Shares in drone manufacturers soar following Trump’s new tariffs
Unusual Machines, a manufacturer of drones and drone components which appointed the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., to its advisory board in November 2024, is up 26.63 per cent
Shares in US drone manufacturers soared on Wall Street on 14 August after President Trump imposed tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imported drones and related components, in a move which the White House said was aimed at “safeguarding national and economic security”.
The directive imposes a 100 per cent tariff on large drones equipped with ‘sensitive’ military capabilities, such as thermal imaging, whilst smaller drones without such capabilities are subject to a 25 per cent tariff.
EU, Japanese, Swiss, South Korean and Taiwanese producers will be subject to a 15 per cent tariff, whilst British producers will face a 10 per cent tariff. The tariffs will come into force within 21 days.
For drones and components that are not “particularly sensitive”, the tariffs will come into effect in 180 days.
The decree also allows the Department of Commerce to launch an ‘onshoring’ programme to help companies wishing to invest in drone manufacturing in the United States.
