{"blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As of September 1, the US Department of Defense (DoD) has been able to buy small drones from five Pentagon-approved manufacturers. The go-ahead is the result of an 18-month project, coined Blue small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), to develop small, reliable drones for the DoD."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Since drones became widely available, military forces around the world have been using the technology extensively to gain a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The DoD, however, has up until now not had the opportunity to safely adopt such systems as it faced serious security concerns over Chinese-sourced drones. In August 2017, the US Armed Forces issued a blanket ban on all Chinese-made DJI drones. And earlier this year, the Department of the Interior grounded its fleet of more than 800 drones after citing specific technology gaps."}},{"type":"header","data":{"text":"Blue sUAS Drones","level":2}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Rising tensions between the US and China created a demand for bankable drones that Washington could rely on. Recognizing the need for such UAS, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) – a DoD organization responsible for accelerating commercial technology for national defense and security – took the lead in developing systems broadly applicable to several kinds of users and missions."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"On August 19, the DIU introduced the Blue sUAS project through a virtual launch event and announced its five participants. The project addresses the demand for secure, capable, and American-made drones. The drones will be deployed in the military, federal agencies, and government operations."}},{"id":"ka9ugv1w-m3g0u0m0","type":"embed","data":{"service":"twitter","source":"https://twitter.com/TealDrones/status/1301531336667271169","embed":"https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1301531336667271169","caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"During the launch event, White House Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios said Blue sUAS “represents a tremendous first step toward building a robust and trusted UAS domestic industrial base that ensures sustained delivery of highly-capable, secure UAS to the war fighters that depend on it.”"}},{"type":"header","data":{"text":"Blue sUAS Manufacturers","level":2}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"During DIU’s launch event, the organization provided an overview of approved manufacturers: Altavian (M440 Ion), Parrot (ANAFI USA), Skydio (X2), Teal (Golden Eagle), and Vantage Robotics (Vesper)."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Drones available through the Blue sUAS program are easy to assemble and have an operational range of over three kilometers. They have a flight endurance greater than 30 minutes and can fly through dust and rain."}},{"id":"98g1lsma-9ix8s9lg","type":"embed","data":{"service":"youtube","source":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/CcAc8OqZ4eM","embed":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/CcAc8OqZ4eM","caption":"","height":"auto","width":"100%"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The US government provided millions in aid to each company to build military-grade drones, and worked extensively with them over the past year and a half during development. The DIU now believes the systems are ready for use."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beginning in September, DoD entities will be able to buy these small, American-manufactured drones."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Vantage Robotics, one of the manufacturers, called Blue sUAS a “first step towards commercial-federal and ecosystem-wide collaboration.”"}},{"type":"header","data":{"text":"Alternative to Chinese Drones","level":2}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The project is part of a larger push to develop domestic alternatives to Chinese drones, which have been banned for use by the DoD and other federal agencies. Investing in the domestic drone industry is a critical move to safeguard national security."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"“We need an alternative to Chinese-made small drones and Blue sUAS is a first step in achieving that objective,” said DIU Director Mike Brown in a press release. “Working across DoD and the US government aggregates the business opportunity for these five vendors and enhances the long-term viability of this capability for the US and our allies.”"}}]}

AgEagle to Supply ‘eBee Vision’ Drones to US DoD

DoD Cleared to Buy US-Made Small Drones Through Blue sUAS Program