China conquered us with its cheap drones. Now the price of its pieces is shooting for a reason that is not accidental

The Chinese market has been the most attractive option to buy drones for years, both for price and variety. From Ultraeconomic models of 30 euros even professional drones such as DJI MAVIC 4 PROfor more than 2,000 euros. The fan is really wide.

Now, that successful formula begins to face a new context. Such as collect Financial Timesthe prices of the components from China are rising, in some cases duplicating. Let’s analyze the reasons and scope of this phenomenon.

The scenario has changed. More and more suppliers operating in China are raising their prices for international clients. They do, according to the aforementioned British newspaper, in response to the reinforcement of the export controls that Beijing is applying on “sensitive components.”

The aforementioned changes occur in a global context where the United States and China are immersed in a commercial war marked by ups and downs. Although in recent months Some offensives have softeneduncertainty still persists how the next steps will be.

Key components in the spotlight. Among the elements most affected by these restrictions are Thermographic cameras. These cameras allow to detect temperature differences and generate images in low visibility conditions, such as night, fog or smoke.

They are used both in civil applications (such as rescue work or industrial inspection), but also in military environments. This last use could be behind the increase in controls and increase in exports, since these cameras allow surveillance tasks in adverse conditions.

A strategy that reminds the US. Although the hardening of controls from Beijing may seem a sudden response, it is not an isolated or new movement in the global context. USA It has been restricted for years China’s access to certain products for “national security.”

Here we find The well -known case of Huawei. In 2019, Donald Trump’s administration imposed a prohibition that forced US companies to request licenses to offer some technology to the Asian manufacturer, a measure that would be maintained during Joe Biden’s mandate.

Drones in front of war. One of the reasons behind Chinese controls is precisely the military use of these devices. Certainly, in recent years we have seen how consumer drones have become an essential part of the military arsenal in conflicts such as Russia and Ukraine.

The Ukrainian attack with Hundreds of drone drones on Russian basesor the massive production of low -cost explosive drones, they have made it clear that there is no border between the civil and the military. Possibly this also explains why China wants to control who sells what.

Europe and the US try to react. Both Europe and the United States are reacting to Chinese domain. In the American case, associations like Auvsi They have claimed Fiscal incentives and loans to facilitate the transition to local drones, especially in security forces and public services.

There have also been more forceful movements, such as the decision of the United States Department of Defense to include DJI in its list of “Chinese military companies.” This classification led to the manufacturer To start a legal battle with the aim of revoking said label.

In the European case, the answer is taking shape through initiatives such as the program Eurodronea joint development between France, Germany, Spain and Italy that seeks to reduce the dependence of non -European manufacturers. There are also other programs, such as European Defense Fund.

And what does this affect us? For now, what seems clear is that access to pieces from China is no longer as easy or as cheap as before. Restrictions and controls are making key components more expensive, something that some buyers already notice throughout the planet.

We will have to wait to see if this trend ends also affecting the price of the drones that we use on a day -to -day basis (those we buy online or in stores), but everything indicates that the market, as we knew it, is starting to change.

Images | DJI | J. Weisner | ABODI VESAKARAN | Guillaume Issaly

In Xataka | Huawei was the first great victim of the commercial war initiated by the US. Today is at the head of mobiles