DJI lost its September 2025 lawsuit challenging its placement on the Pentagon’s list of “Chinese military companies,” but the court rejected most of the Department of Defense’s allegations. The ruling upheld a statutory designation; it did not find that DJI is owned or controlled by the Chinese military, and it did not itself ban consumers from owning or flying existing DJI drones.
What DJI challenged—and what the court decided
In SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. v. U.S. Department of Defense, DJI and an affiliated company asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to remove DJI from the Pentagon’s Section 1260H list. On September 26, 2025, the court denied DJI’s motion for summary judgment and granted the government’s cross-motion, leaving the designation in place. Read the court’s opinion.
The case concerned the Pentagon’s statutory designation, not every U.S. restriction that might affect DJI products. The phrase “Chinese military company” is the label used for the list under Section 1260H of the William M. “Mac” Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The statute covers defined relationships with China’s government, Communist Party, military, and defense-industrial base; it is not limited to companies directly owned by the People’s Liberation Army. The case record and ruling explain the designation at issue.
Why the Pentagon listed DJI
In its December 6, 2024 rationale, the Department of Defense advanced several grounds for keeping DJI on the list. It said DJI knowingly received assistance through Chinese science-and-technology efforts associated with military-industrial planning; it cited research partnerships and projects involving China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); and it alleged ties to a military-civil fusion enterprise zone. These were government theories supporting a statutory designation, not findings that should be treated as established simply because DoD asserted them. DoD’s stated grounds.
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DJI had petitioned for removal in July 2023 and sued in October 2024 after contesting the designation. It argued, among other things, that the government’s action lacked adequate support and harmed its business and reputation. The district court reviewed whether the administrative record supported the statutory action, not whether DJI was guilty of espionage or operated as a military weapons maker.
Why DJI lost despite the court rejecting much of DoD’s case
The outcome was adverse to DJI: it did not obtain removal from the list. But the reasoning was narrower than a blanket endorsement of the Pentagon’s allegations. The court found insufficient support for several of DoD’s theories, while concluding that other evidence concerning assistance through Chinese science-and-technology or industrial-planning programs could sustain the designation under the statute. The legal question was whether the government had an adequate basis under the applicable statutory categories—not whether the court had established direct military ownership or control.
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DJI’s public account of the decision says the court rejected claims that the company was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, affiliated with MIIT, or affiliated with a military-civil fusion enterprise zone. DJI’s statement on the ruling is the company’s characterization; the controlling explanation is the court opinion. The key distinction is that the designation survived on narrower grounds even though most of the government’s asserted theories did not.
What the decision means for drone owners and buyers
The district-court judgment did not, by itself, make existing DJI drones illegal to own or fly nationwide, disable them, or impose a general consumer sales ban. It upheld the Pentagon’s Section 1260H designation. Other rules can affect procurement, product authorization, exports, or particular agencies, but those are separate legal questions and must be assessed under the rule and date that apply.
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- No Registration Needed - Under 249 g, this drone with camera for adults 4K does not require FAA registration or Remote ID for recreational use. Visit the FAA's official website for requirements related to drone registration and Remote ID. [1]
- 4K Ultra HD & 3-Axis Gimbal for Cinematic Quality Shooting - Capture stunning moments in any light—sunrises, sunsets, and night scenes with crystal-clear 4K resolution. Thanks to the 3-axis gimbal, you can achieve cinematic-quality footage with this advanced drone with camera.
- 38kph (Level 5) Wind Resistant - This drone for adults has a stable flight even in Level 5 winds. Brushless motors enhance power and allow takeoff at altitudes up to 4,000 meters.
- 10km Max HD Video Transmission-up to 10 km (32,800 feet) [2] of HD video transmission and has excellent anti-interference capabilities, giving you the ability to freely explore vast landscapes and see clearer.
- Due to platform compatibility issue, the DJI Fly app has been removed from Google Play. To ensure a better product usage experience, please log in to the DJI official website to download the latest version of DJI Fly.
- Existing owners: The ruling alone does not require you to stop using a DJI drone. It also does not guarantee that future products, services, parts, or authorizations will be unaffected by separate actions.
- Commercial operators: Check customer security terms, data-hosting and telemetry requirements, insurance conditions, support continuity, and any contract provisions before choosing or retaining equipment.
- Federal agencies and contractors: Do not assume one universal rule applies to every use. Review the applicable agency policy, contract, country-of-origin requirements, and federal acquisition or defense-supplement terms. For a contract-specific decision, consult procurement or legal counsel.
- Prospective buyers: Consider the rules that apply to your intended customer and work, along with parts availability, firmware support, accessory compatibility, and the cost of changing platforms. A non-DJI manufacturer is not automatically free of every sourcing or regulatory concern.
In particular, the Section 1260H designation should not be confused with FCC equipment-authorization proceedings or restrictions on federal purchasing. A product’s authorization or eligibility for a particular government contract may depend on separate measures; this lawsuit does not resolve those questions.
DJI appealed; check the appellate docket for the final outcome
DJI announced on October 14, 2025 that it had appealed the district-court judgment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The appeal is No. 25-5367, and the available docket records oral argument on February 20, 2026. The cited docket information does not establish a final appellate disposition, so claims that DJI ultimately “lost its appeal” should not be treated as confirmed without an official opinion or docket entry.
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For the latest status, consult the D.C. Circuit opinions page and the appeal docket. DJI’s announcement of the appeal is available here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this ruling does not establish
- It does not establish that DJI is owned or controlled by the Chinese military.
- It does not validate every allegation DoD made; the court rejected support for several of its theories.
- It does not find DJI guilty of espionage or prove that its drones are weapons.
- It does not decide every separate FCC, procurement, export-control, sanctions, or agency-policy question involving DJI products.
- It does not establish the final outcome of DJI’s appeal.
Those distinctions matter because “Chinese military company” is a statutory designation, not a general-purpose factual verdict about every aspect of a company or every product it sells.
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