Latest news, platform updates, company milestones, and technical insights from Forge and Flight Labs. North Carolina's NDAA-compliant UAS manufacturer.
The traditional path to a custom NDAA-compliant UAS platform runs through a prime defense contractor with an 18 to 36-month design-to-flight timeline and a price structure built around that overhead. A Manufacturing as a Service model delivers custom platforms in 90 days. Here is how.
Read More →Most UAS platforms were not designed for contested RF environments. The result is predictable: platforms that work in testing fail in operations. This is an architecture problem, not a training problem, and it has to be solved before an operator gets in the seat.
Read More →Most tactical C-UAS programs can detect small UAS threats. Very few can defeat them. The gap between those two capabilities is where missions fail, and it is a solvable engineering problem.
Read More →Forge and Flight Labs confirms the first successful test flight of X-Lance, an experimental turbojet-powered loyal wingman platform designed for autonomous airspace protection. Milestone achieved May 11, 2026, at the company's North Carolina test facility.
Read More →The FCC's 'Unleashing American Drone Dominance' proceeding, DA 26-314, covers spectrum allocation, experimental licensing, counter-UAS RF authorization, and Buy-American incentives for domestic drone manufacturers. Comments closed May 1. Here's what the proceeding covers and what it means for the domestic UAS industry.
Read More →After a six-month lapse that froze new solicitations and awards, the SBIR/STTR programs were reauthorized through 2031 on April 13, 2026. The new law introduces Strategic Breakthrough awards up to $30 million, tightened foreign-risk diligence, and per-firm proposal caps. What small UAS manufacturers need to know.
Read More →Group classification drives what a platform can carry, how long it can fly, and what regulations govern its operation. Mismatching platform class to mission requirement is one of the most common and most expensive procurement errors in the current NDAA compliance transition.
Read More →Platform-level NDAA compliance claims are not the same as component-level supply chain verification. Understanding the difference, and what questions to ask, is the difference between a defensible acquisition and a compliance problem waiting to surface.
Read More →On-demand NDAA-compliant procurement and manufacturing for DoD programs. Components in 3-5 days. Pilot programs available. SAM-registered.
Read More →The DIU Blue UAS Framework pre-vets NDAA-compliant drones for DoD procurement. What the certification means, which platforms qualify, and how to use it in your acquisition.
Read More →Agencies negotiate hard on unit price and then absorb 3-4x that cost in the first 18 months of ownership. The acquisition price is the wrong number to optimize.
Read More →DoD UAS Group 1-5 classifications explained: what they mean for procurement authority, operational approvals, and training requirements.
Read More →Every small UAS manufacturer says they can scale. Most of them mean they can build 10 more units if you give them 18 months and a large deposit. Here's how to tell the difference.
Read More →Forge and Flight Labs announces the Longbow-8, man-portable Group 1 hybrid VTOL for payload testing, operator training, and development programs. NDAA-compliant. Contact for pricing.
Read More →Most NDAA compliance conversations focus on the airframe and avionics. The component that will fail the most audits is the battery, and most manufacturers aren't prepared for that question.
Read More →The Blue UAS list is a useful filter. It is not a procurement shortcut. Here's what it actually certifies, and what it leaves entirely unaddressed.
Read More →Most UAS RFPs are written to describe what an agency already owns, not what they actually need. Here are three requirements we see repeatedly that lock out better solutions.
Read More →NDAA Section 848 restricts DoD procurement of UAS with Chinese-made components. What procurement officers need to know and what to demand from vendors.
Read More →Forge and Flight Labs achieves active SAM.gov registration. CAGE 18VF2, UEI SUVKLZLPBJC1. All platforms available through federal contract vehicles.
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