Kraus Hamdani Aerospace has announced that its K1000ULE unmanned aerial system (UAS) has been cleared for inclusion on both the U.S. Department of Defense’s Blue UAS Cleared and Blue UAS Select lists. According to the announcement, this recognition confirms the K1000ULE as an NDAA-compliant platform ready for procurement by U.S. military and government agencies.
The company mentioned that the K1000ULE is the longest-endurance and longest-range drone in its class. It has undergone independent evaluation, showing zero cyber vulnerabilities, and has received an Authority to Operate, ensuring it is mission-ready across various defence operations.
This milestone follows a $20 million contract awarded in October 2024 to deploy the K1000ULE with the U.S. Army Pacific 1st Multi-Domain Task Force and Joint Special Operations Command. The drone features fully electric propulsion, silent operation, and rapid deployment capability, going from storage box to flight in approximately ten minutes. Its vertical takeoff and landing design eliminates the need for conventional runways.
According to the announcement, the K1000ULE also functions as an autonomous communications gateway, extending and bridging voice and data waveforms, as well as Tactical Data Links, to enhance interoperability across military platforms.
Stefan Kraus, Co-founder and CTO of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, stated that this achievement validates the aircraft’s autonomy and software systems. He emphasized that the K1000ULE is secure, interoperable, and field-proven with the Army, Navy, MARSOC, and allied forces, and is ready to meet the DoD’s need for scalable operational autonomy.
