Aaron Mehta writes that Ken Handelman, deputy assistant secretary of state for deputy trade controls, said the agency plans to look at a 1987 treaty designed to regulate the means of delivering nuclear weapons.
Handelman spoke during a recent panel discussion on export controls at the Farnborough International Airshow.
âThe Missile Technology Control Regime [MTCR], which remains a hugely important tool [for] nonproliferation policy with our allies, sometimes has unintended consequences,â Handelman told forum audience.
âSo yes, that is part of the consideration, but more than that I am unable to say right now,” he added, according to Defense News.
Mehta writes the MTCR agreement, signed by 34 countries, enforces a presumption of denial policy regarding the sale of UAVs that can carry a 500-kilogram payload to a range of 300 kilometers.
Industry believes the restriction is hurting U.S. manufacturers’ ability to compete on the international unmanned systems market, according to Mehta.