A loophole in the DJI ban? Discover the SPECTA and the SPECTA Mini

It seems likely that if a ban on DJI drones became law, DJI would do everything in its power to circumvent or fight it. A flaw may have already been found by the drone giant, by presenting the SEPCTA and the SPECTA Mini from Cogito. Drones that seem just a little too close to ignore aren’t DJI clones.

Earlier this month we reported on the Anzu Robotics-licensed Mavic 3E called Raptor. From what we and other experts can tell, there is a loophole for U.S. companies to keep DJI drones available to U.S. companies after a ban is enacted.

However, it might not end there. First reported by The Hill, a new company appears to be ready to produce and ship DJI-licensed drones here in the states once the drone ban takes effect.

Approved by the FCC, the SPECTA and SPECTA Mini from Hong Kong-based Cogito Tech Company Limited show signs that they are just copies of DJI’s most popular consumer drones. Drone experts at Hill States say both “are nearly identical to products made by DJI.”

We spend the weekend going through each product’s FCC filing. While we didn’t find a smoking gun that proves The Hill is correct in claiming these are DJI clones, I would say we did find a gun loaded and ready to fire.

First there are the label images, only the SPECTA Mini controller had a clear diagram showing where it would be placed. The font, style and layout of the controller’s back are, as The Hill reports, almost identical to DJI’s RC-N2.

The label will be engraved on the controller, a fairly common practice but also how DJI does it as well. Finally, all the specifications of the controller match what DJI offers. Neither constitutes definitive proof, but it makes it a possibility.

What was most interesting to review were the RF emissions reports from each company’s controllers. This is a common report sent to the FCC for approval that shows that any type of radiation coming from the antennas is within legal limits.

Although the reports have different dates, DJI was established in February 2023 while Cogito was established just under a year ago in July 2023, the reports are almost identical. Where the reports differ are some changes to the order of the figures and the removal of the DJI logo.

The question is: what is the probability that two products will have 100% identical RF emission ratios? We tried to find Skydio’s report but couldn’t, but the images shared in each report are a 100% match.

So, which drones are these?

The theory according to The Hill is that Cogito licenses drone technology from DJI for manufacturing and import into the United States. It would be clear that the SPECTA Mini is a clone of DJI’s Mini 4 Pro, but the standard SPECTA could be up in the air.

My personal guess is the DJI Air 3, which is currently on sale for 20% off in the DJI Store and on Amazon. However, it would make sense for it to be a Mavic 3 Pro, however, rumors of a Mavic 4 about to release would make that impractical. If Cogito is DJI’s partner for licensed consumer drone products, this could be a reasonable lineup for the company if it starts building all DJI drones:

• SPECTA SE (Mini SE 4K)
• SPECTA Mini (Mini 4 Pro)
• SPECTA (Air 3)
• SPECTA Pro (Mavic 4)

We’ll have to wait for the outcome of the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2025 to see if the ban endures and what DJI does to challenge it.

But if the ban is enacted and any protests fail, the best-case scenario will be that the ban is not retroactive and that Anzu and Cogito’s drones keep DJI products on the market for new buyers.