IN Brief:
- DCMA has added the BluSDR-6, BluSDR-30, and BluSDR-90-UL software-defined radios to the Blue List Framework.
- The radios share DTC's MeshUltra MANET architecture while addressing different platform size, weight, power, and communications range requirements.
- Blue List inclusion identifies the components within the US framework for NDAA-compliant uncrewed system hardware and software.
Domo Tactical Communications has had three members of its BluSDR software-defined radio family added to the US Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue List Framework for compliant uncrewed system components.
The listing covers BluSDR-6, BluSDR-30, and BluSDR-90-UL, giving platform developers three communications modules based on a common mobile ad hoc networking architecture but intended for different size, weight, power, and range requirements. Inclusion does not represent a military purchase of the radios; it places the components inside a US government framework used to identify compliant hardware and software for uncrewed systems.
That distinction is important because communications equipment sits close to the centre of an uncrewed aircraft’s architecture. A datalink has to carry command traffic, telemetry, sensor data, and often live video while operating within a limited electrical and weight budget. Radio hardware, embedded software, encryption, and component origin can also attract procurement restrictions because communications systems provide a direct route into the wider platform.
The BluSDR family addresses those competing requirements through a common software-defined radio and MeshUltra MANET architecture. In a mobile ad hoc network, individual radios can form and reorganise connections dynamically rather than relying solely on a fixed communications node, allowing aircraft, vehicles, and ground stations to relay traffic as the geometry of the network changes.
BluSDR-6 sits at the smallest end of the range. DTC describes the core module as weighing about 26g and positions it for compact aircraft where each additional gram affects payload or endurance. The company states a communications reach of up to roughly 6km under specified conditions, alongside a self-forming mesh intended to carry control, data, and video traffic between multiple nodes.
BluSDR-30 increases power and communications reach for medium-range applications, while BluSDR-90-UL is intended for longer-range systems that can accommodate greater weight and electrical demand. The 90-UL module weighs approximately 210g and provides 10W of RF output while retaining Ethernet, USB, serial, audio, and general-purpose interfaces for integration with platform electronics.
Using a common architecture across several radio sizes has an engineering advantage for manufacturers building more than one class of uncrewed system. Different aircraft can use hardware matched to their range and payload limits without forcing the developer to adopt a completely separate communications family each time. Software integration, network behaviour, training, and support can therefore retain greater commonality across the fleet.
DTC’s MeshUltra technology is designed to carry video, IP data, and voice traffic across the same network while adapting as nodes join, move, or disappear. Applicable BluSDR models also support interfaces used by uncrewed aircraft systems, allowing the radio to connect directly with flight-control and mission equipment rather than operating only as an independent video transmitter.
Security forms a separate part of that integration. DTC says its MESH SDR cryptography module has been independently validated to FIPS 140-3 Level 2 and supports AES-128 and AES-256 encryption and decryption alongside associated authentication functions. That does not make every finished aircraft automatically compliant, but it gives system developers a communications component designed around recognised information security requirements.
Blue List inclusion similarly removes only one part of the procurement problem. An approved radio still has to be installed with suitable antennas, power conditioning, cooling, mounting, and electromagnetic compatibility, and its performance has to be demonstrated on the finished platform. The communications link also has to match the data generated by the payload and the aircraft’s intended mission radius rather than being selected simply because it appears on a recognised list.
Production control becomes important once a listed component is designed into a defence platform. Software-defined radios contain processors, memory, RF components, and other electronics that can change over the life of an aircraft programme. Any substitution made because a commercial component reaches end of life may require further engineering evidence if it alters performance, security, or compliance.
The inclusion of three models therefore gives DTC a broader route into US uncrewed systems without guaranteeing adoption. Compact reconnaissance aircraft and larger long-range platforms impose very different communications requirements, yet defence customers increasingly expect them to share command networks and exchange information during combined operations.
The commercial measure will come from platform selections and production orders rather than the listing itself. Blue List status reduces a procurement obstacle for US government and industry users; design wins, integration testing, and sustained manufacturing demand will determine how widely the BluSDR family is ultimately deployed.
