Trump Imposes 100% Tariff on Large or Thermal-Imaging Drones, Chinese Makers Bear the Brunt

The Trump administration set Section 232 duties of up to 100% on foreign-made drones, applying the top rate to units above 25kg or with thermal imaging and 25% to smaller consumer drones, effective September 3. Allied countries get lower brackets — 15% for the EU, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Taiwan; 10% for the UK — while Chinese manufacturers that dominate the US market are the primary target. Washington cited national security and a push to build a domestic drone industry.