Regulatory intelligence
Analysis of the regulations, enforcement actions, and supply chain events shaping defense drone manufacturing.
Gauntlet Phase II: What Every DoD Drone Vendor Needs Before August 2026
Phase II expands NDAA §848 coverage to batteries, motors, and ESCs — the components most drone programs still source from China. With the August 2026 deadline approaching, vendors need automated BOM screening to identify exposure before it becomes a contract risk.
ASDA Is Now Active: What Drone Manufacturers Need to Do
December 22, 2025 was the inflection point. FAR 52.240-1 is now active, extending beyond DoD to all federal agencies. The FCC expanded critical components to include motors and batteries. Here’s what compliance looks like now.
The Skydio Battery Crisis: Why Single-Source Dependencies Break Defense Programs
In October 2024, China sanctioned Skydio and its battery supplier cut them off overnight. $1.2 billion in bookings were at risk from a dependency most people didn’t know existed. The lesson applies to every Blue UAS platform.
The Drone Dominance Program’s Supply Chain Challenge: 200,000 Drones by 2027
The Pentagon’s $1.1 billion program needs 200,000+ drones from 25 vendors. Domestic component capacity is orders of magnitude below what’s needed, and most vendors share the same critical suppliers. Automated compliance tooling isn’t optional.