Drones

Blue SUAS drones much less highly effective, dearer

Source: Teal

News and comment. A recent Financial Times article (article behind the paywall) reports on a DOI memo stating that Blue sUAS are more expensive and less powerful than other Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) drones – and still contain Chinese parts.

The Blue sUAS list of 5 drone solutions was published by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in response to safety concerns about drone technology made in China. This list of drone solutions – not drone companies, but specific models – includes drones developed in collaboration with the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit that meet the DoD’s security and functional requirements.

Originally designed to identify small drones that could be purchased with DoD funds, the list has since been adopted as a “safe” list by other government agencies and some commercial industries. Some industry players say the listing published gave the 5 companies on the list an unfair advantage in the market. A Home Office memo released in January said the solutions did not meet their needs.

The Department of Interior and Blue sUAS

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DoI) may have been the federal agency hardest hit by the ban on China-made drone technology. In 2018, the DoI crashed its entire drone fleet of more than 800 aircraft in response to security concerns, despite working with leading drone manufacturer DJI on a “Government Edition” that a later Pentagon audit confirmed to be unsafe represented risk. In 2020, the DoI announced that it would only use US-made drones. In 2021, the US General Services Administration, the acquisition and procurement arm of the US federal government, announced that it would limit procurement to drones on the Blue sUAS list.

According to the Financial Times DOI memo, the decision has limited the agency’s ability to carry out necessary conservation work, including those required by law that require extensive mapping.

From the Financial Times article: The memo written in January for the new Biden administration states: “By only using the ‘Blue UAS’ [unmanned aerial systems]’Approved, it reduces the capabilities of the DoI sensor by 95 percent. . . The planes are designed for a very specific DoD [Department of Defense] Mission set and will only meet about 20 percent of the DoI mission requirements. “

Additionally, the memo indicated that Blue sUAS solutions can cost anywhere from 8-14 times more than the COTS drones the DOI previously used. The memo indicates that most blue SUAS contain parts made in China, including circuit boards, according to a Department of Defense audit. The “country of origin” approach that lawmakers have used to define drone safety could prove to be a double-edged sword for government agencies – especially as the FTC is trying to combat exactly what “Made in the US” means .

The Blue sUAS were developed for the DoD – and they were specially developed to meet the security and functional requirements of the DoD. Other agencies and the commercial industry may need to develop their own criteria.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional marketplace for drone services, and a passionate observer of the emerging drone industry and regulatory environment for drones. Author of over 3,000 articles focusing on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam graduated from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years experience in high-tech sales and marketing for emerging technologies.
For advice or writing in the drone industry, email Miriam.

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