Not sure what you mean here? Who is betting against the U.S.? It's a reality that we can't do this. If we started the process now, we're looking at probably ten years before we can even start to make a dent in the Chinese drone industry.
There is a lot more information about this case posted here: Chinese-born man takes plea deal after using drone to take 200 photos of Space Force station
It's not a problem with patents. They can be licensed or even invalidated based on prior art.
US companies know how to make drones. Amazon makes its drones for its Prime Delivery service. We just can't make them at a competitive price level.
The man who lives in that big white house on the hill nearby believes that tariffs are that magic wand. But that wand is looking more and more like nothing but a broken stick.