30-7-2020 De VS heeft aangekondigd het Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) voortaan anders te interpreteren, zodat meer bewapende drones er buiten vallen. Dit eenzijdige besluit volgt na mislukte pogingen van de VS om de andere verdragslanden mee te krijgen in een verdragsaanpassing.
Uit de verklaring van het Witte Huis:
The President has decided to invoke our national discretion to treat a carefully selected subset of MTCR Category I Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which cannot travel faster than 800 kilometres per hour, as Category II. As such, the United States has determined that it will overcome the MTCR's strong presumption of denial for this UAS subset. This action ... will increase our national security by improving the capabilities of our partners and increase our economic security by opening the expanding UAS market to United States industry.
Bron: WRI