Getting on the DoW’s “Blue List”: An Insider’s Guide

The Blue UAS program was created by Congress in the early 2020s to address the proliferation of Chinese drones and components within the U.S. Department of Defense. DIU was tasked with administering the program, which involves a three-part assessment: a hardware teardown to identify Chinese or adversarial components, a cybersecurity penetration test, and an operational flight evaluation.

The program has evolved significantly since its early days. It now includes two tiers: Blue Cleared (hardware and cyber review complete) and Blue Select (full approval with an authority to operate, granted when an actual DoD customer commits to a purchase). AUVSI launched a parallel Green UAS program that follows the same assessment process and serves as an on-ramp to Blue, while also adding commercial-focused reviews for Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity and corporate cyber hygiene.

A key development is the Blue UAS Framework is a pre-approved components library that allows manufacturers to build drones faster using already-vetted parts, significantly reducing time through the certification process.

For Israeli founders, Robbins offered three main takeaways. First, map your full hardware bill of materials down to the microcomponent level before entering the process — unknown Chinese components in the supply chain are the most common failure point. Second, be prepared to demonstrate U.S. manufacturing plans or partnerships, as the current administration strongly prioritizes domestic production. Third, focus on differentiated, future-oriented capabilities. The market is saturated with quadcopters and FPV drones, while demand is growing for long-range, high-payload systems suited for large-scale combat operations.