LEAD Act of 2025
The LEAD Act of 2025 would create a new category called “covered unmanned aircraft systems and items” and change how certain drones and related components are regulated for U.S. arms exports. It would treat these covered UAS as if they were manned aircraft for purposes of export controls under the Arms Export Control Act and align them to be separate from MTCR-related missile technology and launch vehicles. At the same time, the President would be required to implement corresponding changes in the international regulations (ITAR and MTCR-related rules) within 180 days of enactment, designating covered UAS as subject to the same controls as manned aircraft under ITAR but with a distinct, UAS-specific export framework, and separately handling them from missile technology under MTCR. The bill defines covered UAS as those ITAR-controlled, listed in the MTCR Annex, and designed to be reusable. In short, the bill seeks to harmonize UAS export controls with manned aircraft, while creating a distinct regime apart from MTCR missile controls.
Key Points
- 1Creation of a defined category: “covered unmanned aircraft systems and items,” which are treated as manned aircraft for defense article transfers and are not considered part of launch vehicles or missile technology under MTCR.
- 2Explicit policy statement: the U.S. should treat covered UAS as manned aircraft for MTCR purposes.
- 3ITAR amendments (within 180 days): covered UAS would be subject to the same export control provisions as manned aircraft under ITAR Part 121, but would be distinct from launch vehicles and missile tech, with criteria tailored to UAS technology and operation.
- 4MTCR amendments (within 180 days): covered UAS would be treated separately from missile technology and MTCR co-production/development processes, and would be treated as manned aircraft not subject to MTCR restrictions.
- 5Definitions and cross-references: the bill ties the definition of covered UAS to ITAR-controlled items listed in the MTCR Annex and relies on existing MTCR and missile regime terms for clarity.