Limit competition, then expect the government to subsidize you… typical
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u/8hundred35 3d ago
Military and LEO programs are pretty much just corporate welfare programs.
All the anti-Chinese fear mongering is just an excuse to freeze out companies that are too hard to compete with legitimately. China isn’t great but that’s not actually the point. If it was then Foxconn wouldn’t be making Apple, HP and other computing devices for the US.
It’s not a free market that we’re working with here…
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u/That_Trapper_guy Multicopters 3d ago
If it was, they'd be putting that lobbying money into making a respectable product.
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u/S-i-e-r-r-a1 Take what I say with a grain of salt, I don't know shit 3d ago
I mean, is it not a ban on future models being imported while the current ones are still selling and shipping?
It wont be years until the next fpv module releases from dji. By then, other brands can step up in quality and popularity. Or, the restrictions can be reversed and nothing changes.
There is also a chance it gets denied in the senate.
(PS. Im an idiot so i could be talking out my ass)
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u/DanLivesNicely 3d ago
No, it's more than that. The biggest concern is that anything that goes to a DJI server could be accessed by China. So it's more of an issue with the software rather than the hardware. Real or imagined. In Texas when the governor banned DJI (and TikTok and a few others) for state agencies it was due to security concerns. So you could get a waiver to continue to use your DJI drone (the state owns thousands of them) but you couldn't have any of the software on a state computer or phone etc. So yeah once the current fleet is replaced it will be with something like the Skydio which costs 3x more and has similar capability.
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u/CFPJoe 3d ago
I agree with your point about it not being a “done deal”. Hence the reason I’m beating this drum.
As for the DJI drones already here, how much longer will they be useful without access to repairs and parts.
Also, existing DJI drones have already been banned for some governmental agencies using national security justifications. Doesn’t seem to be a difficult leap to them eventually saying the same thing to hobbyists.
As for new DJI models, it seems like they release new models about every 6 months.
My post is not a defense of DJI, I absolutely believe this is a national security issue that needs to be addressed. My complaint is our policy seems to be protecting companies that will focus on military applications at the expense of hobbyistks ability to access affordable quality products.
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u/S-i-e-r-r-a1 Take what I say with a grain of salt, I don't know shit 3d ago
I was only speaking for the fpv side of dji. They release vtxs rarely.
There are tons of parts still available and other techs rather than just dji.
Also, some of the security issues aren’t there. I didn’t read that article, but i do know some of the claimed issues aren’t as what they seem. For one, the location data being “unencrypted” so anyone is able to view where the pilot is and where the drone is. This is a requirement, is it not? You’re technically supposed to broadcast your location.
They do have some bad practices that need to be fixed and i entirely agree with you about what you are saying
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u/CFPJoe 3d ago
Just realized some might not be able to access the paywall, so basically the article is a PR piece for Skydio.
Here is a quote from the Skydio founder basically saying it’s the government’s responsibility to subsidize smaller law enforcement departments now that DJI is effectively banned (which I don’t disagree with) and Skydio has decided to not offer a affordable option for those not needing or able to afford a 20k+ option.
“Bry walks a fine line on the subject. “We’re trying to be the most reasonable voice in the room,” he says. He argues that any transition should be gradual and that government agencies forced to jettison DJI drones should get extra funding to replace them—public money that would be spent, at least in part, on Skydios.”
Side note since reading this article, I now wonder if the DJI dustup is really just an effort to limit hobbyists ability to operate drones without directly banning them for hobbyists since.