For those who’ve spent any time within the drone trade — whether or not as a producer, operator, or fanatic following coverage information — you’ve in all probability heard the phrase “Blue UAS.” However what precisely is the Blue UAS Cleared Record, who manages it, what drones are on it, and why does it matter? This information breaks all of it down.
What Is the Blue UAS Cleared Record?
The Blue UAS Cleared Record is an official registry of unmanned plane methods (UAS) which were vetted, licensed and accepted for buy and operation by the U.S. Division of Warfare (DoW). Managed by the Protection Contract Administration Company (DCMA), the checklist identifies drones which can be:
- Compliant with present legislation and coverage (particularly, the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act)
- Validated as cyber-secure, both by way of AUVSI’s Inexperienced Record or by way of third-party acknowledged assessors
- Out there for official DoW buy and operation
In brief, for those who’re a army unit or authorities company trying to fly commercially sourced drones with out having to fiddle with an Exception to Coverage (ETP) request, shopping for a drone on the Blue UAS Cleared Record is your quickest path ahead.
The Cleared Record is distinct from (however associated to) one thing known as the Blue UAS Choose Record. This checklist consists of platforms that have been “added in response to particular accomplice group wants or by way of aggressive processes. “Choose platforms carry a DIU-granted Authority to Function (ATO).
Why was the Blue UAS Program created?
Earlier than Blue UAS existed, shopping for a drone on behalf of the DoW was burdensome. Drones both needed to be supported by what’s known as a “Service-level program of report,” or patrons in any other case needed to submit an Exception to Coverage request. This was a time- and labor-intensive course of tied to that particular consumer, use case, location, and drone mixture.
Blue UAS traces its roots to the U.S. Military’s Brief Vary Reconnaissance (SRR) program, which launched in late 2018. The Military wanted a quickly deployable, private reconnaissance VTOL sUAS for dismounted troopers. Then, in late 2019, the FY2020 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into legislation — and Part 848 prohibited using sure elements from coated international international locations (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea). The necessity for NDAA-compliant methods throughout the DoW led DIU to formally launch the Blue sUAS effort in August 2020.
What began as a five-platform checklist has since grown considerably, evolving from purpose-built prototypes to a rolling analysis course of that enables corporations to submit options each time they’re prepared.
What drones are NOT allowed by the DoW
Understanding the Blue UAS checklist requires a fundamental understanding of what makes a drone non-compliant below the NDAA. Drones that can’t be utilized by the DoW have any of the next traits:
- Is manufactured in a coated international nation (China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea) or by an entity domiciled there.
- Accommodates important elements made in or by a coated international nation
- Makes use of floor management software program or working software program developed in a coated international nation
- Makes use of community connectivity or knowledge storage administered by a coated international nation entity
What’s a important element? Versus one thing like a screw or propeller, important elements are what actually make the drone a “drone. These elements are:
- Flight controllers
- Radios
- Information transmission gadgets
- Cameras
- Gimbals
- Floor management methods
- Working software program
- Community connectivity {hardware}
- Information storage.
That is additionally why DJI — the world’s hottest shopper drone producer — is explicitly named as a Coated UAS Firm below the American Safety Drone Act. DJI is a subsidiary/affiliate of Da-Jiang Improvements, a Chinese language firm, making its merchandise categorically prohibited for DoW use no matter the place particular person items are manufactured.
What’s on the Blue UAS Cleared checklist proper now?
As of early 2026, the Blue UAS Cleared Record consists of greater than 50 platforms from a variety of U.S. and allied producers. Many (although not all) come from American drone corporations. Right here’s a sampling of notable entries (word this isn’t a totally checklist:
- ACSL has earned a spot on the checklist with its ACSL-PF2.
- AeroVironment seems with the Crimson Dragon.
- Anduril Industries seems with its Ghost/Ghost-X platform.
- Eagle NXT (agEagle Aerial Programs) is listed with the eBee TAC.
- Freefly Programs has a number of platforms on the checklist, together with the Alta X Blue Package deal and the Astro/Max.
- Impressed Flight Applied sciences has two entries: the IF800 and the IF1200A.
- ModalAI has a powerful presence with the Seeker Imaginative and prescient FPV (in 7-inch, 10-inch, and normal configurations) in addition to the Stinger Imaginative and prescient FPV.
- Parrot, the French drone maker, has just a few accepted variants, together with drones in its ANAFI USA line.
- Protect AI is listed with the V-BAT, a vertical takeoff and touchdown fixed-wing drone.
- Skydio holds arguably probably the most entries on the Choose Record, with the Skydio X2D EO/IR (a number of frequency variants), the X10D, and the X2D all incomes approval. Skydio is an American producer and has positioned itself as a DJI various for presidency and enterprise.
- Teal (a Crimson Cat firm) has three entries: Teal 2, Teal Golden Eagle at 1.8 GHz, and Teal Golden Eagle at 2.4 GHz.
