The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International and the Defense Innovation Unit have published a memo providing procurement guidance and recommendations for public safety and government agencies and industry that perform sensitive missions using drones.
In a statement published Monday, David Michelson, director of the autonomy portfolio at DIU, said the move behind the effort with AUVSI is to increase the availability of National Defense Authorization Act-verified unmanned aircraft system components to the uncrewed industry and streamline the process for Blue UAS consideration.
According to the memo, Blue UAS is DIU’s effort to maintain, curate and improve a roster of policy-approved commercial UAS platforms that comply with NDAA for fiscal years 2020 and 2023. The program is designed to meet the needs of Department of Defense users.
“As we look ahead to a refresh of vendors and platforms on the Blue UAS Cleared List later this year, DIU is prioritizing UAS that have already been vetted as meeting the highest levels of cybersecurity and NDAA supply chain requirements,” added Michelson.
The new memo follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between AUVSI and DIU to establish a process for UAS component manufacturers holding Green UAS certification to directly share data with DIU.
Green UAS is designed to help secure drones for the rest of the non-DOD market and intends to address the gaps between the Blue UAS Cleared List and drones that meet non-defense needs.