Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS aka Drones)

Ban on Use of Certain Foreign Manufactured Drones in Federally Funded Research 

Federal concerns over unmanned aerial vehicles or systems (collectively referred to as "UAS"), commonly referred to as drones, manufactured or assembled outside of the United States have led to promulgations of federal law and regulations restricting or prohibiting the purchase and use of select UAS on federally funded projects because the present a national security risk. 

National Defense Authorization Act for 2024 – American Security Drone Act of 2023 

The National Defense Authorization Act for 2024 (“Act”) incorporated provisions of the American Security Drone Act of 2023, Section 1825 in the Act states that “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.”  Covered foreign entities are defined within the Act. There are limited exceptions to the requirements. This law will go into effect on December 22, 2025.  

What does this mean for SDSU?  

The use of federal funds awarded through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements to purchase and/or operate foreign, commercial, off-the-shelf drones or unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled in or by a “covered” entity, most notably the People’s Republic of China, will be prohibited starting in December 2025. Covered foreign entities include other entities listed by the federal government through the Consolidated Screening List, Homeland Security, and others designated as a national security risk. While the restrictions and prohibitions lists can vary slightly, most commonly they apply to drone and UAS components manufactured in China, but could also include those manufactured in Iran, North Korea, and Russia.  

If you are currently operating a drone under a federal grant that expires before December 22, 2025, the drone should remain compliant with the Act of 2023 until that date.  

However, if your federal contract, grant, or cooperative agreement extends into 2026, you should consider replacing the drone. If you will be applying for a federal contract, grant, or cooperative agreement beginning for running past December 22, 2025, the UAS obtained must comply with the Act.   

Additional updates and information will be provided, but you should keep these restrictions in mind when making purchases, writing proposals, and creating budgets that include UAS. 

When planning to purchase a drone, it is important to consider the potential limitations of procuring a drone covered under this Act, implementing regulations, and other laws.  

For any new drone acquisitions, please continue to submit the UAS Purchase/Donation Request form to determine whether the UAS is prohibited or not under the Act and for UAS purchase approval.  

To identify a UAS list that complies with Federal regulations, please visit The Blue UAS Cleared List. 

We are in the process of evaluating SDSU Policy 8:10 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to ensure the university remains compliant with the most recent regulations. The updated policy will be published following the completion of the review and necessary modifications.    

Any new purchases of UAS or modifications to the current inventory must be communicated to the Program Director of Research Integrity and Compliance. If you have questions, please contact Keiji Horikoshi by email or call 605-688-4027.