19,351 drones carry FAA tail numbers in the United States — the serious ones: over 55 pounds, or flown under a waiver. Chinese makers still account for 9,322 of them versus 9,058 from US makers. But DJI’s share of new crop-sprayer registrations has fallen from 51% in 2025 to 42% year-to-date 2026, after the FCC put DJI on its Covered List on December 22, 2025.
- Register size (Reported): 19,351 FAA tail-numbered drones as of the October 20, 2026 file. These are not DroneZone hobby registrations — they are aircraft-style records for >55 lb craft and waiver/exemption flights.
- Use mix: Agriculture 11,405 (59%); delivery/cargo 4,458 (23%); defense 1,358 (7%); light shows 980; other/inspection the rest.
- China vs US makers: China 9,322 vs United States 9,058 — a near-tie on the stock of the register, with China still ahead.
- DJI slipping on flow: DJI’s share of new crop-sprayer certificates: 51% (2025) → 42% (YTD 2026). Monthly sprayer regs peaked at 252 (Apr 2025) and stood at 49 in partial October 2026.
- Policy catalyst: FCC Covered List added DJI on Dec 22, 2025 — blocks approval of new models; pre-approved stock can still be sold and flown. Register shows slowdown, not a stop.
- 2026 pace: 5,950 certificates YTD already exceed all of 2025 (4,438).
Serious drones, not DroneZone
Most US drones register through the FAA’s DroneZone website, which publishes no public detail. A drone that weighs more than 55 pounds, or that flies under an FAA waiver or exemption, must be registered the way an airplane is: tail number, make and model, owner of record. Crop sprayers, delivery fleets, defense platforms and light-show aircraft land in the same public file as every Cessna. That is the file eFlight Registry recomputes each morning from the FAA Releasable Aircraft Database.
So the 19,351 drones here are not “all the drones in America.” They are the commercial fleets that carry a payload and the companies that operate them. Farming dominates: 11,405 (59%) are agricultural. Delivery and cargo are next at 4,458 (23%) — almost entirely Zipline (3,575) and Amazon Prime Air (821). Defense and long-endurance number 1,358 (7%).
China still leads the stock — barely
By country of maker, Chinese companies account for 9,322 registered drones and US companies 9,058. The stock ranking is clear: DJI 6,986 (nearly all Agras sprayers), Zipline 3,575, Hylio 1,211, EAVision 1,181, XAG 1,022, Amazon Prime Air 821, then US defense names Anduril 428 and Shield AI 421. No Ukrainian or Indian maker appears on the US register today.
Largest fleets by owner: Zipline International Inc 3,029 (California), Amazon.com Services LLC 723 (Washington), Hylio Inc 699 (Texas). California leads by state of owner (4,100), then Texas and Iowa — delivery home-bases lift the coasts; farm states follow on sprayers.
Count by maker (Reported · Oct 20 2026 file)
| # | Maker | Country | Count | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DJI | CN | 6,986 | Ag / Agras |
| 2 | Zipline | US | 3,575 | Delivery |
| 3 | Hylio | US | 1,211 | Ag spray |
| 4 | EAVision | CN | 1,181 | Ag spray |
| 5 | XAG | CN | 1,022 | Ag spray |
| 6 | Amazon Prime Air | US | 821 | Delivery |
| 7 | Anduril Industries | US | 428 | Defense |
| 8 | Shield AI | US | 421 | Defense |
Stock still Chinese. Flow is shifting.
DJI remains the largest maker on the register. The story that matters for buyers and policymakers is the flow. On December 22, 2025 the Federal Communications Commission added DJI to its Covered List, which blocks approval of new DJI models for the US market. Models approved before that date can still be sold from stock and flown — so the register shows a slowdown, not a cliff.
DJI’s monthly crop-sprayer registrations peaked at 252 in April 2025 and stood at 49 in partial October 2026 (through the 20th). Its share of all crop-sprayer registrations went from 51% in 2025 to 42% so far in 2026. Hylio of Richmond, Texas, XAG, EAVision and a widening field of small American builders take the rest. Whether the gap closes is the story to watch — the page rewrites every morning, so the current month is always partial.
Meanwhile the overall market is accelerating: 5,950 registration certificates have already been issued in 2026 YTD, more than the whole of 2025 (4,438). America’s serious-drone fleet is growing; the nationality of who builds the next sprayer is the contested bit.
Four signals after the Covered List
- A full calendar month where non-DJI makers clearly out-register DJI on new crop sprayers — not a partial October.
- US ag OEMs (Hylio and peers) sustaining double-digit monthly certificates without a one-off fleet dump.
- Evidence that FCC Covered List + any further trade measures convert into grounded fleets, not just slowed new-model approvals.
- Delivery (Zipline / Amazon) or defense (Anduril / Shield AI) overtaking ag as the register’s growth engine — shifting the China-vs-US story from sprayers to other missions.
Sources
- eFlight Registry — “The state of the U.S. drone market” (computed from FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Releasable Aircraft Database, file of October 20, 2026): eflight.com/drone-market
- FAA — Releasable Aircraft Database (primary government file; eFlight recomputes daily)
- FCC Covered List — DJI added December 22, 2025 (blocks new-model approval; pre-approved stock still sellable)
- Ressy lead: research/2026-10-21.md story #2 (Updated numbers here use Oct 20 file: 19,351 / China 9,322 / US 9,058 / DJI 6,986)
All register counts are Reported (third-party compilation of a primary FAA file). Paragraphs marked “our read” are analysis. behindrobotics received no payment or products from any company named.
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