After the Blue UAS refresh event earlier this month, DIU announced that, “Current Blue UAS companies that are not renewed have an opportunity to be added to AUVSI’s Green UAS list to continue selling to non-DOD government agencies and entities that require proof of NDAA compliance.” The AUVSI Advocacy team sat down with Casie Ocaña, Director of Trusted Programs and AUVSI’s point of contact with DIU’s autonomy team, to help us better understand what this means for secure drones. Q: What exactly does DIU’s announcement about the Green UAS to Blue UAS pathway mean?

Today, Day One of the 2024 FAA Drone and AAM Symposium opened with keynote remarks by AUVSI President and CEO, Michael Robbins. Remarks as prepared: It’s great to see everyone here at the Baltimore Convention Center for this year’s FAA Drone & AAM Symposium – the 8th consecutive staging of this event as a collaboration between AUVSI and the FAA. We’re grateful for their partnership and eagerness to meet directly with industry. 

Last week, Max Rosen, Director of Government Affairs for AUVSI, attended the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) International Aviation Safety Conference in Washington, DC. Several AUVSI and Air Advocacy Committee members were in attendance, alongside many senior officials from both FAA and EASA. The event was sponsored by AUVSI and members RTX, Boeing, Joby, and Wisk. 

As April ends, several state legislatures have adjourned for the remainder of the session. Due to elections, sessions in even-numbered years are often shorter than those in odd-numbered ones. Eight states adjourned this month, bringing the total to nineteen states already adjourned for their 2024 regular sessions.   What We’re Seeing  With the legislative sessions winding down, we saw fewer new bills introduced and began to see more bills enacted into law. This includes forward leaning enabling legislation for both air and ground vehicles: