The US is preparing to change the guidelines for international drones sales, bypassing restrictions on the MTCR Treaty, aiming to boost their industry and gain market share from competitors such as China and Turkeya move that can pave the way for large agreements, causing concerns about possible escalation of violence in fragile areas.

US President Donald Trump is expected to proceed In a unilateral review of a Treaty to control equipment 38 years old in order to allow the sale of sophisticated military drones type ‘Reaper’ and other advanced systems abroad, according to an US official and four other sources with the knowledge of the plan.

Treaty review will pave the way for selling over 100 Drones MQ-9 Reaper in Saudi Arabiawhich Riyadh demanded in the spring, and may be part of the $ 142 billion equipment agreement announced in May.

Interest in acquiring drones have also expressed US allies in the Pacific and Europe.

Characterizing drones as aircraft such as F-16 and not as missile systems, The United States will bypass Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) of the 35 countries signed in 1987, paving the way for sales to countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Eastern European states that have been difficult to acquire to acquire the leading unmanned aircraft in America to date.

The new policy will allow General Atomics, Kratos and Anduril companies, which are manufacturing large drones, to integrate their products in the framework of Foreign Military Sales of the State Department, thus facilitating the sales internationally, according to Reuters cited by US officials.

This effort is the first stage of a planned “large” review of the American program Foreign Military Sales, said the US official.

According to the current interpretation of the MTCR Agreement, the sale of many military drones is “strictly banned”, unless there is an urgent security ratio and the buyer is committed to using them strictly in accordance with international law.

The MTCR deal initially aimed to limit the sale of large range rockets who can carry weapons of mass destruction. Although the drones were later invented, they were thought to fall into the field of agreement because of their ability to fly long distances and to bear weapons.

US manufacturers of drones face fierce competition from abroad, especially from Israel, China and Turkey, who often sell with more relaxed restrictions. China and Israel have not signed the MTCR Treaty and have won purchases in the Middle Eastwhile Turkey, which joined 1997, has managed to highlight the Bayraktar-TB2 drones against the Russian forces in Ukraine, as they are less range and weight and fall under a different regime than heavier drones such as Reaper.

Russia is using both domestic and Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, while the United States has not sold or donated large drones to Kiev, fearing that advanced technologies could fall into enemy hands.

Global competition is particularly intense, as military drones and those based on commercial technology are now considered an integral part of the modern battlefield.

The US official who spoke anonymously stressed that the new guidelines will allow the US “to become the leading supplier drones, instead of leaving the space in Turkey and China”.

There has not yet been an exact date for the presentation of the new drones sales guidelines. The reform of the Foreign Military Sales program was expected later this year and, according to sources, the government is already working on its “road map”.

Changing time benefits large, advanced drones with jet enginedeveloping a new generation of systems capable of flying next to manned fighter aircraft as wingmen, a very promising new market.

Drone reaper

All sales of drones will continue to fall under the process of the Foreign Military Sales of the US government, which examines the dynamics of each region, the history of human rights of customers and their ability to preserve the safety of a weapon system.

One of the first major agreements expected after the review is likely to concern Saudi Arabia. President Joe Biden had adopted a stricter attitude to gun sales in Riyadh in 2021citing the use of US military equipment in the campaign against Houthi in Yemen, which caused heavy losses of civilians.

However, relations between Riyadh and Washington have improved since then, as the US has been working closely with Saudi Arabia after Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023.

The White House is expected to present the move as part of US President Donald Trump’s wider initiative to create jobs and reduce the US trade deficit. However, human rights advocates and equipment control warn that the decision poses risks to escalating violence and instability in areas such as the Middle East and South Asia.