Have you purchased or are you looking to buy a drone?
A Federal Law has been enacted (and will soon be in effect) that impacts purchasing and utilizing unmanned aircraft systems/drones that are manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity (also known as countries of concern), which include, but are not limited to, the People’s Republic of China.
American Security Drone Act of 2023
Section 1825 of the American Security Drone Act of 2023 states, “no federal funds awarded through a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement, or otherwise made available may be used (1) to procure a covered unmanned aircraft system that is manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity; or (2) in connection with the operation of such a drone or unmanned aircraft system.” This law will go into effect on December 22, 2025, BUT federal agencies may implement this law at any time.
What does this mean for you?
At any time the federal agency providing funding to Iowa State University through a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement chooses to implement this law, any drones purchased from restricted suppliers with federal funds from that agency will no longer be able to be used on federal projects.
On December 22, 2025, the law will go into effect, and any drones purchased from restricted suppliers with federal funds will no longer be able to be used on any federal projects.
We will continue to keep you updated as this law is enacted, but ask that you keep these restrictions in mind not only when making purchases, but when writing proposals and creating budgets that include drones. If you need help finding a drone supplier that the federal government does not restrict, please reach out to procurement@iastate.edu so that we can assist!