BLUE sUAS INITIATIVE
In October 2021, DIU issued 11 agreements to prototype a new approval process and increase capabilities for all U.S. military branches.
The initial Blue sUAS project, "1.0," was launched in August 2020, modifying the Army's Short Range Reconnaissance air vehicles and integrating ground control stations.
On August 19, 2022, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment announced the first companies approved for the “Blue UAS Cleared List” as part of the Blue sUAS 2.0 project are:
The Blue sUAS 2.0 initiative aims to expand capabilities for infrastructure inspection, mapping, secondary payload carrying, and reconnaissance tasks.
Systems on the Blue UAS Cleared List don't need a DoD exception to procure or operate, as they have passed cyber-security evaluation, NDAA compliance check, and received necessary documentation. Federal government partners can also use this onboarding process without duplicating efforts.
The inception of Blue sUAS 1.0 followed by its subsequent iteration, Blue sUAS 2.0, has provided many successful operations. We anticipate advancements and further refinements in the future, so stay up to date with all the relevant news here.
So, what's the future for DoD UAS?
After the NDAA Sec 848 (see bottom of page for more details), DJI was completely out of the question, given that its a Chinese owned company.
Unfortunately for the United States and the DoD, our technology was far behind the comparable technology in this field. So, we improvised and improved... With the help of DIU and Blue UAS drones, their "Blue sUAS project 1.0" launched and the pressure to develop build better UAS systems that comply with US restrictions was felt industry wide. Since then, Companies like Harris Aerial, Inspired Flight, and Wingtra have made some seriously good drones.
Although there are indications that the government may review its regulations regarding this matter, it is currently unclear what changes may be made. One thing that is certain is that the drone industry for the DoD is still in its infancy, and advancements are expected to be both exponential and rapid. We will expect more iterations of the Blue UAS Cleared Lists and a more diverse commercial drone usage within the DoD.
