Blue UAS Framework Components
What Is the Blue UAS Framework Program?
The Blue UAS Framework is managed by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), which took over the Blue UAS Framework and Blue UAS Cleared lists from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in 2025. It vets sUAS components, such as flight controllers, ESCs, radios and image sensors, against NDAA '20 Section 848 so that a government program, a prime or an integrator can build on them knowing the supply chain has already been reviewed. The program exists to give the Department of Defense:
- greater levels of fielded autonomy across DoD sUAS programs;
- a competitive, healthy, sustainable and trusted sUAS components industry;
- common enabling components that reduce development time and cost;
- a one-to-two-year lead on DoD needs, by testing forward-looking technology on trusted platforms with programs and end users in the loop.
Framework is one of three Blue UAS designations and it covers components only. Complete aircraft are vetted separately onto the Blue UAS Cleared List, also managed by DCMA. The third designation, Blue UAS Cleared Select, adds a DIU-approved authority to operate on top of Cleared status, through service sponsorship or competitive selection, and remains with DIU. Stinger Vision FPV and Seeker Vision FPV joined the Cleared Select list in 2025. A Framework part does not make an aircraft Cleared, and a Cleared aircraft does not clear its parts for use elsewhere. Our guide to the defense acts explains how Section 848, the American Security Drone Act and Blue UAS fit together.
ModalAI and the Framework
ModalAI has worked alongside the Blue UAS program since DIU launched it in 2020. In 2020 we received a $3 million award to advance Blue UAS autopilots assembled in the USA, and VOXL Flight became the first single-board Framework autopilot with a flight controller and companion computer together. In 2022 VOXL 2 launched as the founding autopilot of Blue UAS Framework 2.0, and in 2023 VOXL 2 Mini brought the same stack to an 11 g board. In 2025 our video system, power modules, modems and image sensors were added to the list as well, so a complete aircraft can be built from Framework components alone.
ModalAI Blue UAS Framework Components
| Category | Component | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Autopilots | VOXL 2 | 16 g. Qualcomm QRB5165, 15 TOPS, PX4 or ArduPilot on the sensors DSP. Founding autopilot of Framework 2.0. |
| Autopilots | VOXL 2 Mini | 11 g, 42 mm square, 30.5 mm mounting pattern. The compute inside Stinger Vision FPV. |
| ESCs | VOXL ESC Mini 4-in-1, VOXL ESC FPV 4-in-1 | Brushless drone ESCs with closed-loop RPM control, designed, built and tested in the USA. |
| Radios | ELRS 915 MHz Gemini Receiver | Dual 868/915 MHz diversity receiver, 50 mW, assembled in the USA. |
| Video | MVX FPV Video Receiver (VRX) | Digital, encrypted FPV receiver; the MVX VTX ships inside Stinger Vision FPV. |
| Image sensors | IMX412 4K, AR0144 tracking, IMX664 low-light FPV | MIPI sensor modules for VOXL 2 and VOXL 2 Mini, built in the USA. |
| Thermal | VOXL 2 MIPI Boson+ Adapter | Carries a FLIR Boson+ thermal core for IR FPV. |
| Connectivity | M0130 LTE add-on, Microhard modem add-on, Microhard pDDL USB dongle | Cellular and point-to-point datalinks for VOXL 2. |
| Power | VOXL Power Module v3 | Regulated power for the autopilot, flight controller and ESCs. |
Browse the full Blue UAS Framework components collection. The authoritative list is now published by DCMA on the Blue UAS List site, reached from the Framework page; check it for the current status of any part.
Aircraft Built From Framework Components
| Aircraft | Designation |
|---|---|
| Stinger Vision FPV | On the Blue UAS Cleared Select list. Built entirely from Framework components on VOXL 2 Mini, with digital encrypted video and GPS-denied autonomy. See the Cleared drones collection. |
| Starling 2 Max | NDAA-compliant development drone built on the Framework-listed VOXL 2. Not a Cleared aircraft; the right starting point for a program that will integrate its own payload. |
Building an NDAA-Compliant System
Pick the flight controller, radio, camera and ESC from the Framework list before the airframe is designed around them, keep the provenance of every critical component, and expect the customer to ask whether the complete aircraft is Cleared. For help specifying a compliant system, contact us, or start at the Blue UAS overview.