Keep It Classy DJI

For a moment, let us put aside the geopolitical realities like President Biden's China is 'testing us.' And sailing into the sunset, predictions like Admiral Lisa Franchetti's of war with China in 2027 suggest it is time for some introspection and contemplation.

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Some undeniable points we must get past first –

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1.??????? The notion that the #1 Happy Good Luck Quadcopter Company (#1HGLQC) with Communist Chinese Party (CCP) investment and connections to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) should be excused and cheered on for lobbying the US Congress on defense and homeland security issues is as about as an obtuse notion as one could have. You could only top that by suing the DoD using some CCP investment money. If you endorse this strategy, you only discredit yourself.

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2.??????? The idea that registered representatives of a company with funding from the CCP helped the FAA promulgate rules and policy for the US NAS without public oversight and memorialization of the proceedings is also absurd. That same company coincidentally has 70% to 80% of the market locked up tight. Maybe it is just coincidental?

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3.??????? AeroScope and the C-UAS shell game. Let's not pretend that RID wasn't a CCP-funded solution for the 70% to 80% problem they have locked up tight. AeroScope and calling the local sheriff/LE is a poor homeland security and counter-terrorism plan. Stay out of crowded venues, as the billionaire sports leagues don't want to pay for your security. If you live near critical infrastructure, you may want to contemplate moving. There is no bulletproof system(s), and the whistling past the graveyard routine gets more inane by the day.

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How do we mitigate the domestic drone problem?

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For the record, I am not in favor of a blanket Chinese drone ban. Many people out there use these drones to augment existing businesses, such as fence estimates, volumetrics, roofing contractors, real estate salespeople, etc. True, many operate unsafely and/or illegally, but the anecdotal evidence would suggest that the FAA went overboard with the 2007 drone ban without data.

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Solutions –

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The West must figure out a way to get along and give unto Xi what is Xi's while still fostering a domestic ecosystem and a viable commercial end-user base.

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1.??????? I am not sure that AUVSI should hard ban the Chinese. They need to figure out a way to incorporate them into the tradeshow (SHOW me the money) revenue machine without the hard ban before someone falls off the turnip truck from Dusseldorf.

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Chinese vendors at recent drone shows couldn't believe the Paharia treatment they got after paying handsomely for their booths. Parse out a China pavilion or section as they do at the airshows. This could be cultivated and expanded with some of the other countries producing UxS.

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2.??????? As a bonus idea, get a guy like former CEO Toscano to lure the legacy vendors back into the fold. Have an Expo-exclusive area (with carpet) and events for them to meet and reminisce about the good old cost-plus GWOT days—golf retreat or a nice VIP Zone that doesn't look like a rat maze. You won't put the wind back in the executive sails with four-buck Chuck and dwarf cannolis!?

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3.??????? FAA must be pressured (take budget money away) as shame and national security angles don't appear to work for doing the NAS integration job Congress mandated way back in 2012. The safety of the NAS thing (737 max) is a ruse to play off on the drone show rubes, institutional lobbyists, and DC grifters. USA companies should get front-of-the-line concierge white glove service for the arbitrary and capricious waiver and exemption process. Just like those VC-bankrolled companies paying a cut-and-paste lobbyist, it's just way cheaper.

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Think of it as the thumb on the scaling everyone says we need. Anyone who believes they are going through the front door without the assistance of a consultant, be it a former FAA employee or extrajudicial killing machine advocate, is dreaming. If you don't believe me, just ask the US Air Force.

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4.??????? Open source, not so much. I'm not saying it is totally useless, but most of the folks employing it are just perpetuating the problem while swimming in #1HGLQC's wake. Proprietary code takes talent and costs money; just ask the New China Life Insurance Company.?

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5.??????? On a funny side note, some of the same people who like to deny the Chinese are spying and cheerleading for the CCP consult on Blue UAS strategies. Blue (and green) certification is a snapshot in time that is expensive, stifles innovation, and is security window dressing. Consultants are only adding a gilded brake on the wheel.

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6.??????? DoD, throw dual-use notion to the wind. No, you don't push the wind away; the wind comes at you, as the FAA will likely still be horsing around with Part 108 when the shooting war kicks off with China. We will need new capabilities and lots of capacity to defeat our adversaries. A million dollars is peanuts in today's America. You can sign a lease for a spot for five years, tool up, pay the university for playing, and you're done. People call it the Valley of Death, but it resembles a bridge to nowhere.

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7.??????? Start investing now or pay later. Short of investing a billion dollars in a few select companies, you will need to get outside of the innovation hubs and music festivals. Someone needs to start funding demos and test days, as it costs tens of thousands of dollars to take the snake oil show on the road. I know you guys don't make the rules, but waivers will be needed to increase funding to cover these and other costs.

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8.??????? #1HGLQC (aka DJI) needs a corporate responsibility makeover. The amateurs they hired make used car salespeople look and sound credible. #1HGLQC credibility is only excused for and bolstered by people frightened about irrelevance. Imagine having to delete the title of The Ethan Hunt of Drones from your LinkedIn profile.

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a.??????? Clear what is left of your good name. Hire a credible independent arm's length third-party investigator and settle the data collection issue once and for all. Or, just fess up and jettison the 有用的白痴 while you can still save a little face.

b.??????? Come clean about the laws and attachments to the PLA, CCP, and the funding.

c.??????? Quit with the low-grade propaganda and the cheerleaders, as it is making folks in the drone business look even more foolish.

d.??????? Bonus slam dunk. Verify your supply chain has an even higher cruelty-free rating than Apple.?

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Solutions are everywhere you look. We hit cycles in the drone ecosystem, and we have two brewing that are currently converging. Grassroots opportunities are availing themselves, and if we as a community take control away from the people profiting from the dysfunction, we could very well facilitate a viable dual-use hardware ecosystem. Or, we could just laud the consultant "experts" and "advocates" and buy tickets to their respective drone shows forever.