- Vantage Robotics has two platforms on the checklist: the Hint and the Vesper.
- Wingtra seems with the WingtraRay.
Different producers with cleared platforms embody Auterion, Ascent AeroSystems, Quantum Programs and FlightWave Aerospace .
The Blue UAS Framework: Cleared elements, not simply entire drones
The Blue UAS program isn’t nearly full plane. The Blue UAS Framework is a parallel checklist of particular person NDAA-compliant elements and software program (together with flight controllers, cameras, radios, gimbals, floor management methods, and companion computer systems) which were cybersecurity examined and accepted to be used in DoW purposes.
The Framework is designed to assist drone builders construct compliant methods from the bottom up, and it’s helpful if you wish to purchase particular elements to your personal product. Some notable element producers with merchandise on the Framework embody:
- ARK Electronics (a number of flight controllers, GNSS modules, knowledge transmission gadgets)
- CubePilot (Dice Blue, Dice Orange, Dice Orange+, and others)
- ModalAI (VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini, flight controllers, radios, cameras)
- Silvus Applied sciences (StreamCaster radio sequence)
- Teledyne FLIR (thermal cameras together with Boson+ 640, FLIR BOSON 640, Hadron 640R)
- NVIDIA (Jetson Xavier NX, Jetson Orin NX, Jetson AGX Orin — accepted as companion computer systems)
- Raspberry Pi (CM4, Pi 4 Mannequin B, Pi 5 in 4GB and 8GB variants)
- Doodle Labs (Embedded Mesh Rider, mini-OEM variants, Nimble and Lengthy-Vary transceivers)
- Panasonic (TOUGHBOOK 55 and TOUGHBOOK G2 as accepted floor management methods)
Framework elements are accepted to be used “when correctly configured” — the Framework doesn’t robotically make any drone that makes use of these elements compliant, but it surely considerably streamlines the evaluation course of.
How does a drone or element get on the Blue UAS Record?
There are three essential pathways to get on the Blue UAS Cleared Record:
- DoW Sponsorship — A Division of Warfare buyer sponsors the platform’s inclusion
- Aggressive Course of — DIU runs a proper analysis comparable to a Industrial Options Opening (CSO) or Prize Problem
- Acknowledged Assessors Course of — Third-party assessors confirm NDAA compliance
Corporations in search of Blue certification for elements also can submit by way of the DCMA’s on-line portal, which requires firm identification, a product description, a invoice of supplies (software program and {hardware}), documentation of important elements, and NDAA compliance self-certification.
One essential word from the FAQ: Blue UAS clearance applies solely to the particular fashions and configurations listed. It doesn’t lengthen to a producer’s full product household. Including or modifying any important elements that weren’t a part of the unique certification requires a recent evaluation.
Does a drone need to be on the Blue UAS Record to ready for buy by the U.S. authorities?
No — and this can be a generally misunderstood level.
Per the official FAQ: “Any DoW group can buy licensed compliant UAS by finishing their very own inside administrative necessities.”
Blue UAS merely gives a streamlined baseline verification, making it simpler for the U.S. authorities to purchase. Nevertheless, that doesn’t prohibit authorities organizations from buying non-Blue drones that meet their mission wants — it simply means they should undergo their very own compliance verification processes.
Positive, a Blue UAS-approved drone could be extra interesting to authorities patrons simply given the lowered paperwork headache, but it surely doesn’t rule out non-Blue UAS-approved drones completely.
Yet another factor: the legal guidelines underlying Blue UAS additionally apply particularly to the Division of Warfare — to not different federal businesses, to not state or native authorities businesses, and definitely to not personal corporations (although a non-public firm wouldn’t use it for any DoW contracts they is likely to be working for).
If somebody tells you a drone “have to be Blue” to promote to authorities, that’s not universally correct.
What about that July 2025 “Drone Dominance” memo?
In mid-2025, the U.S. authorities issued a memo titled Unleashing U.S. Army Drone Dominance, calling for the elimination of limitations to buying and coaching with rising UAS know-how. In response, DCMA up to date its processes to supply extra accessible pathways onto the Blue UAS Cleared Record, with an specific objective of scaling trusted drone capabilities to warfighters quicker.
This alerts a broader shift in how the DoW is approaching industrial drone procurement, which means much less forms and extra pace.
The Blue UAS Cleared Record is likely one of the most essential coverage levers shaping the U.S. drone trade proper now. For producers, getting on the checklist can unlock important authorities contract alternatives. For drone operators in or adjoining to the DoW, it’s the clearest sign of what you may and may’t fly.
The checklist is actively up to date — with the latest additions showing as lately as March 2026 — so it’s price bookmarking the DCMA UAS Portal and checking again repeatedly.
Associated
Uncover extra from The Drone Woman
Subscribe to get the most recent posts despatched to your e-mail.