- The United States Army National Guard issued solicitations seeking small unmanned aerial systems including Neros Archer, FlightWave Edge 130, and ModalAI Stinger Vision FPV drones for training use in Tennessee.
- The procurement requires systems approved under the Blue UAS program and is structured as a 100 percent small business set-aside for aircraft manufacturers.
The United States Army National Guard has launched a procurement effort to acquire several small unmanned aerial systems for training and operational support, according to solicitation documents published March 7, 2026. The request comes from the Tennessee Army National Guard and focuses on lightweight drones that meet the U.S. military’s Blue UAS security certification requirements.
The drones are intended for use by the 117th Regiment Regional Training Institute (RTI) based at the Volunteer Training Site in Smyrna, Tennessee, where National Guard personnel train on modern battlefield technologies.
Lightweight unmanned aircraft have become standard equipment for reconnaissance, situational awareness, and training exercises, allowing units to practice drone operations without relying on larger or more expensive platforms.
According to the published solicitations, the Tennessee National Guard is seeking three different types of small drones. Each request covers the delivery of two systems and requires that the equipment be approved under the Blue UAS program, a U.S. military certification process designed to ensure drones meet cybersecurity and supply chain standards.
One request covers drones comparable to the Neros Archer equipped with the Crossbow payload system, a compact unmanned aircraft designed for reconnaissance and tactical observation missions.
Another solicitation seeks drones comparable to the FlightWave Edge 130, a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft used for longer-endurance aerial reconnaissance and mapping operations.
A third request calls for systems comparable to the ModalAI Stinger Vision FPV 3.5, a small first-person-view drone platform often used for close-range aerial operations and training scenarios.
All three solicitations are structured as firm fixed-price contracts and are restricted to small businesses, meaning only qualifying companies can submit bids. The procurement falls under the aircraft manufacturing category defined by the North American Industry Classification System.
The Blue UAS program has become a central element of the U.S. military’s approach to small drone procurement. Under the initiative, the U.S. Department of War evaluates unmanned aircraft systems to ensure that their components, software, and data links meet strict security requirements.
The program was introduced after U.S. officials raised concerns about potential vulnerabilities associated with commercially produced drones used by government agencies. Many commercial drone platforms rely on foreign components or software, which could create cybersecurity risks when used in sensitive military environments.