New UAV technology emerges every day—with more research and resources, as well as growing popularity for consumers and enterprises, drone technology is in continuous development. Governments worldwide have taken the opportunities and benefits drones offer, and have implemented UAV fleets for research, public safety, mapping, and surveillance use cases.
As more US government agencies began leveraging UAV technology for reconnaissance and other uses, security experts developed and instituted agencies, laws, and best practices to protect the integrity and safety of critical information that is captured, processed, and transmitted across UAS platforms.
Because of this, there has been a greater focus on ensuring national security by evaluating the cybersecurity capability of all manufacturers, especially in the US.
This led the US Government to implement Executive Order 13981, which presets strict guidelines by which public agencies must adhere to when buying UAS technology, whether it is software or critical electronic components that may be manufactured outside of the United States.
In short, the US highly regulates the manufacturing process of UAV products for government use to prevent sensitive data leaks that can be used against American security. Because of this, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), established in 2015 and dedicated to researching, developing, and making use of commercial technologies, is now in charge of approving specific UAV technologies for government use and determining what companies can be awarded Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) contracts.
And while these laws are established for federal agencies, many states have enacted regulatory legislation that limits drone technology procurement, even for local and state government departments.
To facilitate the process, the DIU put together the Blue sUAS program. After a rigorous approval process, manufacturers that prove their drones are section 848 FY20 NDAA compliant are listed as Blue sUAS approved. To be section 848 FY20 NDAA compliant, drones must be validated as cyber-secure and safe to fly. Additionally, all drone parts, critical components, and materials must be manufactured domestically within the US, as many foreign-made components are banned under the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Because MAS contracts are subject to the Trade Agreements Act and the Buy American Act, government agencies must purchase American-made products.
Regulation doesn’t stop there. The Department of Homeland Security recognizes the increased use of drones in critical missions for agencies—their own Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) plays a critical role in determining proper protocol and best practices when using UAVs in agency operations.
Operators are encouraged to understand and vet out the software, firmware, and payloads that are used by their UAS systems. CISA also stresses the need for processes that maintain consistent monitoring of data transfer and secure encryption.
This includes using complicated Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs) that do not identify UAS operations on the network and using proper encryption keys for data links that provide UAS control, telemetry, payload transmission, video transmission, and audio transmission.
Identifying the right drone program is a difficult task, and procurement only becomes harder for government agencies that have to adhere to various federal and state laws.
Drone Nerds is partnered with several Blue sUAS-approved manufacturers and has a team of experts that has helped countless public safety organizations implement successful drone fleets for a variety of uses.
With our proprietary Always Flying™ program, we ensure your drones are FAA registered for out-of-the-box use.
Let our team help you identify the best solution for your public service needs. Contact a drone expert today.
To help you on your journey, we’ve compiled a list of current Blue sUAS approved manufacturers:
Ascent AeroSystems
BlueHalo LLC
Easy Aerial, Inc.
FlightWave Aerospace Systems Corporation
Harris Aerial
Inspired Flight Technologies, Inc.
senseFly, Inc.
Skydio, Inc.
Vision Aerial
Wingtra AG
