AUVSI Launches Green UAS for Cybersecurity Certification of Commercial Drones

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

AUVSI announced today the launch of Green UAS, a program seeking to verify a greater number of commercial UAS in line with the highest levels of cybersecurity and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) supply chain requirements.

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Based on the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’s Blue UAS certification program, Green UAS is meant for customers without an immediate need for Department of Defense (DoD) authority to operate. Green UAS also provides a​ simpler ​pathway to the Blue UAS 2.0 cleared list.

Green UAS is the next step in drone security certification for the growing number of customers utilizing commercial drones. Customers include federal government agencies, local law enforcement, first responders and state departments of transportation; and industrial enterprise users such as energy and utilities, telecoms, manufacturing, food and agriculture, and logistics and mapping/surveying companies.

Although Blue UAS has established a pathway for the DoD to purchase compliant commercial drone technology, it ​lacks the funding or mandate to ​scale to meet the increasing demand for non-DoD customers.

“​Strengthening the​ domestic drone industry ​is critical in providing options for Government agencies to get the trusted UAS they need to meet their mission​— and industry organizations are well-suited to ​help the Government ​meet the need for a rapid, scalable solution,” said David Michelson, DIU Program Manager for Blue UAS. “We look forward to reviewing AUVSI’s certifications when drone companies that are Green UAS certified​ have a DoD sponsor that wants them​ to ​​​​convert ​to ​Blue UAS certification.”

Green UAS is the first product of AUVSI’s Trusted Cyber Program, which launched last August with the assistance of leading cybersecurity firm Fortress Information Security. In collaboration with a network of cybersecurity firms, AUVSI will quickly evaluate certification-seeking drones in a number of categories such as product and device security, corporate cyber hygiene, and for drones that are not seeking to go from Green to Blue, remote operations and connectivity.

The Green UAS launch builds on AUVSI’s collaboration with DIU to advance commercial cyber methodologies to establish a shared requirement. AUVSI’s relationship with commercial drone vendors and DIU enables its Trusted Cyber Program to satisfy the rising demand for vetted drones and to standardize cybersecurity requirements.

“AUVSI’s Green UAS is a solution to existing cybersecurity and supply chain verification challenges and will serve the UAS community, end-users, and federal partners,” said AUVSI Chief Advocacy Officer Michael Robbins. “This falls squarely in line with our mission to help drive a safe and secure UAS market demand and provide a more competitive marketplace for all.”

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.