DOD Plans 'Trusted Capital' Program To Match Small UAS Makers With Investors | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.14.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.16.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.17.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sat, Aug 24, 2019

DOD Plans 'Trusted Capital' Program To Match Small UAS Makers With Investors

Initiative Announced At AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense. Protection. Security In Washington

The U.S. Department of Defense will roll out a "trusted capital" program this fall aimed at bolstering the domestic industrial base for small unmanned aircraft, said Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.

Lord, kicking off the first day of AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense. Protection. Security in Washington, saying, "we are not innovating on the business side of things as quickly as technology is being innovated and applied to warfighter missions."

One effort afoot is to strengthen the defense industrial base in areas including rare earths and small UAS, both areas where "China has flooded our market, to the point where we do not have a resilient and secure industrial base. What has this done for us? It's allowed us to get presidential determinations signed out that allow us to spend money in these areas to strengthen the supply base," she said.

The DOD can intervene when a foreign entity wants to acquire a U.S. company that has critical technology related to national defense, "but that's playing defense, and that only gets you so far," she said.

In late October or early November, the department is rolling out a trusted capital marketplace project whose objective is "to get secure sources of capital together with typically small, innovative companies that have technology and early stage products in the sectors we identify ... and bring the two together to try to get investment in the areas that the Department of Defense thinks it's critical," she said.

It won't be corporate matchmaking on a one-to-one basis, but rather would bring a number of companies that meet DOD needs criteria together with vetted sources of capital "and allow them to create their own ecosystem and begin to invest in one another."

It will focus on small UAS, "where we have a deficit of capability but a lot of technology." It will build on work done by the Army, and "we want to make sure that we brand certify companies, large groups of companies, as those the Department of Defense is interested in and would like to see mature their products."

(Image provided with AUVSI news release)

FMI: www.auvsi.org
www.defense.gov

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.15.25): Charted Visual Flight Procedure Approach

Charted Visual Flight Procedure Approach An approach conducted while operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan which authorizes the pilot of an aircraft to proceed >[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.15.25)

“When l became the Secretary of Defense, I committed to rebuild our military to match threats to capabilities. Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.15.25)

Aero Linx: Stearman Restorers Association Welcome to the Stearman Restorers Association. The Stearman Restorers Association is an independent “Not for Profit” 501C-3 Co>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Kjelsrud Gary Kitfox

Airplane Exhibited A Partial Loss Of Engine Power When It Was About Halfway Down The Runway Analysis: The pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane was departing from his pr>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Cessna A150L

The Flight Path Was Consistent With Low-Altitude Maneuvering On June 18, 2025, about 0922 mountain standard time, a Cessna A150L airplane, N6436F, was substantially damaged when it>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC