On June 15, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the removal of 'toy drones' and 'toy drones that contain foreign-produced components' from its Covered List. This action follows a National Security Determination by the Department of War (DoW), which concluded that these devices do not pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons.

The determination defines 'toy drones' as uncrewed aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 150 grams, limited to line-of-sight operation within 100 meters, a maximum altitude of 300 feet, no GPS or equivalent navigation, no connectivity or network capability, and no imaging or sensing features. Additional criteria include a flight time of 10 minutes or less, maximum horizontal speed of 10 meters/second, explicit marketing as a toy for recreational use, no modular payload interface, no brushless motors, and not being produced by entities listed in Section 1709 of the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

This update reverses the previous inclusion of all foreign-produced uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and critical components on the Covered List, recognizing that toy drones, due to their technical limitations, do not present the same risks as more advanced UAS. As a result, these devices are no longer subject to the prohibitions and controls applied to high-risk equipment.

The FCC will continue to provide guidance to certification bodies, test labs, and equipment authorization applicants regarding the impact of this change. The determination remains in effect unless superseded by a future national security finding.

This measure is assessed as Medium Impact.

While the removal of toy drones from the Covered List is a final and confirmed regulatory change, its scope is limited to a narrowly defined class of low-risk devices.

Key reasons for Medium Impact:

• The change is final and immediately effective.
• It affects a specific, well-defined category of products (toy drones meeting strict criteria).
• It removes regulatory barriers for importation, certification, and sale of these devices.
• It does not affect higher-risk UAS or broader telecommunications equipment.

Who is affected?

Manufacturers, importers, certification bodies, test labs, and retailers of toy drones and related recreational devices.

Conclusion:

The update provides regulatory relief for the toy drone sector, but does not broadly alter obligations for other UAS or telecom equipment.