The world's largest drone manufacturer, the Chinese company DJI, has released an update that disables the system of restricting flight zones, the so-called geofencing system (GEO), replacing it with a flight warning system in the air zone controlled by the FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration). The update affects the DJI Fly and DJI Pilot apps and went into effect on January 13, 2025, Hunterbrook writes.
According to Hunterbrook, the lifting of restrictions on flights over classified, sensitive, and dangerous facilities will increase the cost of deploying anti-drone solutions.
Previously, drone control was turned off when trying to enter the so-called Restricted Zones (No-Fly Zones), but now the operator will receive a warning that he is flying into the so-called FAA Enhanced Warning Zones, and it is his personal responsibility to continue or not.
Interestingly, the DJI update came just a few days after a DJI drone damaged a firefighting plane over California.
According to the description of the update on DJI's website, when the company introduced the GEO restriction system in 2013, consumer drones were a relatively new technology and there were few official rules for their use and no regulations for drone flight. The geofencing system was created by DJI as a voluntary built-in safety feature to help promote responsible flying and prevent DJI drones from accidentally flying in restricted airspace, such as around government buildings, airports, or prisons. Nowadays, it seems that such rules have already been developed for all countries, so there is no need for GEO systems.
The GEO update has been in effect in the UK and several EU countries since January 2024, such as Belgium, Germany, France, Estonia, Finland, and Luxembourg. The rest of the EU countries under EASA's jurisdiction should receive the update this month.
DJI reminds pilots to fly safely and in accordance with all local laws and regulations. To fly in Enhanced Warning Zones, drone operators must obtain permission directly from the FAA and refer to the FAA's No Drone Zone resource for more information.
DJI drones are actively used not only for security activities, but also at the frontline, for smuggling, espionage and other illegal activities. Recently, information has circulated that DJI is limiting sales of drones to Ukraine, while increasing sales in Russia.
According to some estimates, DJI currently controls 90% of the global consumer drone market. Now the company is facing a complete ban on its activities in the United States.