The growing importance of the Blue UAS Cleared List
The US Department of Defense added the Skydio X10D to the Blue UAS Cleared List in May 2024. (Photo: Skydio)
Inclusion on the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS Cleared List is set to become ever more crucial for uncrewed aerial vehicle manufacturers due to the access it gives to the US market, which is set to expand significantly over the next 10 years.
US-based drone manufacturer Skydio announced on 14 October that it had been awarded a US$7.9 million contract to deliver its X10D rotary-wing uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of the US Army’s Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Tranche 2 Low-Rate Initial Production contract.
This contract is the second Skydio has received for the drone through the SRR effort, having delivered a batch of X10Ds to the Army in May 2025, in a contract now believed to be worth $4.4 million based on Skydio’s confirmation that it had been awarded $12.3 million in SRR contracts in FY2025.
Benefits of inclusion
These acquisitions of Skydio’s X10D were no doubt expedited by its inclusion on the DIU’s Blue UAS Cleared List; a list containing commercially available drones compliant with current US law and policy, validated as cyber-secure, and available for Department of Defense (DoD) purchase and operation.
Related Articles
“Gloves are off” as US Defense Secretary memo calls for sweeping drone procurement reform
According to the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the list enables end-users in the US DoD and the government to acquire systems within a far faster and more cost-effective timeline than traditional Programs of Record (PoR).
For manufacturers, inclusion means that more operators across the US military and federal government can acquire the platform more easily, unlocking access to a larger market. This was evidenced by Mark Valentine, president of global government at Skydio, who stated that inclusion was a “critical distinction for Skydio”, while the company confirmed the X10D had been added in 2024.
Growing US market
The US UAV market is vast, and it is forecast to grow year-on-year. Shephard Defence Insight data shows that the US market accounts for 51.64% of all UAV global spending, with the country forecast to spend $73.95 billion on UAVs over the next 10 years.
The US is projected to spend 70.85% more than European spending combined, and the total is far greater than the other highest spending nations: India, Saudi Arabia, Germany and the UK. US annual spending will overtake Europe in 2027, and is forecast to continue rising annually over the following decade to a peak of around $12 billion per annum in 2033 and 2034.
The scale of the US market and its projected expansion compared to others means that, for UAV manufacturers, getting onto the Blue UAS Cleared List with the access to the market it offers is vital, and will only become more so in the future.
These market opportunities within the US are geared towards US manufacturers, which, as of October 2025, accounted for 23 out of the 28 suppliers on the Blue UAS Cleared List. Even companies that were initially based outside the country, such as Germany’s Quantum-Systems, have US-based facilities.
Having a US presence is vital, as not only does it seemingly increase your chances of being approved for the Blue UAS list, which in turn grants market access, but also the US is actively pursuing policies to produce and acquire more UAVs domestically, as defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced in July 2025.
As Shephard reported, Hegseth stated that he would rescind “restrictive policies” that “hindered production and limited access” to drone technologies. He outlined a threefold mission for the relevant authorities to procure and operate drones: bolstering US drone manufacturing, arming the US armed forces with “low-cost” drones, and integrating them into combat training.
International appeal
Inclusion on the list can also lead to international success. It signals to US-allied countries that the drone is cyber-safe for their own usage. As such, aircraft on the list have been sold throughout the world.
As shown above, Europe is a popular region for these UAVs, with France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK operating at least one Blue UAS-approved aircraft.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Blue UAS-approved system with the most international customers is the Vector from Quantum-Systems. First shown at the Paris Air Show in 2019, the German-made aircraft has a two-in-one design, with a common fuselage that can be configured to operate as the fixed-wing Vector or the rotary-wing Scorpion.
Germany appears to be the Vector’s biggest customer. Across three procurement contracts, with the first beginning in 2022, the German government is known to have acquired 438 Vector two-in-one drones for Ukraine. The first order for 33 units began in April 2022, while the second for 105 was announced in January 2023 and the third for 300 was announced in May 2023.
In addition, in November 2022, the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) published details on its desire to award a framework contract for procuring short-range drones under the FALKE programme. Quantum-Systems successfully submitted the proposal, and on 26 September 2023, it signed a framework agreement with the BAAINBw for the programme.
Vector customers
| Ordered | Delivered | Inventory | OSD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 AUSTRALIA | 55 | U | U | 2040 |
 COLOMBIA | U | U | U | 2039 |
 GERMANY | 452 | U | 14 | U |
 INDIA | U | U | U | 2039 |
 NETHERLANDS | 75 | U | U | 2037 |
 NEW ZEALAND | 12 | 12 | 12 | 2039 |
 ROMANIA | 95 | U | U | 2039 |
 SPAIN | 182 | U | U | 2040 |
 UKRAINE | 100 | 100 | 212 | 2032 |
 USA | U | U | U | 20 |
OSD = Out-of-service date
U = Unverified
As shown above, the UAV has also been supplied to numerous countries. Like the X10D, its inclusion on the Blue UAS Cleared List no doubt helped in its acquisition by the US.
At IDEX 2023, Quantum-Systems representatives told Shephard that the aircraft had been acquired by the US Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). US Marine Corps documentation released later revealed that this purchase was part of the MARSOC’s Short Range/Short Endurance (SR/SE) effort, which has seen an estimated 562 SR/SE drones acquired for an estimated $40.22 million.
At the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week expo in 2024, the company told Shephard that the US DoD had also acquired the system, giving it to Ukraine and Colombia.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Vector / Scorpion (Ukraine Aid) [Germany]
Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![What does the FY2027 US budget signal for the country’s future airpower plans?]()
What does the FY2027 US budget signal for the country’s future airpower plans?
The record-breaking defence budget request focuses on bolstering some core next-generation aircraft programmes across each domain, although questions remain on the US's commitment to some key defence programmes.
-
![Can UK interceptor efforts keep pace with the rising drone threat?]()
Can UK interceptor efforts keep pace with the rising drone threat?
The recent acquisition announcement for Cambridge Aerospace’s Skyhammer solution is a key step in the UK’s efforts to bolster its counter-UAS capabilities, but more still needs to be done to tackle even smaller drone threats.
-
![Saab Gripen E/F: the multirole fighter that’s seeing a resurgence (updated 2026)]()
Saab Gripen E/F: the multirole fighter that’s seeing a resurgence (updated 2026)
The single-engine multirole fighter jet is seeing heightened demand with a sizeable orderbook and expanding export potential, as Shephard summarises the aircraft’s latest orders and developments.
