Pentagon’s growing list of ‘made in America’ drones has a loophole for certain parts made in China

DoD drone operators and experts test the technical capabilities of various UAS during a Defense Innovation Unit led prize challenge to identify platforms, components, and capabilities for Blue UAS. (DoD photo by Devon Bistarkey, Defense Innovation Unit)

By Brandi Vincent • Nov 21, 2025

The Defense Department’s Blue UAS program maintains an ever-expanding index of commercial drones that are meant to be devoid of components from adversary nations including China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, and endorsed for speedier purchasing by U.S. military buyers.

This list of compliant options is growing rapidly in late 2025 as the government moves to incentivize the adoption of more affordable U.S.-made drone products for modern military operations, and simultaneously reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign supply chains. Blue UAS also marks a key feature of the second Trump administration’s plan for “unleashing American drone dominance.”

However, multiple sources told DefenseScoop this month that the majority of the unmanned aerial systems cleared through this effort have motors that are sourced in China.