DJI sues FCC over Covered List import restrictions threatening pilots, organizers

Mechanics in race pits are already feeling the sting: the FCC’s December 2025 expansion of its Covered List restricts imports of batteries, cameras, and other foreign-made components, a move pilots and organizers warn could complicate maintenance and spare-parts logistics for competitions and events.

DJI responded with litigation. In late February 2026 DJI filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - the petition is dated February 20, 2026 - asking the court to hold unlawful, vacate, enjoin, and set aside the FCC’s December action that added DJI and certain communications and video-surveillance equipment to the Covered List. DJI previously pursued an appeal in the D.C. Circuit after a District Court ruling; that appeal reached oral argument on February 6, 2026.

The company’s filings lay out three core legal arguments: that the FCC exceeded its statutory authority, failed to follow required procedures, and violated the Fifth Amendment. DJI’s public statements stress commercial harm: “It carelessly restricts DJI’s business in the U.S. and summarily denies U.S. customers access to its latest technology.” A DJI spokesperson framed the petition as a bid to protect “small business owners, public safety officers, farmers, and creators” who the company says rely on its products.

The FCC’s Covered List expansion, first implemented in December 2025 and reported as taking effect December 23, 2025 in some filings, blocks the importation, sale, and marketing of covered foreign-made drones and components unless approved by the Department of Defense. The agency also asserted authority to retroactively block equipment that had previously been permitted, raising concerns about parts for devices already in the field. The FCC later partially narrowed the action by exempting UAS on the Pentagon’s Blue UAS list and permitting certain components from Sony, Nvidia, and Panasonic. Named exempted manufacturers include Parrot, AeroVironment, and Teledyne FLIR. The partial exemption also carved out U.S.-made UAS and components when domestic content accounts for at least 65 percent of the finished product’s cost. The restrictions include a sunset provision set for 2027 to reassess whether foreign equipment is “hampering the resiliency of our domestic drone industrial base.” A Bellanca report of the policy included the phone number (580) 202-3100 in its text.

On the ground, pilots can still fly drones they already own, but the restriction on new components, including batteries and cameras, could complicate maintenance and upgrades for racers and league operators trying to keep craft airworthy between heats. DJI’s petition characterizes the FCC action as purporting to add “all communications and video surveillance equipment” produced by DJI to the Covered List and says the order has been used to restrict imports of existing products and items outside the stated scope.

What comes next is procedural and operational. The Ninth Circuit petition filed February 20, 2026 is pending; the D.C. Circuit appeal heard on February 6, 2026 remains unresolved in filings available to date. Race organizers and teams should track possible DoD exemptions and the FCC’s 2027 reassessment, because those outcomes will determine whether supply chains for parts and upgrades are restored or whether racing calendars and maintenance plans must be rebuilt around alternative suppliers.