T-Motor Sanctions: AUVSI’s Analysis and Recommendations
February 12, 2025
The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently announced sanctions against Jiangzi Xintuo Enterprise Co. Ltd, operating as T-Motor, a major global supplier of rotor components used in UAS platforms.
The development follows the Department of Commerce’s 2024 decision to place T-Motor on the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List due to the company’s involvement in supporting foreign military capabilities.
Recent actions by the U.S. Federal Government reflect growing concerns about supply chain security and U.S. national security objectives. T-Motor’s listing on the OFAC sanctions list restricts its operations and limits its access to U.S. markets and technologies.
Motors are not currently covered under National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) restrictions, but U.S. companies should know that non-defense government actions, including the OFAC sanctions and Commerce Department Entity List, introduce significant compliance risks for continued reliance on these components, and will severely limit if not completely restrict access.
Industry leaders have been working to identify and transition to alternative suppliers, though challenges remain in terms of availability, cost, and performance. AUVSI continues to monitor developments closely and encourages members to assess their supply chain exposure and consider alternative sourcing strategies where possible.
Furthermore, we are in active conversations with elements of the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and Capitol Hill on potential lines of effort to provide direct financial assistance to U.S. companies to build, expand, or modernize production facilities.
These efforts could include invoking the Defense Production Act to support domestic supply chains critical technologies that are presently challenging to source outside the PRC. We will provide updates as we make progress on this effort.
We remain committed to supporting our members through these evolving regulatory landscapes and will provide updates as more information becomes available. For members with specific concerns or in need of guidance on compliance and alternative sourcing, AUVSI is available as a resource.
