The U.S. Interior Department Signs No-Fly Order, Grounding All of Its Chinese-Made Drones

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) just signed a no-fly order to officially ground all of its drones—around 800 or so—due to cybersecurity concerns with drones manufactured in China or made from Chinese parts. The only drones to escape the nationwide grounding were a handful of emergency drones busy battling wildfires. The grounding comes months after a DOI announcement in October stating that all drones in its fleet that were made in China, or made from Chinese parts, would soon be grounded. The DOI is now formalizing that initial cessation. It's unclear exactly how many drones have Chinese origins, but Interior Secretary David Bernhardt says the DOI should be "very able" to complete drone-assisted missions "without sacrifice," according to The Wall Street Journal.