National Defense Authorization Act passed without an amendment effectively banning the China-made drones, but left a door open for a prohibition in 12 months.

DJI and Autel Robotics have one year to convince skeptical national security agencies that their equipment doesn't pose a threat to the U.S.

The economic and technological rivalry between the U.S. and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player in America.

But DJI isn’t out of the woods yet. The NDAA has started a one-year countdown, during which DJI has to prove that its products are not a national security risk to the United States. If it can’t, all of its devices will be automatically banned in the US, as will those of rival firm Autel Robotics.

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It was the role of drones in everyday life that drove Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to get Congress to restrict the purchase of Chinese drones by federal agencies. Those restrictions were included in a bill that Democratic President Joe Biden signed last year.