May 2026 – January 2027. Appropriations markups, NDAA subcommittee and conference deadlines, Drone Dominance Gauntlet phases, midterm elections, and the FCC Blue UAS exemption expiry. Updated May 24, 2026.
$54.6B DAWG request and Drone Dominance Program funding at stake. Key drone line items must survive markup intact. Most immediate action item on the calendar.
Tactical Air & Land Forces (Rep. Wittman, R-VA) leads UAS provisions. Drone Dominance Program Phase II funding and DAWG authorities are the key provisions.
Key provisions: DAWG authorities, Drone Dominance funding, domestic manufacturing incentives, DFR grant programs.
48 companies qualified, including PDW (AM-FPV). Phase II Chinese-component ban is a direct PDW advantage. Results expected August 2026.
Senate Armed Services Committee under Chairman Wicker (R-MS). Key provisions: reconciliation implementation, DAWG funding, domestic drone industrial base working group report.
Last opportunity for pre-recess NDAA advocacy.
CA, NY, IL approach end-of-session. CA AB 481 amendments, NY POP Act, IL Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act amendments could advance before adjournment.
Key opportunity for district-level engagement with HASC/SASC members in home states.
House and Senate reconcile NDAA differences. Floor votes Sept–Oct. Drone provisions could be stripped in conference.
A CR or omnibus is likely. Drone Dominance Program continuity is at risk if drone line items are excluded.
Phase III ~6 months after Gauntlet II. Competition narrows — officials expect final phases to involve 3–5 vendors.
Conference report Oct–Nov. Final NDAA passage before year-end. All PDW-favorable provisions must survive.
All 435 House seats and 34 Senate seats. HASC/SASC membership could change. Incoming members in defense districts need briefings.
Watch CA (new governor Jan 2027), TX, FL, NY, IL. Drone privacy and public safety bills likely reintroduced.
President expected to sign FY2027 NDAA before year-end. Final drone provisions locked in for FY2027 procurement cycle.
The FCC's January 7, 2026 exemption for Blue UAS-cleared platforms (including the C100) expires. If not renewed, C100 could face the same restrictions as foreign drones. Existential regulatory risk.
Newsom term-limited. June 2 primary field includes Becerra, Villaraigosa — no clear frontrunner. Successor's position on drone privacy, domestic procurement, and tribal gaming compacts is the most important unknown in the state landscape.
Drone privacy bills, DFR funding, and foreign drone replacement programs expected in multiple Tier 1 states.