China is the world leader in drones. US drone manufacturers want to change that

American UAV companies have always struggled to take off.

But two American start-ups believe they have created the innovations that will allow them to compete with the Chinese DJI, who faced data security issues.

Impossible Aerospace, a Silicon Valley-based startup founded by You're here (TSLA) and SpaceX veterans announced Monday the sale of a drone with two hours of flight to fire departments, police and search and rescue teams. This is an important advance, as most UAVs typically have about 30 minutes of flight on a single charge.

Another startup, Skydio is now a drone that follows its users independently and avoids obstacles in its path, a feat that competitors have not matched. Last week, he launched new cinematic features to better record these videos.

Impossible Aerospace and Skydio need all the advantages against DJI, the world leader in drones. DJI, which recorded a turnover of $ 2.7 billion last year, is best known for its Phantom drone. Introduced in 2013, the drone is the most popular commercial drone on the market.

It can be used for everything from roof inspections to search and rescue operations. The award distinguishes it: at $ 1,500, it incorporates advanced features such as accurate flyby and live video streaming.

DJI is so prolific that it has essentially driven out its competitors. At the beginning of the year, GoPro left the drone market citing competition concerns. Meanwhile, 3DR, another US drone company, stopped selling its drone last year.

Although the battle has been tough for US drone companies, Spencer Gore, CEO of Impossible Aerospace, is not worried.

"People say American UAV companies can not compete because it's hard to make a product here," Gore told CNNMoney. "I would say it's exactly the opposite, I do not think they were American enough."

Aerospace impossible engineer and assemble his drones in the country, breaking with the trend of US technology companies abroad.

Gore, who previously worked as a battery engineer at Tesla, saw the benefits of a company manufacturing a product alongside its engineers. He said that proximity makes employees more accountable to each other and stimulates innovation.

His equipment team, many of whom came from Tesla, has manufacturing experience in the United States. Skydio takes a similar approach. According to CEO Adam Bry, he makes the R1 drone in California.

The Impossible Aerospace drone starts at $ 7,500. Skydio's R1 costs $ 1,999.

The companies also have another advantage over DJI: the Chinese company has raised concerns about national security. In 2017, the US military banned the use of DJI drones. A government memorandum alleged that the company shared infrastructure and law enforcement data with the Chinese government.

DJI rejected the application and hired a judicial investigator, who showed that data transmissions to delete the servers could be disabled. But US government agencies have never lifted restrictions on DJI drones.

The ban came as US agencies quickly expanded their use of drones, which led to difficulties in finding enough US drones.

"We've probably stuck 3DR's global inventory of the Solo drone," said Mark Bathrick, who oversees drone programs at the Interior Ministry, at CNNMoney.

Bathrick said he needed to replace the aging and abandoned Solo, which created an opportunity for other American companies.

The US Department of the Interior Embrace drones because they are inexpensive – usually costing a few hundred dollars each – to exploit and subcontract humans in dangerous roles. His department carried out nearly 5,000 drone missions in 2017, compared with 750 in 2016.

"There is no commercial application for the drones I'm aware of that we have not done or are not going to do," he said. .

Bathrick plans to use drones to drop explosive charges to prevent avalanches and save people in dangerous situations. His team is currently testing two DJI drones, including one on a fire prevention mission. They use a DJI Matrix 600 to give up flammable ping-pong balls on a forest. It can support a large payload, which makes it suitable for work.

Traditionally, the department was flying helicopters over the treeline for the treacherous mission. But in the last 13 years, two helicopters crashed, killing five people.

Government partners, including NASA, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, are working to confirm if DJI's new specialty drones meet data security standards. Bathrick is hoping for a final decision by the end of the year.

DJI said that he was eager to work with companies with sensitive needs and realized that its products need to be better personalized.

"It was a lesson to remember for us," said Mario Rebello, vice president of DJI for North America. "Over the past year, we have learned the importance of working with our customers and working with our partners and developers to ensure we tackle data security and data management issues."

CNNMoney (Washington) First published on September 10, 2018: 4:34 PM ET