Palmdale, Calif. –
Defense Contract Management Agency’s Special Programs Unmanned Systems-Experimental, or US-X, launched its Blue List Unmanned Aircraft Systems website Dec. 3, creating an effective and flexible path for delivering critical drones and drone components to America’s warfighters.
The website marks a successful Blue List responsibility change from the Defense Innovation Unit to DCMA.
“Launching the Blue List website is a major step forward,” said Air Force Col. Dustin Thomas, DCMA US-X commander. “DIU built a great prototype, and DCMA is now scaling it for use across the Department of War, and this is only the beginning.”
The website exceeded the timeline goals established by DOW in a July memorandum, “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance,” said Thomas.
"Through the Blue List, DCMA US-X is already transforming our warfighting capability by getting unmanned systems rapidly fielded at the tactical level,” said Sonya Ebright, DCMA acting director. “It’s going to help spur a revival of our defense industrial base. And it’ll ultimately lead to much-needed changes in our acquisition processes.”
As DOW acquisition models change to meet the needs of the operational climate, the Blue List website demonstrates how a new procurement strategy can more effectively deliver products our warfighters need to fight, survive and win, said Ebright.
US-X plans to make the Blue List a true marketplace where servicemembers can purchase trusted drones and drone components scaled to all aspects of unmanned systems, according to Thomas.
“DCMA’s Blue List delivers the capability, value and rigor to reach across thousands of suppliers, helping the services field new technologies faster and with confidence,” said Thomas. “It is an enabler for getting UAS to the warfighter to prepare for any future conflict.”
The new website offers warfighters safe, fast, and flexible options and transforms a fragmented market into a trusted pipeline, said Thomas.
“The team worked tirelessly to ensure the website (and prospective marketplace) gives warfighters a single, easy-to-use source of vetted options,” said Army Maj. Eric Scholl, Blue List program manager.
According to Scholl, DCMA plans to scale and improve the Blue List website. The agency’s goal is for the website to become a true marketplace for U.S. military services by the end of 2027, expanding supplier onboarding, assessor coverage, and service integrations.
"The Blue List will evolve into an interconnected ecosystem where manufacturers, researchers and end-users work together within the procurement process to drive innovation and efficiency at the speed of the warfighter,” said Scholl.
“US-X is already helping transform our warfighting capability by getting unmanned systems rapidly fielded at the tactical level,” said Ebright. “This US-X DCMA managed list will incentivize industry to reduce costs and encourage innovation. Most importantly, it will get critical drones and components into warfighter hands as fast as Amazon delivers consumer goods to homes.”
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 increasingly deliver high numbers of low cost, reliable drones to our warfighters.
“It’s stimulating a revival of our defense industrial base that is leading to essential and long-promised changes in our acquisition processes,” said Ebright.