Skyfish Secures Blue UAS Cleared Status and Green UAS Certification
Skyfish Achieves Blue UAS Cleared Status and Green UAS Certification
Skyfish, a Montana-based drone manufacturer, has announced that it has attained both Blue UAS Cleared status and Green UAS certification. This achievement comes as demand for secure and domestically sourced drone systems rises, particularly in government and critical infrastructure sectors.
The announcement was made on May 28 by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in conjunction with Skyfish.
Significance of the Designations
The Blue UAS Cleared and Green UAS certifications indicate that the Skyfish platform meets stringent cybersecurity, supply chain, and operational standards set forth by the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS initiative. The Green UAS program, managed by AUVSI, offers a pathway for commercial drone manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with these requirements.
Skyfish CEO Dr. Orest Pilskalns emphasized that the certification reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to compliance and U.S. manufacturing. “Skyfish has always been committed to NDAA compliance and U.S. manufacturing from the beginning,” he stated. “The Blue UAS Cleared designation doesn’t change that commitment, but it lets customers know that Skyfish is secure, trusted, and fully vertically integrated.”
Benefits for Government Customers
The Blue UAS Cleared list is increasingly vital for government agencies and public safety organizations seeking secure drone systems that adhere to federal procurement standards. Inclusion on this list can facilitate purchasing decisions for agencies that must assess cybersecurity risks, supply chain integrity, and operational reliability before acquiring drone technology.
- Trust in the supply chain
- Streamlined procurement processes
- Increased availability of vetted products
Pilskalns noted that the designation alleviates several barriers that can hinder procurement. “The designation allows government customers to more easily purchase Skyfish drones and trust that Skyfish has a secure supply chain and has been vetted by a government agency,” he explained.
The Blue UAS initiative arose in response to heightened scrutiny of foreign-made drone systems and components by federal agencies. Over recent years, compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and domestic sourcing have become critical themes in the U.S. drone industry, especially for defense, public safety, and critical infrastructure applications.
Skyfish’s vertically integrated approach has been instrumental in expediting the certification process. Pilskalns pointed out that many drone manufacturers encounter difficulties due to a lack of direct control over essential software, firmware, or hardware components. “Because Skyfish owns the full stack, we believe we can accelerate additional products onto the Blue UAS Cleared list in the future,” he stated.
Future Plans and Production Scaling
Skyfish specializes in developing autonomous drone systems for various applications, including infrastructure inspection, photogrammetry, digital twin creation, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The company serves clients across the energy, utilities, transportation, public safety, and defense sectors.
In light of the recent certifications, Pilskalns described the achievement as validation of Skyfish’s focus on secure autonomous systems. “Achieving Blue UAS Cleared and Green UAS certification status marks a major milestone for Skyfish and validates our commitment to delivering secure, mission-ready autonomous systems,” he remarked.
With the designation process now complete, Skyfish plans to concentrate on scaling operations and enhancing customer engagement. The company anticipates increasing flight demonstrations and expanding its team and production capacity to meet growing demand.
“Now that Skyfish is Blue UAS cleared, we will be able to offer more products in the very near future that are also Blue,” Pilskalns added.
The certification process evaluates manufacturers based on several criteria, including corporate cybersecurity practices, product security, remote operations, and supply chain risk management. As federal agencies and enterprise customers continue to prioritize secure drone platforms, Blue UAS and Green UAS designations are becoming increasingly significant indicators for vendors in the government and critical infrastructure markets.