barely dented DJI's grip on the US construction industry eight months after the ban on new model authorizations took effect.",[23,24],"hr",{},[26,27,29],"h2",{"id":28},"background-the-fccs-covered-list","Background: The FCC's Covered List",[11,31,32,33,37],{},"The FCC added DJI drones and components to its Covered List in December 2025, blocking the agency from authorizing any new DJI models for sale in the United States. The ",[34,35,36],"strong",{},"Covered List"," is an FCC registry of communications equipment the agency has determined poses a national security risk; once a company's products are added, no new models can receive the FCC equipment authorization required to legally sell radio-frequency devices in the US.",[11,39,40],{},"Previously authorized DJI drones can still be sold, owned, and flown — the restriction only blocks new model approvals. DJI has contested the underlying national security rationale in court, filing a petition with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in February 2026 arguing the FCC exceeded its statutory authority.",[11,42,43,44,49],{},"In July 2026, the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau went further, releasing ",[15,45,48],{"href":46,"rel":47},"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.fcc.gov\u002Fpublic\u002Fattachments\u002FDA-26-758A1.pdf",[19],"Public Notice DA 26-758"," to propose banning the import and marketing of already-authorized foreign drones classified as \"military-grade\" — a category that includes any drone carrying a thermal sensor, any drone carrying LiDAR, and drone docking stations used in automated programs. The public comment window on that proposal closes September 2, 2026.",[23,51],{},[26,53,55],{"id":54},"what-the-abc-survey-found","What the ABC Survey Found",[11,57,58],{},"ABC surveyed its contractor members between May 1 and May 15, 2026 — a pool representing roughly 24,000 member companies. Of respondents, 36.1% said they fly drones on the job, 62.4% do not, and 1.4% were unsure.",[11,60,61],{},"Among the contractors who do fly, DJI's dominance was overwhelming, and unprompted: ABC didn't ask respondents to name DJI specifically, it asked what brand they primarily fly.",[63,64,65,81],"table",{},[66,67,68],"thead",{},[69,70,71,75,78],"tr",{},[72,73,74],"th",{},"Manufacturer",[72,76,77],{},"Primary drone fleet",[72,79,80],{},"Secondary drone fleet",[82,83,84,96,107,118],"tbody",{},[69,85,86,90,93],{},[87,88,89],"td",{},"DJI",[87,91,92],{},"97.1%",[87,94,95],{},"86.2%",[69,97,98,101,104],{},[87,99,100],{},"Autel Robotics",[87,102,103],{},"2.9%",[87,105,106],{},"—",[69,108,109,112,115],{},[87,110,111],{},"Skydio",[87,113,114],{},"0%",[87,116,117],{},"5.2%",[69,119,120,123,125],{},[87,121,122],{},"Parrot",[87,124,106],{},[87,126,127],{},"1.7%",[11,129,130,131,135],{},"Drones are put to work mainly for site progress monitoring (80.8% of flying contractors), marketing and media (77.5%), and inspections and mapping (50%) — the kind of repetitive aerial documentation covered in our guide to ",[15,132,134],{"href":133},"\u002Faerial-mapping-with-drones\u002F","aerial mapping and photogrammetry",". Investment stays modest: 61.9% of contractors report spending between $1,000 and $10,000 total on drone hardware.",[11,137,138],{},"Two figures matter most for what comes next. ABC found 19.8% of contractor fleets include a thermal camera and 18.8% include LiDAR — exactly the sensor categories the FCC's pending \"military-grade\" proposal targets for an import and marketing ban.",[23,140],{},[26,142,144],{"id":143},"what-this-means-for-drone-pilots","What This Means for Drone Pilots",[11,146,147],{},"For contractors already flying DJI, day-to-day operations don't change: the FCC's Covered List action doesn't revoke authorizations already granted, so existing DJI drones stay legal to own and fly. The pressure is on replacement and expansion. Fleet managers who lose a Mavic or Matrice to damage, theft, or battery failure can't buy a newer-generation DJI model with fresh FCC approval — and if the July proposal advances, replacing a thermal or LiDAR-equipped unit gets harder too, since import and marketing of those categories would stop roughly 180 days after the rule's Federal Register publication.",[11,149,150,151,155],{},"ABC Vice President of Construction Technology and Innovation Matt Abeles said the survey shows \"regulatory hurdles and training challenges still limit broader adoption,\" and the group is calling on lawmakers to streamline compliance requirements rather than let the rules outpace how contractors actually use the equipment. Contractors evaluating alternatives should start with our ",[15,152,154],{"href":153},"\u002Fdji-drones-complete-guide\u002F","complete