NDAA compliance pertains to Section 848 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense. Authorization Act (NDAA), which prohibits the Department of Defense from acquiring drones made in specific foreign countries—namely China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea— or by companies headquartered in those nations. The focus is on prohibited components, including flight controllers, radios, data transmission devices, cameras, gimbals, ground control systems, operating software, and data storage. Compliance with the NDAA helps safeguard supply chain security.
The Blue UAS program evaluates and scales commercial UAS for use by the Department of Defense. Blue UAS drones meet NDAA compliance requirements and undergo thorough cybersecurity assessments to safeguard sensitive military data. These drones comply with Section 848 of the FY20 NDAA, Section 817 of the FY23 NDAA, and the American Security Drone Act. They have been validated as cyber secure and safe to fly. They are available for purchase and operation by the government.
Commercial drones with a Green UAS certification have met the highest levels of cybersecurity and supply chain requirements. The Green UAS program is an initiative by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).