{"id":8035,"date":"2026-08-14T15:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/?p=8035"},"modified":"2026-08-14T15:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T19:45:13","slug":"expansion-of-tariffs-on-uas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/2026\/08\/14\/expansion-of-tariffs-on-uas\/","title":{"rendered":"Expansion of Tariffs\u00a0on UAS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On August 13, 2026, the White House issued a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/08\/adjusting-imports-of-unmanned-aircraft-systems-and-unmanned-aircraft-systems-components-into-the-united-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Presidential Proclamation<\/a>\u00a0under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, imposing new import tariffs on UAS and core UAS components following a Department of Commerce investigation into domestic supply chain security.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dates&nbsp;&amp; Potential Impact<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As written, the action&nbsp;establishes&nbsp;new&nbsp;ad&nbsp;valorem tariffs across completed&nbsp;aircraft&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;individual electronics. These tariffs will be&nbsp;rolled out from early September 2026 through February 2027&nbsp;across&nbsp;broad classes of UAS by weight, capability,&nbsp;and country of origin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>September 3, 2026\u00a0<\/strong>(Completed Systems):\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>25% tariff<\/strong>\u00a0takes effect on foreign-produced\u00a0UAS\u00a0with a maximum takeoff weight of\u00a0roughly\u00a055lbs\u00a0(25 kg) or less.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>100% tariff<\/strong>\u00a0will apply to\u00a0foreign-produced UAS with a maximum takeoff weight of\u00a0roughly 55lbs\u00a0(25kg) or more.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>February 9, 2027\u00a0<\/strong>(Components):\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>25% tariff<\/strong>\u00a0will\u00a0take effect on core components, including brushless motors, ESCs, flight controllers, lithium battery modules, and radio transmitters\/receiver links.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outcome&nbsp;for Modelers&nbsp;&amp; AMA Action<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While AMA understands and supports national security efforts and the importance of strengthening domestic manufacturing resilience,&nbsp;tariffs applied to&nbsp;broad&nbsp;UAS categories&nbsp;inevitably&nbsp;affect&nbsp;the recreational and educational market.&nbsp;Members and other&nbsp;hobbyists are&nbsp;likely to face short-term price increases or reduced supply availability for essential building materials, standalone electronics, and&nbsp;RTF&nbsp;aircraft&nbsp;as distributors adapt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AMA\u00a0maintains\u00a0that recreational model aviation flown within VLOS\u00a0do\u00a0not\u00a0pose the security risks these policies aim to address. The AMA Government Relations team is actively engaging with federal offices and key\u00a0commercial\u00a0stakeholders to highlight these unintended consequences on recreational flyers and advocate for solutions that protect our community from unnecessary financial burdens.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Q\u00a0&amp;\u00a0A: Practical\u00a0Effects\u00a0on the Hobby\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: Will this affect traditional RC airplanes,&nbsp;helicopters, and&nbsp;other models?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A:<\/strong>&nbsp;Yes, any&nbsp;complete UAS under 55lbs, including completed RTF or&nbsp;ARF&nbsp;aircraft&nbsp;imported from foreign&nbsp;suppliers,&nbsp;will be subject to the 25% tariff starting September 3, 2026.&nbsp;Individual kits and unpowered airframes are not&nbsp;directly mentioned&nbsp;but will&nbsp;likely see&nbsp;price changes as suppliers adjust their inventory.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: How does this affect individual components&nbsp;for repair&nbsp;or builds?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A:<\/strong>&nbsp;Standalone components\u2014such as brushless motors, ESCs, flight controllers, receiver hardware, and battery packs\u2014fall under the 25%&nbsp;component&nbsp;tariff taking effect on February 9, 2027. This&nbsp;delayed deadline gives manufacturers and hobby distributors time to adjust inventory, as well as time&nbsp;for AMA and other stakeholders to engage Federal offices for regulatory relief; however,&nbsp;builders should expect higher retail prices on imported electronics in early 2027&nbsp;if tariffs are enacted as written.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: Does this apply to products already in stock at US&nbsp;hobby&nbsp;shops?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A:<\/strong>&nbsp;No. Tariffs apply to items at the time of importation into the US. Current retailer inventory imported prior to the effective dates&nbsp;should&nbsp;not be retroactively taxed, though market demand may influence retail pricing as fresh stock arrives.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Q:&nbsp;Does&nbsp;this affect Large Model Aircraft&nbsp;(LMA) between 55-125lbs?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A:&nbsp;<\/strong>Yes<strong>.&nbsp;<\/strong>Foreign-produced&nbsp;models&nbsp;with a weight exceeding&nbsp;55lbs (~25kg) fall into the&nbsp;proclamation\u2019s&nbsp;heavy UAS category, which is subject to a 100% tariff starting September 3, 2026. Members considering&nbsp;purchasing&nbsp;complete, giant-scale models or heavy ARF airframes directly from overseas manufacturers will&nbsp;likely see&nbsp;significant cost increases&nbsp;after that time. AMA is engaging with federal officials to highlight how recreational&nbsp;VLOS&nbsp;giant-scale&nbsp;aircraft&nbsp;operating&nbsp;under community safety standards differ&nbsp;significantly&nbsp;from commercial heavy-lift systems.&nbsp;<br><strong><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Q: What is AMA doing to mitigate the impact on recreational flyers?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A:<\/strong>&nbsp;AMA&nbsp;is actively advocating on behalf of recreational fliers and is engaging with commercial stakeholders and relevant federal agencies to seek clarification and relief for our members. We are working to ensure that the interests of the recreational model aviation community are considered as these policies are implemented. While Presidential Proclamations are not open for formal public comment,&nbsp;subsequent&nbsp;implementation rules through administrative agencies may provide opportunities for AMA to advocate for our members and provide input. As our conversations with federal and commercial stakeholders evolve, we may also call upon our members to voice their concerns and suggestions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To remain current\u202fwith the most recent government-related news, regularly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visit the AMA Government Affairs blog<\/a>. If you have any further questions or concerns, contact the Government Affairs department at (765) 287-1256 or\u202f<a href=\"mailto:amagov@modelaircraft.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amagov@modelaircraft.org<\/a>.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On August 13, 2026, the White House issued a\u00a0Presidential Proclamation\u00a0under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, imposing new import tariffs on UAS and core UAS components following a Department of Commerce investigation into domestic supply chain security.\u00a0 Dates&nbsp;&amp; Potential Impact&nbsp; As written, the action&nbsp;establishes&nbsp;new&nbsp;ad&nbsp;valorem tariffs across completed&nbsp;aircraft&nbsp;as [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002461,"featured_media":8036,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":194,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[305,304,302,301,229,39],"class_list":["post-8035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","tag-export","tag-import","tag-lma","tag-proclamation","tag-tariffs","tag-uas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002461"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8035"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8038,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8035\/revisions\/8038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}