February 23, 2023-- (Mountain View, CA)--Today, AUVSI announced the launch of Green UAS, a new program to expand the number of commercial Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) that have been verified to meet the highest levels of cybersecurity and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) supply chain requirements. Green UAS is an industry standard that mirrors the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’s Blue UAS certification program. DIU hopes that innovations in the broader commercial drone security space translate to increased security and an increased number of dual use systems.
“Strengthening the domestic drone industry is critical in providing options for Government agencies to get the trusted UAS they need to meet their mission — and industry organizations are well-suited to help the Government meet the need for a rapid, scalable solution,” said David Michelson, DIU Program Manager for Blue UAS.
Since 2021, DIU has successfully created a pathway for the DoD to purchase compliant commercial drone technology that meets the requirements Congress set forth in the 2020 NDAA. In December 2022, DIU finalized the addition of 17 new drones to the “Cleared List.” DIU continues to work to improve the adoption of commercial sUAS across the DoD with multiple efforts.
DIU has put together a number of resources for DoD members interested in purchasing and adding new drones to the Blue Cleared list:
The Hub: This new Government website provides comprehensive information on Blue UAS resources in one place for Government and industry stakeholders. It also addresses the latest OSD and service-level UAS policy to include clearly articulated and easy to navigate processes and requirements.
Purchase a cleared drone: Here are three options to purchase drones today for your organization.
Production-Other Transaction Agreement: The successful completion of a prototype OT allows for a follow-on production OT to be executed with built-in sole source justification. A DoD organization can either choose to execute their own P-OTA with any one of the various Blue UAS options or provide funding to purchase quantities off of an existing P-OT sponsored by a different organization within the DoD.
GSA Schedule: Once approved as Blue UAS, systems may be listed on the GSA schedule along with accessories and payloads. Traditional methods for purchase through the GSA schedule include use of GSA Advantage for online purchasing.
DLA TLSP: The Defense Logistics Agency's Tailored Logistics Support Program provides a vehicle for purchasing certain systems through user contracting officials. Visit the DLA site to learn more.
Add a new drone to the Cleared List: DoD can request and pay for new drones to be added to the cleared list and receive an ATO. If interested in learning more, please contact blueuas@diu.mil.
Select Questions & Answers
If our UAS become a "Green UAS", does the drone become "Blue UAS?
If a DoD organization desires to add a system to the Blue UAS, that is something that DIU can explore. It is not guaranteed that a drone of the Green UAS list becomes part of the Blue UAS cleared list.
Will Green UAS provide documentation that is useful for Blue UAS? While Green UAS is not being done for the DoD, our hope is that the Department and the Servicemembers can benefit from a stronger drone industrial base.
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