DJI, the world's top seller of drones for consumers, has snagged a pair of wins in its effort to court businesses.
SZ DJI Technology Co. said its latest industrial gadget — the Mavic 2 Enterprise — will soon survey power grids for U.S. utility Southern Co., while American Airlines Group Inc. will test the craft for plane inspections. Those are important alliances for the Chinese company, which is grappling with a U.S. government shut-out, a potentially damaging patent lawsuit and rising American tariffs. Privacy is a particularly thorny issue for DJI — one of the few Chinese technology giants that's made major strides abroad.
Escalating U.S. tensions are fueling concerns about the dominance of a Chinese company in unmanned flying craft. The U.S. immigration department has singled it out, and the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration warned this month that drone-makers may be accessing sensitive footage of electrical grids and critical infrastructure. The U.S. Army has slapped a temporary ban on DJI and other drone manufacturers.
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