NDAA

The defense bill that decides which drones American agencies may fly — Section 1709, the Covered List, and the compliance fight.

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Nov 8

Last updated

SiFly Q12 drone with a yellow fuselage and long slender arms against a black backdrop

Industry

SiFly Raises $20M to Build 1,000 US Drones With Chinese Motors

SiFly raised a $20 million Series A to start Q12 production. Its motors still come from China, and its CEO says full reshoring is not physically possible.

Haye KestelooAug 27

Grey Kraken uncrewed surface vessel moored at a floating dock beside a stealth-hulled dstl and L3Harris crewed boat

Security

Royal Navy Drone Cameras Phoned China, And The Paperwork Said NDAA-Compliant

Cameras on the Royal Navy's K3 Scout sea drones sent heartbeat signals to a Chinese IP address. Kraken says the units were NDAA-compliant.

Haye KestelooAug 10

Three DARPA Lift Challenge team members in red shirts carry a long tubular heavy-lift drone airframe across the grass field at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Technology

DARPA Lift Challenge Opens In Dayton With A Prize Rule That Plans For Failure

More than 90 teams are flying the DARPA Lift Challenge at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force through August 9, chasing a 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio for a share of $6.5 million. DARPA's own prize rules cut the top three awards in half if nobody clears 4:1, and the agency still has not resolved what the FCC Covered List means for the parts these American teams built with.

Haye KestelooAug 4

Three Skydio Dock for X10 stations on a rooftop with the Tampa skyline behind them

Blue UAS

Skydio Lands Entire Drone Lineup on Blue UAS Cleared List, and the Grant Money Follows

Skydio's X10, Dock for X10, and R10 join the X10D on the Blue UAS Cleared List, unlocking federal grant eligibility and cementing its DFR lead while rivals stay locked out.

Haye KestelooJul 23

Fikaxo E1 clone drone used as the cover image for the FCC foreign drone sales ban story

DJI

FCC Proposes Sales Ban On Foreign Thermal, LiDAR, And Docking Drones

The FCC extended Covered List exemptions for trusted drones through January 1, 2028, but in the same move proposed cutting off imports and sales of foreign-made thermal, LiDAR, docking, spraying, swarming, defense-integrated, and 55-pound-plus drones. That combination gives approved U.S.-aligned manufacturers more runway while putting public safety, agriculture, and survey fleets on notice.

Haye KestelooJul 22

Mountain Horse Talon DT-300 heavy-lift drone carrying a suspended cargo bundle in flight

Drone Delivery

Mountain Horse Talon DT-300 Puts 100 Pounds on Blue UAS List

Mountain Horse Solutions is pitching the Talon DT-300 Drone Plus to U.S. government buyers with a simple argument: this fully electric tandem-rotor VTOL can lift 100 pounds and already sits on the Pentagon's Blue UAS Cleared List.

Rafael SuárezJul 21

Hoverfly

Hoverfly Launches NDAA-Compliant Drone Components Line, Betting on Blue UAS Demand

Hoverfly Technologies has launched Hoverfly Elements, a new business division selling NDAA-compliant drone components built for defense and commercial UAS manufacturers. The Sanford, Florida-based company unveiled the line at Xponential 2026, and its first products are drone motors and electronic speed controllers built with Korea Robot Manufacturing, plus GPS modules developed with Septentrio, a

Haye KestelooJul 4

Congress Mandates Security Evaluation of DJI and Autel Drones in FY25 NDAA Bill

Autel Robotics

Autel Tells FCC The Drone Ban Rests On Secret Evidence And Borrowed Allegations Aimed At DJI

Autel Robotics filed a reply at the Federal Communications Commission arguing the agency added the company to its Covered List on the basis of classified material Autel was never allowed to see and technical complaints originally aimed at DJI. The reply landed in ET Docket 26-23 for the May 11, 2026 deadline, and it sharpens…

Haye KestelooMay 19

NDAA

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