Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. First, DJI takes the Department of Defense to court over its “Chinese Military Company” label. Second, the popular DJI Mini 4 Pro gets a huge update enabling third-party app support. And third, drones play a crucial role in rescuing two lost teenagers in Colorado.
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First up this week, DJI is pushing back legally against the U.S. Department of Defense. On March 14th, DJI filed a motion in federal court challenging the DoD’s designation of the company as a “Chinese Military Company,” or CMC. This label comes under Section 1260H of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which targets companies supposedly linked to China’s military. DJI argues this designation, first applied in October 2022 and reaffirmed this past January that it is arbitrary, lacks substantial evidence, and harms its business significantly. The company points to terminated contracts and state-level restrictions in places like Florida and Arkansas that limit or ban the use of their drones by public agencies. DJI is asking the court to declare the DoD’s actions unlawful and remove them from the CMC list. They claim the DoD ignored a detailed delisting petition submitted last July and failed to provide public justification for the listing as required by recent amendments. DJI contests the DoD’s claims about state ownership, stating that its founder and early investors hold the vast majority of stock and voting rights, with state-owned entities having minimal shares. They also dispute the idea that having a National Enterprise Technology Center status links them to the military, noting companies like Volkswagen also hold this civilian-focused status.
Next up, there’s some exciting news for DJI Mini 4 Pro owners. DJI has released a major update to its Mobile SDK, that’s the Software Development Kit, specifically version 5. This update now includes support for the Mini 4 Pro, which is a pretty big deal. What this means is that third-party developers can now create apps that work directly with your Mini 4 Pro. We’re talking about popular apps like Litchi, DroneDeploy, and Drone Harmony potentially offering features like advanced flight automation, custom waypoint missions, and better mapping capabilities. This really unlocks some pro-level functionality for a drone that weighs under 250 grams. Now, there’s one important catch you need to know. To use these third-party apps via the MSDK, you *must* be using the DJI RC-N2 controller – that’s the one that uses your smartphone as the screen. Unfortunately, the DJI RC 2 controller, the one with the built-in screen, doesn’t have MSDK support enabled for the Mini 4 Pro at this time. DJI hasn’t said if or when that might change. This update also added MSDK support for the professional Matrice 4D cinematography drone and the Matrice 4TD industrial drone.
Next up this week, a great story showing drones in action saving lives. Two teenagers got lost while hiking near Carpenter Peak in Colorado’s Roxborough State Park last Saturday evening. They did the right thing: they called 911 and stayed put. Douglas County Search and Rescue, along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, responded around 8:30 p.m. As ground crews started hiking in, the DCSAR drone team lead, Darren Keralla, launched a drone. Despite windy conditions, the drone quickly located the teens, who were flashing a light while sheltering under trees. Using the drone’s GPS data (lat/long), rescuers could pinpoint their exact location, streamlining the effort. It’s another fantastic example of how drones are becoming invaluable tools for search and rescue operations.
https://kdvr.com/news/local/2-lost-teenagers-rescued-with-drone-aid-at-roxborough-state-park/
DJI Mini 4 Pro drone gains MSDK support for automated, custom flights
https://dronexl.co/2025/03/21/dji-court-chinese-military-company-label/
