The FCC Covered List and drones, in plain language

Updated October 12, 2026 · The Autonomy Runway Team

Since December 2025, the FCC's Covered List has shaped which drones and drone parts can come to the U.S. market. This page explains what the list is, what it does and does not do, and the three ways a drone or drone part can be exempt.

The Covered List is the FCC's list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or to the safety and security of people in the U.S. It was created by the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.

The FCC does not decide on its own what goes on the list. It can update the list only at the direction of a qualifying national security authority, and it carries out determinations made by Executive Branch agencies with national security expertise.

Most electronic devices, drones included, need FCC equipment authorization before they can be imported, marketed, or sold in the U.S. Equipment on the Covered List cannot receive that authorization.

• December 22, 2025: the FCC added all drones (uncrewed aircraft systems) and drone critical components produced in foreign countries to the Covered List.
• January 7, 2026: the FCC exempted certain drones and critical components until January 1, 2027.
• July 21, 2026: the FCC extended those exemptions until January 1, 2028, and Conditional Approvals no longer end on December 31, 2026 (FCC Public Notice DA 26-761).

• It applies to new models: models that did not receive a valid FCC authorization before December 22, 2025.
• Models authorized before that date may continue to be used, sold, imported, and marketed in the U.S.
• Drone makers can ask for a Conditional Approval for new models (see below).

Two related FCC actions build on this. From October 13, 2026, new devices that contain logic-bearing parts made by companies on the FCC Covered List cannot receive FCC authorization. And the FCC has proposed ending the continued import and sale of some already-authorized foreign drones in seven categories; that proposal has not been adopted. Both are on the Autonomy Runway Updates page.

1. The Blue UAS Cleared List and Framework

The Blue UAS Cleared List, now managed by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), lists drone systems and components approved by the Department of War. The FCC describes these drones as compliant with current law and policy, validated as cyber-secure, and exempt from the Covered List. The Blue UAS Framework lists approved components. Both are at bluelist.dcma.mil. The FCC's exemption for drones and components on the Blue UAS Cleared List runs until January 1, 2028.

2. Domestic end product

Drones and drone critical components that qualify as a "domestic end product" under the Buy American standard (48 CFR 25.101(a)) are exempt until January 1, 2028. The FCC lists two conditions:

• The item must be manufactured in the United States.
• The cost of its domestic components must be more than 65% of the total cost of all its components. This rises to 75% beginning in 2029.

3. Conditional Approvals

The Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security reviews individual requests for a determination that a specific drone or drone component does not pose an unacceptable risk. Companies that make drones or drone critical components can apply by submitting the information the FCC's guidance asks for. Approvals are decided case by case, and the FCC publishes the full list of Conditional Approvals on its Covered List page. Since July 21, 2026, an approval has no end date while the company follows the plan to make the product in the U.S. that it gave in its request; it ends if the company does not follow that plan, or if the request held a false statement.

• The Covered List
• Conditional Approvals granted so far
• FCC fact sheets and FAQs on drones and drone critical components
• How to apply for a Conditional Approval
• Blue UAS Cleared List and Framework

This page explains the rules in general terms. Companies decide which path fits their own products with their own counsel.

• Federal Communications Commission, "The FCC's Covered List," presentation on drones, September 14, 2026.
• FCC Public Notice DA 25-1086, December 22, 2025.
• FCC Public Notice DA 26-22, January 7, 2026.
• Defense Innovation Unit, notice of the Blue UAS Cleared List transition to DCMA, December 3, 2025.