Chinese sanctions hit US drone maker supplying Ukraine
▻https://www.ft.com/content/b1104594-5da7-4b9a-b635-e7a80ab68fad
Skydio, the US’s largest #drone maker and a supplier to #Ukraine’s military, faces a supply chain crisis after Beijing imposed #sanctions on the company, including banning Chinese groups from providing it with critical components.
Skydio is rushing to find alternative suppliers after Beijing’s move, which also blocks battery supplies from its sole provider, said people familiar with the situation.
[...] China’s sanctions, imposed on October 11, hit several US groups, including privately held Skydio, in retaliation for Washington’s approval of the sale of attack drones to #Taiwan. Skydio had recently won a contract with Taiwan’s fire agency.
[...] San Mateo-based Skydio sells to corporate and government customers, including the US military. It said it had sent more than 1,000 drones to Ukraine for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance purposes. The drones have also been used to help document Russian war crimes.
Skydio said its latest model, the X10, was the first US drone to pass Ukrainian electronic warfare tests — meaning they are hard to jam — and that Kyiv had requested thousands of them.
The Chinese action comes as the US Congress considers legislation that would ban Americans from flying drones made by DJI, the Shenzhen-based company that dominates the global commercial drone industry.