Can You Put a Weapon on a Drone? FAA Rules

Videos of drones carrying a pistol, a flamethrower or a firework rack circulate online, and the question underneath them is simple: is that legal? In the United States, no, unless the FAA specifically authorizes it. The ban comes from a federal statute, not from Part 107, so it applies to every drone flight, recreational or commercial, certified pilot or not.

What does the law actually say?

Section 363 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-254), published as a note to 49 U.S.C. 44802, is three sentences long:

• unless authorized by the FAA Administrator, a person may not operate an unmanned aircraft "that is equipped or armed with a dangerous weapon";
• "dangerous weapon" takes its meaning from 18 U.S.C. 930(g)(2);
• a violation carries a civil penalty for each violation.

The FAA's own warning to the public names the items it has in mind: guns, bombs, fireworks, flamethrowers "and other dangerous items", and it reminds operators that state and federal criminal laws on weapons and hazardous materials may apply on top of the drone rule.

What counts as a dangerous weapon?

The definition in 18 U.S.C. 930(g)(2) is broad: any "weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury." The only carve-out is a pocket knife with a blade under 2½ inches.

Two words do most of the work: "equipped" and "readily capable". A drone does not have to fire anything to break the rule; carrying a working firearm or an explosive is enough. In practice:

The aerial ignition example shows how literally the FAA reads the definition. In Notice N 8900.656 (2023), it told inspectors that "an aerial ignition system qualifies as a dangerous weapon under Section 363", so even a forestry crew lighting a prescribed burn needs the Administrator's authorization, through a letter of authorization, on top of its Part 137 agricultural certificate.

How big is the penalty?

Congress set the maximum at $25,000 per violation. Federal civil penalties are adjusted for inflation every year, and the current table in 14 CFR 13.301 lists $31,207 for operating a drone "equipped or armed with a dangerous weapon". That is per violation, and it is only the FAA side. Firing a weapon from a drone can also break state and federal criminal laws that have nothing to do with aviation.

How does it fit with the Part 107 rules you already know?

Section 363 sits on top of the rules on the knowledge test, and several of them point the same way:

• No hazardous material at all. §107.36 bars carrying hazardous material as defined by the Department of Transportation. Explosives and many fuels fall under it before the weapons statute even comes in. The handbook covers it in UA.I.B.K13.
• No hazardous drops. §107.23(b) forbids dropping an object in a way that creates an undue hazard to people or property, and §107.23(a) forbids careless or reckless operation. The dropping objects post explains how those apply to payload releases.
• The 55-pound line. Part 107 covers drones under 55 pounds; heavier aircraft need a separate exemption, as the 55-pound limit post explains.
• A waiver does not help. §107.205 lists the Part 107 rules a waiver can change, such as night, visual line of sight and flight over people. Carrying hazardous material is not on the list, and a Part 107 waiver can't authorize anything under Section 363, which is a statute with its own authorization.

Do states add their own rules?

Some do, and they can be harsher than the FAA. In Wisconsin, operating a weaponized drone is a Class H felony under §941.292, with an exception for the armed forces and the National Guard on duty; the Wisconsin drone laws post has the details. Before flying anything unusual, check your own state in the state drone laws guide.

So who can legally fly an armed drone?

Very few people, and almost never a civilian pilot. The two paths are a specific authorization from the FAA Administrator, which is how aerial ignition systems for prescribed burns get approved, and government authority, such as the military testing and training on its own restricted ranges. Defense manufacturers work within those limits: unarmed demonstrations and flight testing can happen under Part 107, while anything with a live weapon moves to a government range. For the full picture of that split, see this overview of how defense drone companies divide their US testing between Part 107 and military ranges.

The military's appetite for small drones has grown quickly, as the Pentagon's drone dominance program shows, but none of that changes the civilian rule. For everyone else, the answer to "can I mount it?" is no.

What does the Part 107 exam ask?

The knowledge test does not quiz you on Section 363 by name. It does test the Part 107 rules around it: hazardous material, dropping objects and careless or reckless operation, which the handbook covers starting at UA.I.B.K6. Expect a scenario that asks whether a payload, a drop or a carried item is allowed.