Silverado Comments on Sec. 232 Investigation of Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

From the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war to inspection of pipelines and public safety, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are at the forefront of dual military-commercial applications.

Silverado Policy Accelerator submitted comments in response to the Department of Commerce’s new Section 232 investigation into UAS; here are several key takeaways:

• The UAS supply chain is incredibly relevant in today’s trade landscape with several critical chokepoints (e.g., critical minerals, semiconductors).
• China dominated global unmanned aircraft exports in 2024, accounting for 47 percent of exports ($2.2 billion).
• China (and Malaysia) were also major suppliers of U.S. imports in 2024.
• Ukraine increased its share of global UAS imports in 2024 after imports nearly doubled in value.