Following Department of War Determination, FCC Exempts First Batch of Trusted Drones 
FCC Updates Covered List to Include First Conditional Approvals 

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to remove four Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) determined by the Department of War (DoW) to not pose national security risks:

· SiFly Aviation, Inc. Q12 Uncrewed Aircraft System 
· Mobilicom SkyHopper Series / M Band / Tactical Data Link, Various Controllers, and ICE, OS3 Security Software 
· ScoutDI Scout 137 Uncrewed Aircraft System 
· Verge, Inc. X1 Uncrewed Aircraft System

Last year, following an interagency determination of unacceptable national security risks, the FCC added all UAS and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country to the Covered List, preventing them getting approval for the import or sale of new models in the U.S.  In January of this year, DoW made a further determination that (until Jan. 1, 2027), three types of UAS and UAS critical components do not pose such risks: those that are UAS and UAS critical components included on DoW’s Blue UAS Cleared List; UAS and UAS critical components that qualify as “domestic end products” under the Buy American Standard; and UAS and UAS critical components that receive “Conditional Approval.”

Today, the FCC received its first batch of Conditional Approvals and updated the Covered List accordingly to exempt “devices which have been granted Conditional Approval.”  Conditional Approvals will be listed and continually updated on the FCC’s website.   

Entities seeking to get individual Conditional Approvals for their covered UAS and UAS critical components should submit the required information to drones@fcc.gov, where it will then be forwarded to DoW and the Department of Homeland Security for a determination.  The FCC has also compiled a list of FAQs on updates to the Covered List.

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Media Contact: MediaRelations@fcc.gov / (202) 418-0500
@FCC / www.fcc.gov

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).