Overview

• The State Department will now evaluate foreign military sales of large drones as it does manned fighter aircraft rather than as missile systems.
• The shift effectively sidesteps prior Missile Technology Control Regime constraints and immediately clears a path for a reported Saudi request for more than 100 MQ-9 Reapers.
• The move opens access for partners such as the United Arab Emirates and Eastern European countries and positions U.S. makers including General Atomics, Kratos, and Anduril for expanded sales.
• All transfers will undergo case-by-case review under the U.S. Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, with the MTCR still described as a core element of nonproliferation policy.
• The policy update accompanies broader efforts to integrate and counter drones, including the Pentagon’s new Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and NATO’s response to recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace.