Two lawmakers have expressed concerns about the U.S.-based drone company Anzu Robotics due to its connections with DJI, a Chinese military drone firm supported by Beijing. Representatives John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who serve as chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), wrote a letter to Anzu Robotics CEO Randall Warnas, which was made public on August 27.
According to the lawmakers’ letter, security researchers have confirmed that Anzu’s Raptor T drone is essentially a DJI Mavic 3 painted green, with its remote control and application running on DJI technology. This revelation raises concerns about potential security risks associated with Anzu’s ties to DJI.
The U.S. government has already identified DJI as a security risk due to its connection with the CCP. The Department of Defense stated in July 2021 that DJI systems pose potential threats to national security and designated it as a Chinese military company. Additionally, both the Treasury and Commerce departments have sanctioned DJI for its involvement in advancing the CCP’s persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Despite these designations, Anzu did not disclose its relationship with DJI in filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), even though it was discovered that Anzu drones include parts from DJI. After security researchers publicized their findings regarding the similarities between Anzu and DJI drones, both companies acknowledged their partnership.
The lawmakers’ letter includes diagrams and photographs illustrating these similarities between Anzu and DJI drones. In response to these accusations, Warnas stated that there are misunderstandings about how Anzu Robotics operates but did not provide specific details refuting the claims made by lawmakers.
The lawmakers requested that Warnas disclose the terms of Anzu’s partnership with DJI since publicly available evidence suggests that this partnership may be an attempt to obscure CCP-backed technology entering the United States. They also questioned why no royalties are paid through this licensing agreement despite using licensed technology from DJI.
Furthermore, according to screenshots provided by lawmakers from an Anzu presentation, it appears that even software not directly sourced from DJI is based on their technology. This reliance on DJIs software leaves Anzu products vulnerable to supply chain attacks originating from China.
In addition to investigating Anzu Robotics’ ties with Djii ,the committee has also raised concerns about Cogito Tech Company for reselling drones under a different name while utilizing Djii technology.The committee sent another letter dated August 20th asking Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo investigate both companies for their connections with Djiiand CCP