Connecticut ‘Emergency’ Bill Would Ban Chinese, Russian Drones

The bill, which awaits Governor Ned Lamont’s signature, proposes sweeping restrictions on drones built or assembled by “covered foreign entities”—in other words, China and Russia. Chinese drones in particular have proliferated among U.S. law enforcement and public safety agencies and account for an estimated three-quarters of the American consumer drone market, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Connecticut democrats in December introduced House Bill 7066 to restrict Chinese and Russian drones after failing to secure a ban last year.

The bill, which has now passed both chambers of the state’s legislature, forbids state agencies and municipalities from purchasing “covered” drones starting October 2026, with a ban on their operation beginning October 2028. The gap is intended to give drone users time to find approved alternatives. Those deadlines would come one year earlier for the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which includes state law enforcement and fire services.

The legislation would also restrict drone flights within 250 feet of the state’s critical electric and other utility facilities—with exceptions for commercial and government operations—and ban them from carrying weapons.

The Hartford Courant reported that Connecticut first responders have spent an estimated $1 million to $2 million on drones expected to be phased out within five years. But according to lawmakers who opposed the bill, Chinese and Russian drones are much cheaper than alternatives. The Associated Press, for example, reported that a Tennessee fire chief was quoted $5,000 to find an approved replacement for the department’s DJI Mavic Pro—a Chinese model that costs about $1,500—after the state banned it.

Connecticut and Tennessee are among several states to pass protectionist drone laws, joining Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida, which in 2023 allocated $25 million to help law enforcement and public safety agencies find replacements. Those bills mirror efforts at the federal level that have already banned drones at the Defense Department, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and Department of the Interior.

Officials have taken aim at two Chinese companies in particular: Autel and DJI, the world’s largest drone maker. Federal and state lawmakers worry about the potential cybersecurity and espionage threat from these firms given their unclear connection to the Chinese government. DJI, for example, obscured its ties to state-backed investors, The Washington Post reported in 2022.

Lawmakers are less concerned with “hobbyist” drones—those used for leisure activities such as photography—than commercial drones, which in the U.S. are beginning to assume key roles in logistics, inspection, defense, agriculture, and other industries. Chinese government control of those aircraft could allow it to collect sensitive images or jam the signals of drones carrying critical medical supplies, for example.

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