FCC Comment Deadline for the Anzu Raptor Import Ban (September 23, 2026)

I'm Tom Dowell. I fly commercially out of Springdale, Arkansas, for Drones Inbound, and I have held a Part 107 certificate for eight years. This is a law explainer, not legal advice. On August 24, 2026, the Federal Register published FR Doc. 2026-17193, 91 FR 54713. The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Office of Engineering and Technology seek comment on a proposal to prohibit continued importation and marketing of certain previously authorized Anzu equipment. Comments are due on or before September 23, 2026. The proceeding is PS Docket No. 26-184 (DA 26-832). Broader Covered List context on this site is at DroneLaws.us /fcc-alert. Other federal material is at DroneLaws.us /federal.

This is a different proceeding from the military-grade import docket. That how-to is How to File an FCC 26-189 Comment (comments due September 2, 2026).

What the August 24 notice actually proposes

The Federal Register notice is a summary of Public Notice DA 26-832, released August 10, 2026. The full text is posted at DA-26-832A1. PSHSB and OET propose, under 47 CFR § 2.939(e), to prohibit the continued importation and marketing of certain previously authorized covered equipment. They tentatively conclude that the equipment is covered equipment.

The proposal is device-specific. The notice states that the prohibitions would apply to communications and video surveillance equipment listed in section 1709 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, produced by Anzu, including FCC IDs 2BBYS-RAPTOR and 2BBYS-RRC01. The notice then says: "This proposed prohibition would not apply to any other already-authorized covered equipment."

Read that twice. This docket is not a ban on every previously authorized foreign-produced UAS. It is not a second copy of the capability-based "military-grade" proposal in PS Docket No. 26-189. It names two FCC identifiers.

How those IDs got onto this page

The notice walks the Covered List history. In October 2025 the Commission adopted the EA Security Second R&O (90 FR 53227), which created a procedure to limit the scope of an existing authorization of covered equipment so that continued importation or marketing can be prohibited without revoking the underlying authorization. The Commission directed PSHSB and OET to institute proceedings on some or all equipment then on the Covered List.

On December 22, 2025, PSHSB added to the FCC Covered List all UAS and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country, and all communications and video surveillance equipment and services listed in section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA. Those additions rested on a National Security Determination from an Executive Branch interagency body that such equipment and services pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of United States persons.

The Anzu-specific facts in 91 FR 54713 are these. On May 8, 2026, the Enforcement Bureau opened an investigation and issued a Letter of Inquiry to Anzu, described as a United States-based UAS company, based on publicly available information that Anzu was producing devices listed in section 1709. On July 9, 2026, Anzu responded in a confidential filing. The Bureaus state that public sources suggest Anzu devices are produced by an entity with a technology sharing or licensing agreement with an entity named in section 1709 and are therefore considered covered equipment, and that Anzu's UAS and UAS controllers would also be covered equipment because they are produced in Malaysia, a foreign country.

Those are the Bureaus' tentative conclusions. The notice invites specific evidence in response. It is not a final determination, and it is not a finding that every Anzu product not listed by FCC ID is already prohibited.

What would not happen if the proposal is adopted

The notice is careful on existing owners. The proposed prohibition "would not affect the continued use or operation of already-purchased equipment." In the "Existing authorizations" paragraph, the Bureaus clarify that if the prohibition is adopted, continued use of the previously authorized foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components, and of the section 1709 communications and video surveillance equipment addressed in the Public Notice, would remain authorized.

The proposal also would not apply to importation or marketing for the purpose of use by the federal government, or for commercial testing and product development.

A Raptor already in a hangar is not grounded by this comment notice. The authorization is not being revoked. The question on the table is future importation and marketing of the referenced devices.

The 30-day clock has not started

The notice proposes that Anzu must cease all importation and marketing activities within 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. That sentence is a proposed implementation timeline for a later adopted prohibition. The comment notice published on August 24, 2026. The 30-day cease period does not run from August 24. It would run from Federal Register publication of an adopted prohibition, if the Bureaus adopt one.

The Bureaus ask for implementation comments on inventory already imported, units en route, and devices under existing sales agreements. Do not write "the Anzu ban started in August." The August 24 document is a request for comments.

What the Bureaus want on the record

The notice groups the questions the way the EA Security Second R&O framed them. On national security, the Bureaus tentatively accept the December 2025 interagency determination of unacceptable risk and tentatively conclude that stopping continued importation and marketing of the referenced devices is necessary to protect national security. On economics, they tentatively conclude impacts would not be substantial, "especially given that the devices subject to the proposed limitation appear to comprise a very small share of the market," and they state that Anzu does not appear in major industry market analyses. They ask for data on replacements, Conditional Approval, and cost. On the public interest, they tentatively conclude national-security benefits outweigh countervailing factors.

If you own, sell, or rely on one of the two FCC IDs, this is the record for counts, replacement cost, and whether a listed alternative exists. Staff asked for evidence. Form letters are not evidence.

Deadline and how to file

Comments are due on or before September 23, 2026. File in the FCC Electronic Comment Filing System, identified by PS Docket No. 26-184, under 47 CFR §§ 1.415 and 1.419. Most individual pilots can use the Express Comment form. Type 26-184, then click that proceeding in the dropdown so the field registers. Name, address, and a comment in your own words. Filings are public. Paper filing addresses are in 91 FR 54713. The step-by-step ECFS walkthrough already on this site is How to File an FCC 26-189 Comment; use that sequence, and put 26-184 in the proceeding box instead of 26-189.

Questions listed in the Federal Register notice: Matthew Chai, Attorney Advisor, Operations and Emergency Management Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, (202) 418-1112.

Primary sources

• Federal Register, 91 FR 54713 (August 24, 2026; FR Doc. 2026-17193)
• Public Notice DA 26-832 (released August 10, 2026; PS Docket No. 26-184)
• ECFS (search proceeding 26-184), Express Comment form, Standard Filing form
• FCC Covered List
• 47 CFR § 2.939(e)
• DroneLaws.us /fcc-alert

DroneLaws.us takes no position for or against this proposal. This is general information about a pending federal proceeding, not legal advice. We are not affiliated with the FCC or the FAA. Verify the Federal Register notice before you file, and consult a qualified attorney about your specific situation.

Deadline: September 23, 2026. If you are going to file in PS Docket No. 26-184, file before that date.