DCMA-vetted and NDAA-compliant, the Open-Q 8550CS SOM lets drone OEMs skip months of compliance and validation work and build on a compute platform already cleared for U.S. defense and government programs
IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lantronix Inc. (Nasdaq: LTRX), a global provider of Edge AI and Industrial IoT solutions that power NDAA-compliant unmanned compute systems, critical infrastructure and resilient enterprise networks, today announced that its Open-Q™ 8550CS System-on-Module (SOM) has been added to the Blue UAS Framework, the U.S. Department of War’s (DoW) list of vetted, NDAA-compliant components for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), giving drone OEMs a high-performance AI compute module already cleared for U.S. defense programs.
“We opened everything up for this review: the hardware, the bill of materials, the software and firmware, the data flows and the supply chain,” said Saleel Awsare, president and CEO of Lantronix. “Then we invited DCMA to probe all of it for vulnerabilities and sourcing risks. That kind of scrutiny takes months, but the result is a listing that gives our customers a compute module that’s already cleared before they start designing. For Lantronix, being on the Blue UAS list removes procurement friction, solidifying us as a trusted partner for OEMs building secure, NDAA-compliant unmanned systems.”
The Blue UAS Framework, administered by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), lists interoperable, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)-compliant components and software — including companion computers, flight controllers, radios, subcomponents, cameras and other sensors integral to unmanned systems — cleared for use in U.S. government and defense drone programs. The Framework gives government and industry partners a growing pool of vetted options and reduces supply-chain risk for government customers.
For drone OEMs and integrators selling into U.S. defense and government programs, Blue UAS compliance can be a significant qualification hurdle. Without a listed module, each OEM must independently validate the compute module’s cybersecurity, supply chain and hardware pedigree as part of its own platform approval process. With the Open-Q 8550CS SOM now listed on the Blue UAS Framework, OEMs can start with a Blue UAS-vetted compute module , helping reduce program risk, shorten qualification timelines and accelerate deployment.
The listing also carries broader implications for Lantronix and its customers:
- Validates Lantronix’s resilient, trusted supply chain
- Expands access to U.S. DoW and government programs
- Strengthens Lantronix’s position in the autonomous and defense drone markets
- Creates a foundation for additional Blue UAS-ready platforms
To earn the listing, Lantronix submitted a complete hardware bill of materials for the Open-Q 8550CS SOM and completed a DCMA cybersecurity assessment covering encryption, authentication mechanisms, and data-at-rest and data-in-transit protections. The review required more than six months of work beyond the standard certifications and regulatory approvals the product already holds. Like all Blue UAS Framework components, the Open-Q 8550CS SOM is approved for use with Blue UAS platforms when properly configured.
The Blue UAS Framework listing gives Lantronix independent, government-backed validation of the Open-Q 8550CS SOM’s security and supply chain. It also arrives amid growing policy momentum: Executive Order 14307, “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” and the Department of War’s accompanying memo, “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance,” both direct federal agencies to expand the Blue UAS list and reduce dependence on foreign drone hardware. The Open-Q 8550CS SOM is positioned to serve OEMs building systems for the Department of War, federal civilian agencies, public safety organizations and other government end-users.
The Open-Q 8550CS SOM utilizes the Qualcomm® Dragonwing™ QCS8550 SoC, enabling on-device AI processing for edge applications including drones and unmanned systems. The module delivers up to 48 INT8 TOPS of AI performance and includes hardware security features such as secure boot, storage security, key provisioning and debug protection. Qualcomm’s integrated security layer helps authenticate software at boot, isolate sensitive workloads, and protect critical keys and data from unauthorized access. Designed for production environments, the module is backed by a controlled bill of materials and a 10-year lifecycle, giving drone OEMs a high-performance compute platform with the supply-chain stability that defense and government programs require.
About Lantronix
Lantronix Inc. (Nasdaq: LTRX) is a global leader in Edge AI and Industrial IoT solutions that power NDAA-compliant unmanned systems, critical infrastructure and resilient enterprise networks. It delivers intelligent computing, secure connectivity and remote management for mission-critical applications, enabling customers to optimize operations, enhance security and accelerate digital transformation. Its comprehensive portfolio of hardware, software and services powers applications ranging from mission-critical autonomous platforms and edge analytics for critical infrastructure to intelligent surveillance and secure network management. By bringing intelligence to the network edge, Lantronix helps organizations achieve efficiency, security and a competitive edge in today’s AI-driven world. For more information, visit the Lantronix website.
“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including, without limitation, statements concerning expected benefits of the Open-Q 8550CS SOM’s Blue UAS Framework listing, including Lantronix’s positioning to capitalize on opportunities in the drone and defense technology markets. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results, future business, financial condition, or performance to differ materially from our historical results or those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement contained in this news release. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as the effects of negative or worsening regional and worldwide economic conditions or market instability on our business, including effects on purchasing decisions by our customers; our ability to mitigate any disruption in our and our suppliers’ and vendors’ supply chains due to changes in U.S. or foreign government trade policies, including recently increased or future tariffs, a pandemic or other outbreaks, wars and recent conflicts in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, or other factors; future responses to and effects of public health crises; cybersecurity risks; changes in applicable U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations; our ability to successfully implement our acquisitions strategy or integrate acquired companies; difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights; the level of our indebtedness, our ability to service our indebtedness and the restrictions in our debt agreements; and any additional factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on Aug. 27, 2026, including in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I of that report, as well as in our other public filings with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in our future filings. In addition, actual results may differ as a result of additional risks and uncertainties about which we are currently unaware or which we do not currently view as material to our business. For these reasons, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements we make speak only as of the date on which they are made. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in our opinions or expectations, except as required by applicable law or the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. If we do update or correct any forward-looking statements, investors should not conclude that we will make additional updates or corrections.
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