FCC grants VEX AIR conditional exemption from Covered List restrictions through December 31, 2026, as federal agencies shift toward product-by-product security reviews instead of broad country-of-origin bans

The FCC announced on June 4, 2026 that Innovation First International's VEX AIR uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) received conditional approval from the Department of War, exempting it from Covered List restrictions through December 31, 2026.

Rather than conducting technical evaluations itself, the FCC now updates the Covered List based on determinations made by the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security that specific drone products do not pose unacceptable national security risks. Manufacturers can submit products for review through a federal interagency process.

The VEX AIR joins a growing list of drone systems receiving conditional approvals since March 2026, including SiFly Aviation Q12, Mobilicom SkyHopper Series, ScoutDI Scout 137, Verge X1, Sees.ai v.USA. 1.0, Air6 AIR8 and AIR4 series, Elevon Aerial Z30, Z50, and Z80, Blueflite Cobalt 461, Verity Series 4 Indoor Autonomous Inventory System, and Air VEV 120C and 060C.

The VEX AIR is an educational drone designed for STEM education and autonomous flight instruction with onboard vision cameras, range sensors, inertial measurement systems, and support for both block-based and Python programming environments.