The Blue UAS Framework, explained for the people who make the parts.

Two lists, one program

The Blue UAS program began at the Defense Innovation Unit and is now administered by the Defense Contract Management Agency. It keeps two lists. The Cleared List holds complete aircraft approved for Department of Defense purchase. The Framework holds individual components and software that passed the same kind of review and can be built into other aircraft: flight controllers, speed controllers, cameras and infrared sensors, radios and data links, satellite receivers, remote identification beacons, gimbals, ground control systems, onboard computers, and autonomy software. The Framework exists, in the program's own words, because of "challenges and uncertainty" about which parts are verified as compliant.

The counts move. The Framework grew from 5 to 36 components in the spring of 2024. The February 2025 refresh selected 14 more components alongside 23 aircraft. By November 2025 published tallies put the program at 39 cleared aircraft and 165 components, and a guide updated in April 2026 counted 31 manufacturers with cleared aircraft. Check the list itself before you quote a number.

How a component gets on

1. Submit. Manufacturers submit through the Defense Contract Management Agency or a recognised assessor. As of July 2025 there are three assessors: MTSI, Dark Wolf Solutions, and AUVSI.
2. Assessment. The review covers cybersecurity controls, supply-chain provenance, hardware integrity, software security, and operational capability. It is continuous rather than batched, and the annual refresh event adds a competitive route.
3. Fast track. Since July 2025, a product that completes AUVSI's Green UAS certification can move to Blue UAS without a separate full assessment.
4. Time and money. Industry estimates run six to eighteen months depending on complexity. The manufacturer pays the assessor. Fees are not published on a single schedule; ask the assessor.

Which parts the rules cover, and which they skip

Section 848 of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act covers components that store or transmit data: cameras, communication links, communication chips, flight controllers. It does not cover motors, batteries, or electronic speed controllers, which were judged low risk when the rules were written. In November 2025, reporting quoted a former defense official that those three are the top Chinese-made parts still inside cleared aircraft, and the Pentagon offered no timeline to change the rule. For a maker of those parts, that gap is the opportunity: a documented US or allied motor, battery, or speed controller is what every compliant airframe maker is looking for and few can find.

What the FCC changed in January 2026

On January 26, 2026, the FCC created a temporary exemption from its covered list, which since December 2025 has blocked new foreign-made drones and their critical components from authorization. Through January 1, 2027, the exemption covers any drone or critical component on the Blue UAS Cleared List, and any that qualifies as a domestic end product under the Buy American Act: 65 percent US component cost through 2028, rising to 75 percent in 2029. The practical effect is that a Framework or Cleared List component, or one with documented domestic content, can be authorized while others cannot. The FCC said it will revisit the date before it arrives. For a component maker, the paperwork that proves domestic content is now worth as much as the part.

What a US airframe maker actually needs from you

A Framework listing is welcome and not required. What is required is origin that can be documented, a part that a customer can replace in the field, and a price at the volumes a small maker buys. EnCor builds the Corvin in Tulsa today and the Spector and Ranger next, without Section 889 covered components, and gives buyers a written component-origin statement. A partner part becomes a line in that statement. The component partner page says what each aircraft accepts and what to send.

Questions component makers ask

What is the difference between the Blue UAS Cleared List and the Blue UAS Framework?

The Cleared List is complete aircraft approved for Department of Defense purchase. The Framework is the list of individual components, such as flight controllers, cameras, radios, gimbals, ground stations, and onboard computers, that have passed the same kind of review and can be built into other aircraft.

How does a component get onto the Framework?

By submission and assessment. As of July 2025, three organisations are recognised assessors: MTSI, Dark Wolf Solutions, and AUVSI. The Defense Contract Management Agency now administers the list. Industry estimates put the process at six to eighteen months depending on complexity, and the manufacturer pays for the assessment.

Do I need a Framework listing to sell to a US drone maker?

No. A drone maker needs documented origin and the absence of covered parts. A Framework listing is evidence of that, and it opens defense buyers, but a part with clear paperwork can be designed in without it.

Are motors and batteries covered?

Not by Section 848, which covers parts that store or transmit data. Reporting in November 2025 found motors, batteries, and speed controllers on cleared aircraft still mostly come from China, and the Pentagon offered no timeline to change that. A US or allied source for those parts is scarce, which makes it valuable.

What did the FCC do in January 2026?

On January 26, 2026, it exempted from its covered list, through January 1, 2027, any drone or component on the Blue UAS Cleared List and any that qualifies as a domestic end product under the Buy American Act. The FCC said it would revisit the date before it arrives.

Is EnCor on the Framework or the Cleared List?

No. EnCor does not claim a Blue UAS listing. EnCor aircraft are built in Tulsa, Oklahoma, without Section 889 covered components, and EnCor gives buyers a written component-origin statement.