First hydrogen-powered drone among updates to DIU pre-vetting list

The Defense Innovation Unit added two new drones to its roster of policy-compliant uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) last week -- one of which is the first hydrogen-powered UAS to secure a spot on DIU's Blue UAS Cleared List.

The Z1 from Zepher Flight Labs -- a subsidiary of UAS production company Heven AeroTech -- is a small drone powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, with reliable vertical-takeoff-and-landing capabilities, per the company’s website. DIU added the platform to the pre-approval list last week and tagged it a Blue UAS Select system.

Blue UAS Select is the premium tier of the Blue UAS clearance list, so to speak -- signaling systems with the designation have -- in addition to passing basic policy compliance and cybersecurity evaluations -- already undergone a competitive process in response to a Defense Department component need. Platforms designated as Blue UAS Select have also undergone further assessments for performance and cybersecurity and possess an “Authority to Operate.”

DIU also signaled that vetting for the first-person view (FPV) drone winners of its inaugural Project G.I. prize challenge wrapped up last week, with the addition of Nokturnal AI’s Nightmare FPV to the list.

The other FPV platforms -- Auterion’s SLM-10, ModalAI’s Seeker Vision and Neros Technologies’ Archer -- had already been named to the list when Nightmare was added.

The update came nearly two months after DIU named the winners and announced each system would undergo cybersecurity and policy compliance review for addition to the roster of pre-approved drones.