The Bottom Line Upfront

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) plans to enhance its process for vetting commercial drones to make it easier for companies to sell their systems to the U.S. military.

DIU will host a competitive effort this fall to onboard more commercial drones through its Blue UAS certification, which verifies the systems' cybersecurity and ensures they do not contain technology from Chinese suppliers.

The Breakdown

  • This initiative aims to increase capability, reduce costs, and provide more opportunities for drone companies to be included on the list.
  • Streamlining the certification process for commercial drones is crucial for the U.S. military to access advanced capabilities and ensure the security of the technology used. By making the process more efficient, DIU can meet the urgent needs of the military and enable private-sector companies to sell their drones to the government more easily.
  • DIU will refresh its Blue UAS list this fall, allowing new systems to join and removing those that do not provide military utility.
  • Factors considered for inclusion on the list will include cost, capability, modularity, security, and a company's willingness to collaborate with other partners.
  • The Blue UAS certification process has become the de facto government standard, leading to high demand that has exceeded DIU's resources. This has limited the number of systems processed and made it more challenging for drone companies to sell to the government.
  • DIU has received feedback from both military units and commercial firms, highlighting the need to improve the process on multiple levels.