The US Army has ordered its members to stop using drones made by Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co because of “cyber vulnerabilities” in the products.
An August 2 army memo posted online applies to all DJI drones and systems that use DJI components or software. It requires service members to “cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media and secure equipment for follow-on direction”.
The memo says DJI drones are the most widely used by the army among off-the-shelf equipment of that type.
DJI said in a statement that it was “surprised and disappointed” at the army’s “unprompted restriction on DJI drones as we were not consulted during their decision.”
The privately held company said it would contact the army to determine what it means by “cyber vulnerabilities” and was willing to work with the Pentagon to address concerns.