guide to DJI's current model lineup"," to understand which models remain purchasable while they weigh Autel or Skydio as backup options — Skydio registered 5.2% of secondary fleets in the survey despite zero share as a primary platform.",[11,157,158],{},"Firms in the 19.8%–18.8% thermal\u002FLiDAR overlap have the shortest runway. The FCC's comment window on the military-grade proposal closes September 2, 2026 — the last chance for contractors to weigh in before the rule potentially locks in future replacement costs for public safety and infrastructure inspection programs that depend on that hardware.",[23,160],{},[162,163],"faq",{":items":164},"[{\"question\":\"Is DJI banned in the United States?\",\"answer\":\"No. DJI drones already authorized by the FCC remain legal to buy, own, and fly. The December 2025 Covered List action only blocks the FCC from approving new DJI models going forward, and a pending July 2026 proposal would additionally restrict importing new thermal- or LiDAR-equipped foreign drones.\"},{\"question\":\"Can contractors still buy new DJI drones?\",\"answer\":\"Only models the FCC authorized before the December 2025 Covered List listing. DJI cannot obtain new equipment authorizations, so any DJI model released after that point cannot be legally imported or sold in the US market.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do contractors keep using DJI despite the ban?\",\"answer\":\"ABC's May 2026 survey found 97.1% of contractor drone fleets are DJI, largely because existing units remain legal to fly and no domestic manufacturer matches DJI's price-to-capability ratio for tasks like site monitoring and mapping.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the FCC's Covered List?\",\"answer\":\"The Covered List is an FCC registry of communications equipment deemed a US national security risk. Once a company is added, the FCC can no longer issue new equipment authorizations for its products, though previously authorized devices are unaffected.\"}]",[23,166],{},[11,168,169],{},[170,171,172,173,176,177,176,182],"em",{},"Sources: ",[15,174,20],{"href":17,"rel":175},[19]," | ",[15,178,181],{"href":179,"rel":180},"https:\u002F\u002Fabc.org\u002Fdronereport",[19],"Associated Builders and Contractors",[15,183,185],{"href":46,"rel":184},[19],"FCC Public Notice DA 26-758",{"title":187,"searchDepth":188,"depth":188,"links":189},"",2,[190,191,192],{"id":28,"depth":188,"text":29},{"id":54,"depth":188,"text":55},{"id":143,"depth":188,"text":144},"news","2026-08-24","A new ABC survey of 24,000 member firms finds DJI still powers 97.1% of contractor drone fleets, even as the FCC blocks new model imports. Here's the full data.",false,"md","\u002Fimages\u002Ffaa-dji-96-porcento-drones-eua.jpg",{},true,"\u002Fen\u002Fposts\u002Fdji-97-percent-contractor-drones-2026",{"title":5,"description":195},"dji-97-percent-contractor-drones-2026","en\u002Fposts\u002Fdji-97-percent-contractor-drones-2026",[206,207,208,209,210],"dji","fcc","drone regulation","construction drones","drone market",null,"FA1WwSme19RfOEToiDVqXG9dMlfLzJ3AMH-ukm8MiEs",[214,223,225,236],{"title":215,"description":216,"date":194,"category":193,"image":217,"slug":218,"tags":219,"author":6},"US Air Force Buys DJI Drones to Train Nuclear Guards","The US Air Force is buying DJI drones to train security teams defending Minuteman III nuclear missiles at F.E. Warren AFB. Here's why, and what it means.","\u002Fimages\u002Fdji-ban-eua.jpg","air-force-dji-drones-nuclear-base-training",[220,206,221,222],"regulation","military drones","counter-drone",{"title":5,"description":195,"date":194,"category":193,"image":198,"slug":203,"tags":224,"author":6},[206,207,208,209,210],{"title":226,"description":227,"date":228,"category":193,"image":229,"slug":230,"tags":231,"author":6},"DJI Picks 15 Winners in Global Onboard AI Challenge","DJI named 15 winners of its 2026 Onboard AI Challenge on Aug. 20 — drones that count crops and spot bridge cracks with AI that runs onboard, not the cloud.","2026-08-23","\u002Fimages\u002Fdji-matrice-4d-c6-standalone-bvlos.jpg","dji-onboard-ai-challenge-2026-winners",[206,232,233,234,235],"artificial intelligence","enterprise drones","drone technology","onboard ai",{"title":237,"description":238,"date":228,"category":193,"image":239,"slug":240,"tags":241,"author":6},"FCC Orders 67 Drone Certification Labs to Tighten Screening","The FCC told all 67 accredited labs to tighten drone certification screening after one erroneously cleared a banned Chinese flying camera for US sale.","\u002Fimages\u002Ffcc-tcb-drone-certification-guidance-2026.jpg","fcc-tcb-drone-certification-guidance-2026",[207,220,210,242],"china",1787613532593]