EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –
The Defense Contract Management Agency recently launched its latest warfighter support mission establishing Special Programs Unmanned Systems-Experimental, or US-X, to align with a War Department acquisition priority of “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance.”
“DCMA Unmanned Systems is about precision, speed and an unsentimental approach to the next era of defense acquisition,” said Sonya Ebright, DCMA’s acting director. “It’s our first integration of mainstream and Special Programs. It’s off-leash in some ways, expected to go faster, be more flexible, less risk-adverse and draw the map for future programs to follow. It’s our racecar and a test bed, and we’ll use the things that work best to make our entire fleet better.”
A key aspect of this organizational focus is managing the Department of War’s Blue List program, a multi-tiered operational unit and defense industrial base support network designed to drive rapid development, vigorous production and efficient delivery of unmanned aircraft systems and components.
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has directed us to ‘unleash the combined potential of American manufacturing and warfighter ingenuity’ through the Blue List, a completely new type of marketplace that will push the small drone competitive space,” said Ebright. “This US-X managed list will incentivize industry to lower costs and encourage innovation. More importantly, it will get critical drones and components into warfighter hands as fast as Amazon delivers goods to your home.”
To accelerate the commercialization of drone technologies, US-X plans to champion industrial access by simplifying the application and onboarding process for American companies.
“The Blue List onboarding process is still being prototyped, but the concept is straightforward: focus on components rather than full systems,” said Air Force Col. Dustin Thomas, DCMA US-X commander. “To meet the secretary of war’s intent for faster, easier onboarding, we designed a process where a military unit sponsors a desired (small) UAS, delivers the aircraft for inspection, and every component is logged against the Blue List.”
If all components are already approved, a certification is triggered, and the product is added to the Blue List program.
“If we find a component not yet on the list, only that part goes to deeper review with a recognized assessor, while we also identify alternative components already approved if the company is willing to adjust,” said Thomas. “That balance of speed and rigor makes the process both credible and fast. DCMA US-X and the Defense Innovation Unit are engaged from the very beginning. We’re not waiting for a package to arrive; we’re side-by-side with the company troubleshooting and guiding them through requirements in real time.”
According to Army Maj. Eric Scholl, DCMA Blue List program manager, this mindset was recently tested when three operational units — Edwards’ Experimental Test Force, United States Special Operations Command, and the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment — nominated companies to participate in the submission and onboarding test evaluation.
Titan Dynamics, an additive-manufactured UAS and software company, participated in the pilot.
“Going into this pilot, our expectation was that the Blue List process would be slow and resource-intensive,” said Noah Benton, Titan Dynamics chief technology officer. “What impressed us is how the in-development onboarding process actually empowered us to accelerate forward with new improvements. It aligned perfectly with how Titan Dynamics uses additive manufacturing to rapidly adapt and deliver new capabilities.”
After joining the test evaluation, the in-development onboarding process impressed Benton and his team.
“With the Blue Framework, the process became seamless,” he said. “We submitted a bill of materials and received precise feedback on a few non-compliant components. We re-engineered, rebuilt, and resubmitted on the same day. From the first email to Blue List placement, it took only 10 days. The fact that our aircraft was only at Edwards for three days to validate components shows how dramatically faster this framework enables the Department to receive secure and mission-ready systems.”
In the past, similar challenges could extend the review and approval process significantly.
“The Titan Dynamics case was our first real test,” said Thomas. “Their initial submission wasn’t compliant, but instead of sending them away for months, we worked the challenges together with Edwards’ Experimental Test Force. That collaboration meant we resolved the problems and resubmitted in days, not quarters. Our team worked with the company to identify compliant replacement parts and Titan Dynamics quickly rebuilt the drone. Once resubmitted with all compliant parts, the system was placed on the Blue List in just three days.”
Benton explained that while the process is still early, it shows a ton of promise. He engaged with Thomas and Scholl throughout the process and submitted feedback regarding specific components not yet available on the Blue Framework.
Such improvement suggestions were a key aspect of the onboarding test and will benefit US-X and future industry partners.
“The more the list of approved components expands, the more we, and the broader U.S. drone sector, can accelerate delivery of secure, innovative airframes that strengthen our nation’s defense,” said Benton. “We’re grateful to the DCMA team for creating a system that listens to industry input and accelerates progress forward for American drone innovation.”
As US-X evolves its Blue List support to meet developing mission objectives, much will change. Its focus on cost savings and efficiency will remain constant ensuring excellence in warfighter and industry support.
“Every day we shave off the onboarding cycle is money saved — both for the company and the department,” said Thomas. “By narrowing reviews to only the components that matter, we avoid re-litigating entire systems. That translates directly into reduced non-recurring costs and faster scaling. An assessment costs upwards of $80K. By focusing on the components, costs can be reduced to between $5K-$20K depending on the complexity of each component. In addition, by focusing on the components, the cost can be shared and spread among many more vendors, ultimately reducing the high cost of entry to the Blue List.”
“Operationally, it means more drones in the hands of warfighters when they need them, instead of sitting in certification queues,” he continued. “Over time, the fiscal benefits grow as the Blue List builds out. Companies can reuse approved parts and go faster with each iteration.”
Resource allocation serves a key role in mission, operational and fiscal success for the defense and commercial industries. To reach DOW’s “Drone Dominance” objectives, public and private sectors must reshape past practices and embrace cooperative innovation.
“Drone dominance requires more than just swift delivery,” said Ebright. “US-X will also play a crucial role in exploring and fostering long-term strategies to grow a domestic industrial base that can unceasingly deliver high numbers of low-cost, reliable drones to our warfighters. Our war machine needs to be able to deliver punch, after punch, after punch. And US-X will look even further ahead, helping explore how battlefield manufacturing can fuel the speed and scale of putting drones into the fight. Soon our front lines will build devices on-demand, in the field or at sea, tailoring them to the mission. I am proud to be a part of this historic moment and look forward to watching US-X takeoff, land and flourish.”