Government and public agency procurement

If you buy drones with federal money, the rules changed on 22 December 2025 and most of what is written about them online is out of date. This page sets out what the law actually says, which instruments in our catalog are on the published cleared list and which are not, and how a public agency raises a purchase order with us. Every compliance claim below is cited to a published source rather than asserted.

The short version

• Two of the aircraft we sell are on the Blue UAS Cleared List, the Inspired Flight IF800 Tomcat and the IF1200A. Both are built in the United States.
• DJI and Autel are not. Both are named on the Department of Defense 1260H list, and federal funds cannot be used to acquire or operate them. We sell them, we say plainly that a federally funded buyer cannot use federal money on them, and we would rather lose the line than land you with an audit finding.
• The prohibition now covers operation, not just purchase. Since 22 December 2025 an executive agency may not operate a prohibited system it already owns.
• It reaches grant recipients. Federal funds awarded through a contract, grant or cooperative agreement cannot be used to procure such a system, or in connection with operating one. That catches a great many university and state programs.
• Purchase orders accepted, with the W-9 and vendor pack attached to the quote and 90 day validity.

Section 848 in plain English

Section 848 of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act is where this starts. It prohibited the Department of Defense from procuring or operating unmanned aircraft systems manufactured in, or containing critical components sourced from, the People's Republic of China. It applied to one department, and for several years that is where it stopped.

The phrase "NDAA compliant" entered the industry from that provision and has been used loosely ever since. It is worth being precise about what it means, because a vendor telling you an aircraft is "NDAA compliant" is making a claim about a specific list, and you are entitled to ask which one.

What counts as a critical component

The statute names them rather than leaving it to interpretation: flight controllers, radios, data transmission devices, cameras, gimbals, ground control systems and operating software, and data storage units. An aircraft assembled in a permitted country with a covered flight controller inside it is not compliant, which is why final assembly location on its own tells you nothing.

What actually changed, and when

The American Security Drone Act of 2023 was enacted as part of the FY2024 NDAA and took the restriction government wide. The dates matter more than the drafting.

Which of our instruments are on the cleared list

Two, and we are not going to pad the number.

The Blue UAS Cleared List is maintained by the Department of Defense and carried more than fifty platforms as of early 2026. Note that it has moved. It was published by the Defense Innovation Unit and has transitioned to the Defense Contract Management Agency. If a supplier sends you a DIU link, the list they are quoting may not be the current one. Check the source, not the summary.

The rest of the catalog, stated plainly

DJI and Autel Robotics are both named on the Department of Defense 1260H list. Universities and agencies publishing their own guidance name them explicitly. We carry both ranges and they are excellent instruments for a buyer who is not spending federal money. If you are, they are not available to you, and no amount of reading the specification sheet changes that. Ask us before you build a requisition around one and we will tell you the same thing then.

Buying from us as a public agency

1. Tell us the mission and the constraint. What has to be measured, to what accuracy, and which approved list you are working to. If your agency has adopted a list that is narrower than the federal one, say so at the start.
2. We quote by the next working day at the latest. Itemized, on Boddie LLC letterhead, with manufacturer part numbers so the requisition matches the order matches the invoice.
3. The W-9 and vendor pack come attached. Legal entity, state of formation, remit-to and accepted payment methods, so the supplier record can be opened without a second round of emails.
4. The quote holds for 90 days, which covers a normal approval cycle without prices moving underneath you.
5. Send the purchase order to support@mysurveyingdirect.com. We acknowledge it and confirm what happens next.
6. Equipment ships direct from the manufacturer to your receiving dock with tracking, and we invoice against the purchase order on net 30 terms.

Sole source letters on request, written against your specification, where a named instrument genuinely meets a requirement that alternatives do not. We will not write one where it is not true, because a sole source letter that does not survive scrutiny costs you more than the competition would have.

Questions agencies ask us

Can you certify that an aircraft is NDAA compliant?

No, and neither can any other reseller. Compliance is determined by the published lists and by the manufacturer's own declaration, not by a dealer's marketing. What we will do is point you at the list entry and the manufacturer statement so your contracting officer can verify it independently. That is worth more to you than our assurance.

Does buying with state or local money change anything?

Federally, yes. The American Security Drone Act restrictions attach to executive agencies and to federal funds awarded through contracts, grants and cooperative agreements. A purchase made entirely with state or local money is outside that statute. Several states have since passed their own restrictions, and those are separate, so check your own state procurement code before you rely on this. We are a reseller, not your counsel.

We already own covered aircraft. What now?

That is a question for your compliance office rather than for us, and anyone selling you a replacement while answering it should be treated carefully. What we can tell you is what a like for like replacement looks like from the cleared list and what it costs, so the decision has a real number attached.

Do you do public safety and forensics work?

The instruments we sell are used for scene capture, collision reconstruction and emergency response. If that is the application, tell us the working conditions rather than the model you had in mind, because a scene at night in the rain and a survey grade mapping flight are different specification problems.

Sources

• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, Section 848.
• American Security Drone Act of 2023, enacted in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act, Sections 1822, 1823 and 1825.
• FAR 52.240-1, Prohibition on Unmanned Aircraft Systems Manufactured or Assembled by American Security Drone Act-Covered Foreign Entities, and the implementing interim rule published in the Federal Register on 12 November 2024.
• Blue UAS Cleared List, Department of Defense, published by the Defense Innovation Unit and transitioned to the Defense Contract Management Agency.
• Department of Defense 1260H list of Chinese military companies.
• Federal Acquisition Security Council covered entity list, published in SAM.

This page is a plain English summary written to help you scope a purchase. It is not legal advice, and where it disagrees with your contracting officer, your contracting officer is right. Last reviewed 31 July 2026.