# Alaska Bought American. The Tariff Found a Seam. > "Search and rescue" appears once in Proclamation 11055, at the end of a list of federal drone uses. The document never says Alaska. Published 2026-08-20 by Alaska AI. 9 slides. Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-08-20/ ## The story Alaska bought American. The tariff found another door. The duty is charged at the border, not at the factory. Proclamation 11055 sets 100 percent on imported drones over 25 kilograms, on imported drones with thermal imagers, and on imported docking stations. It attaches to goods entered for consumption from 12:01 a.m. eastern, September 3rd. What the border charges, by shape. August 11th to 13th, on Baranof Island. A thermal drone team joined the search near Port Armstrong for a missing hiker, per KCAW. The proclamation was signed on the 13th. The word Alaska is not in it. The proclamation names search and rescue once, in a list of what federal agencies use drones for. Alaska, rural, public safety and firefighting don't appear at all. Alaska DOT and PF's Ryan Marlow calls the technology "crucial aerial support for search and rescue". The seam is inside the airframe. Skydio says the X10 is designed, assembled and supported in the U.S. through "trusted manufacturing partners". That is a maker's statement, not a customs ruling. A second tranche puts 25 percent on imported components from February 9th, 2027. Two things about this box aren't public. No source says where the docking station is assembled. No public number says how many imported drones Alaska agencies fly. The grant bought drones, docking stations and Starlink for communities off the road system. Four rates, two effective dates. ## What we verified - Proclamation 11055 is titled "Adjusting Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components Into the United States". [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The proclamation was signed on August 13th, 2026. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The proclamation was published in the Federal Register on August 19th, 2026 at citation 91 FR 53699. [Federal Register, Office of the Federal Register API](https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/2026-16979.json), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The proclamation imposes a 100 percent ad valorem duty rate on the import of the uncrewed aircraft systems identified in Annex I. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The 100 percent rate applies to uncrewed aircraft systems with a maximum take off weight of more than 25 kilograms. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The 100 percent rate applies as its own separate category to uncrewed aircraft systems that integrate thermal imagers, with no weight condition attached. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The 100 percent rate applies as its own separate category to uncrewed aircraft system docking stations. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The proclamation sets a 25 percent ad valorem duty rate on imports of uncrewed aircraft systems with a maximum take off weight of 25 kilograms or less. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/08/19/2026-16979.html), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The first tranche of duties takes effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on September 3rd, 2026. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The duty attaches only to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, which is customs language for imported merchandise clearing the border. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - A second tranche sets a 25 percent ad valorem duty on the uncrewed aircraft system components listed in Annex III. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The Annex III components duty takes effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on February 9th, 2027. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The delay applies to companies on the Department of War Blue UAS Cleared List, the Blue UAS Framework, or the FCC Conditional Approval List on September 2nd, 2026. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/08/19/2026-16979.html), primary document, 2026-08-19. - For those listed companies the first tranche effective date is pushed to 180 days from the date of the proclamation. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/08/19/2026-16979.html), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The duty rate is capped at no higher than 15 percent for products of Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, or a member nation of the European Union when critical component origin is certified. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/08/19/2026-16979.html), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The duty rate is capped at no higher than 10 percent for products of the United Kingdom under the same certification condition. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/08/19/2026-16979.html), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The proclamation is issued under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2026/08/19/2026-16979.html), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The words Alaska, rural, public safety and firefighting do not appear anywhere in the proclamation. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - The proclamation names search and rescue once, in a sentence listing what federal agencies use uncrewed aircraft systems for. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, Federal Register](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-19/html/2026-16979.htm), primary document, 2026-08-19. - Alaska DOT and PF runs a drone program called the Alaska Rural Remote Operations Work Plan, or ARROW, funded through the US Department of Transportation SMART grant program. [Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities](https://dot.alaska.gov/comm/pressbox/arch2024/PR24-0010.shtml), primary document, 2024-04-16. - The program covers a 300 mile Kuskokwim ice road serving the Yukon Kuskokwim region around Bethel. [Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities](https://dot.alaska.gov/comm/pressbox/arch2024/PR24-0010.shtml), primary document, 2024-04-16. - Alaska DOT and PF's Ryan Marlow said the technology adds crucial aerial support for search and rescue. [Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities](https://dot.alaska.gov/comm/pressbox/arch2024/PR24-0010.shtml), primary document, 2024-04-16. - Clarence Daniel said the grant lets communities improve safe travel on trails for travelers going from one village to another during dangerous times of the year. [Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities](https://dot.alaska.gov/comm/pressbox/arch2024/PR24-0010.shtml), primary document, 2024-04-16. - Skydio states that the X10 is designed, assembled and supported in the U.S. [Skydio](https://www.skydio.com/x10), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Skydio lists the X10 as weighing under 4.7 pounds, which is about 2.1 kilograms. [Skydio](https://www.skydio.com/x10), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Skydio offers radiometric thermal payloads for the X10, listed at 640 by 512 pixels. [Skydio](https://www.skydio.com/x10), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Skydio sells a docking station product called the Skydio Dock for X10. [Skydio](https://www.skydio.com/x10), primary document, 2026-08-20. - Federal aviation rules define a small unmanned aircraft as one weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff including everything on board or attached. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, 14 CFR Part 107](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2024-title14-vol2/xml/CFR-2024-title14-vol2-part107.xml), primary document, 2024-01-01. - A 12.4 million dollar federal grant started an Alaska initiative to use advanced drones to fly long distances. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - The Alaska drone initiative funded by that grant is called Scalable Operations and Advanced Remote Technologies, or SOAR. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - Twenty two drones were already stationed in Alaska before the second phase of the program. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - The second phase is to place fifty drones and docking stations across two states, fifteen in California and thirty five in Alaska. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - The aircraft used in phase one of the Alaska program were US made Skydio X10 drones, used for purposes including search and rescue. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - The grant funding supplies drones, docking stations and Starlink connections to communities around Alaska, and trains drone operators. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - A separate 1.13 million dollar SMART grant covers the Seward Highway corridor. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - Alaska DOT and PF Commissioner Ryan Anderson said improving safety for Alaskans in rural and remote areas is part of the department's mission. [Alaska Business Magazine](https://www.akbizmag.com/featured/dotpf-awarded-grant-funding-for-rural-drones-seward-highway-avalanche-mitigation/), report, 2025-01-17. - A thermal drone team joined the search for a missing hiker near Port Armstrong on Baranof Island, a search that ran August 11th to August 13th, 2026. [KCAW Raven Radio, Sitka](https://www.kcaw.org/2026/08/13/state-troopers-search-for-missing-hiker-in-port-armstrong/), report, 2026-08-13. Slides and the deck PDF are linked from the canonical page.