National Defense

There’s no question that military superiority in armed and unarmed drone capabilities will shape international security throughout the era of great power competition.

However, unnecessary Missile Technology Control Regime regulatory hurdles place significant burdens upon export of remotely piloted aircraft — also known as unmanned aerial vehicles — and their technology, limiting resources that would help the United States sustain its competitive advantage. Policymakers must examine export barriers and adjust policy to protect U.S. companies, capabilities, allies and partners.

China’s gaming of the regime’s requirements demonstrates the inability of the system to control the proliferation of remotely piloted aircraft technology. China has transferred its CH-4 drone to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and other drone models to Egypt, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Recently, China sold one armed Pterodactyl-1 aircraft to Serbia, with options to buy additional airframes. Serbia is surrounded by NATO members, and although a few Chinese drones do not provide a vast military advantage, successful Serbian operation of Chinese aircraft could persuade allies to consider acquiring these critical capabilities from a U.S. peer competitor. The loss of overseas sales means not only the loss of critical funding for U.S. companies to continue innovating in this space, it threatens interoperability among friends, allies and partners and, importantly, denies U.S. influence over how those systems are used.

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