Trump loosens rules on armed drone exports amid rivalry with China
The new US policy will allow the United States to export armed drones after reinterpreting a 35-nation agreement aimed at limiting the proliferation of rocket-based weapons.
US President Donald Trump has loosened restrictions on Washington’s ability to sell armed drones to foreign governments amid concerns about China’s defense relationships in the Middle East.
The United States has now formally changed its interpretation of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a 35-nation agreement aimed at limiting the proliferation of rocket-based weapons such as ballistic and cruise missiles as well as armed drones.
The new US policy will allow the United States to export armed drones that fly less than 800 kilometers (500 miles) per hour. Such weapons sales are subject to a “strong presumption of denial” under the 1987 MTCR agreement, which categorizes the drones alongside smaller cruise missiles as “category-1” weapons that can carry up to a 500kg payload as far as 300km.
The Trump administration has sought to modify that designation since at least 2017 in order to compete with China’s armed drone sales to Middle Eastern governments that typically buy American weapons. China is not a party to the MTCR.
