Second UAS Covered List Blue UAS
The FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau updates the Covered List to exempt specified uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components based on a January 7, 2026 Department of War national security determination.
What it does The notice removes from the Covered List, until January 1, 2027, UAS and UAS critical components included on the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS Cleared List and those qualifying as “domestic end products” under the Buy American Standard in 48 CFR § 25.101(a). The updated list continues to cover foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components, subject to those exemptions, as well as communications and video surveillance equipment and services listed in section 1709(a)(1) of the FY2025 NDAA. Appendix B reproduces the supporting DoW determination.
Who it affects The action affects UAS manufacturers, component suppliers, importers, equipment authorization applicants, testing laboratories, and telecommunications certification bodies. It also guides FCC staff and TCBs on applying the revised Covered List. The exemptions concern systems and components on the Blue UAS lists and products meeting the Buy American domestic-end-product standard; the latter requires U.S. manufacture and domestic component costs exceeding 65 percent of the finished product’s total cost.
Why it matters The notice creates temporary, defined exclusions from the FCC’s foreign-produced UAS restriction while preserving the broader national-security control. It ties eligibility to DoW’s security assessment and domestic-content criteria, with both determinations subject to reassessment before expiration.
Key dates and numbers
- December 22, 2025: FCC added foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components to the Covered List.
- January 7, 2026: DoW determination and FCC update released.
- January 1, 2027: Blue UAS and domestic-end-product exemptions terminate unless superseded or reassessed.
- 65%: minimum domestic-component cost share stated for the domestic-end-product standard.