President Trump issued Aug. 13 a proclamation imposing the following Section 232 tariffs on imports of unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and their parts and components.
- 100 percent on drones with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 25 kg or that integrate thermal imagers, docking stations for such drones, and certain drone components (identified in Annex I to the proclamation)
- 25 percent on drones with a maximum takeoff weight of 25 kg or less (identified in Annex II) and other drone components (identified in Annex III)
- 15 percent on drones and components from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan, provided that substantially all hardware, software, and technologies originate from within these countries and the U.S.
- 10 percent on drones from the United Kingdom, provided that substantially all hardware, software, and technologies originate from within the UK and the U.S.
These tariffs will take effect for goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on (1) Sept. 3 for products listed in Annexes I and II or (2) Feb. 9, 2027, for drone components listed in Annex III and products and components that the Department of Defense has approved for an exemption from the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List by Sept. 2.
The proclamation authorizes the inclusion of additional drone components within the scope of these tariffs “on a rolling basis” when it is determined that imports thereof threaten to undermine these tariffs.
However, the proclamation also directs the Commerce Department to establish a program to incentivize new investment in U.S. production facilities to produce drones and drone components. Under this program, companies whose onshoring plans are approved by the DOC would be able to import covered products for their supply chains, as well as necessary production equipment, in volumes commensurate with the U.S. production facility’s anticipated annual output, free of the new Section 232 tariffs.
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