Our Supply Chain
Policy
AITAS Labs builds unmanned system electronics to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains and foreign licensing decisions.
From November 18, 2026, China requires export licenses for specified drone autopilots, high-power propulsion electronics, and navigation technology.
A license is not a ban, but it puts a foreign decision inside your production schedule.
We are building an alternative that does not depend on that decision.
Why China's new controls matter
China's Announcement No. 49 requires export licenses across 13 drone-related entries. Six cover hardware. Seven cover software or technology.
| Entry | Controlled item | Effect on buyers |
|---|---|---|
| 7A103.b | Autopilots specially designed for UAVs | Autopilot supply can depend on a license |
| 9A901.b | ESCs rated at ≥48 V and ≥3 kW, designed for controlled motors | Heavy-lift programs need to check motor and ESC pairings |
| 9A012.e | Radios designed for controlled drones, at ≥30 dBm EIRP or controlling more than 10 aircraft from one station | Long-range link supply can depend on a license |
| 9D901, 9E901 | Software and technology for controlled drones, including flight control, swarming, autonomous navigation, sense-and-avoid, and system design | Access to know-how can become a licensing issue |
| 7E103, 9E902 | Technology tied to controlled autopilots, propulsion, and radios | Design and production support can fall under the same controls |
7A103.b
- Controlled item
- Autopilots specially designed for UAVs
- Effect on buyers
- Autopilot supply can depend on a license
9A901.b
- Controlled item
- ESCs rated at ≥48 V and ≥3 kW, designed for controlled motors
- Effect on buyers
- Heavy-lift programs need to check motor and ESC pairings
9A012.e
- Controlled item
- Radios designed for controlled drones, at ≥30 dBm EIRP or controlling more than 10 aircraft from one station
- Effect on buyers
- Long-range link supply can depend on a license
9D901, 9E901
- Controlled item
- Software and technology for controlled drones, including flight control, swarming, autonomous navigation, sense-and-avoid, and system design
- Effect on buyers
- Access to know-how can become a licensing issue
7E103, 9E902
- Controlled item
- Technology tied to controlled autopilots, propulsion, and radios
- Effect on buyers
- Design and production support can fall under the same controls
This is not an embargo, but China has been known to use trade policy to its own advantage. The risk is uncertainty. Products near the control thresholds must be declared to customs. If customs doubts the declaration, the goods do not clear. The published review time for a customs query can reach 37 working days. Exports of listed items to the United States already face case-by-case review.
For product teams, this reaches beyond delivery dates. A design built around a Chinese autopilot, ESC, firmware stack, or engineering partner can inherit those limits. That can slow changes, new variants, and production ramp-up.
How we respond
We are designing, sourcing, and testing our products around EU, NATO, and allied components. Our goal is to keep your roadmap from depending on a Chinese export decision.
European and US requirements
The EU Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security calls for risk assessments to avoid high-risk suppliers and an EU trusted drone label. Our per-lot origin records are designed to support that kind of review.
In the United States, Section 848 of the FY2020 NDAA restricts Department of Defense use of drones with flight controllers, radios, data transmission devices, cameras, or gimbals from covered countries. NDAA compliance is a manufacturer declaration, not a government certificate. We design our products to meet it and will back our declaration with origin records.
We also design our products to meet the SAFE requirement that at least 65% of component cost come from the EU or EEA.