Freefly builds some of the most capable commercial drones made in the United States, and if you've spent any time shopping their lineup you've noticed that the same airframe often shows up in two or three different SKUs. There's the Astro Max and the Astro Max NDAA. There's the Alta X Gen 2 and the Alta X Gen 2 NDAA. There's still an original Alta X in the lineup. They look nearly identical on the outside, and they are functionally close kin on the inside, but each one is tuned to a different procurement requirement and a different payload class. Picking the wrong SKU is an expensive mistake, and picking the right one is usually pretty simple once you know what to ask.
Two questions decide almost every Freefly purchase: how much do you need to lift, and what are your compliance rules?
Start with the two questions that matter
There are a lot of ways to slice the Freefly lineup. Flight time, software, radio, price, accessories. Most of them are interesting, but none of them are decisive. The two that are:
- What does your payload weigh? Up to about 3 kg (6.6 lb), the Astro family is the right answer. Above that, up to 35 lb, you are in Alta X territory.
- What does your procurement policy require? If federal funds, DoD contracts, or a grant program are involved, you probably need NDAA Section 848 compliant hardware. Some programs go further and require the aircraft to be on the Blue UAS Cleared List.
Once you have honest answers to those two, the right SKU is almost always obvious. The rest of this article is about making sure you have honest answers.
A quick primer on NDAA, Blue UAS, and Green
The compliance vocabulary around commercial drones has gotten thicker over the past few years. Three terms come up again and again in our conversations with customers. They are related, but they are not the same thing.
NDAA Section 848 compliant
Section 848 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act forbids federal departments from procuring or operating drones and drone components from certain covered foreign entities. An NDAA compliant drone is built without those covered components. This is the baseline compliance bar for federal work and for most grant-funded public-safety programs. It is a supply-chain claim, not a cybersecurity accreditation.
Blue UAS Cleared List
The Blue UAS Cleared List is a curated registry of specific drones that have been vetted for Department of Defense use. Blue goes beyond NDAA: it folds in cybersecurity review, networked-operations requirements, and several other layers of validation. Administration of the list transferred from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in July 2025. Most DoD end users and many federal civilian programs require the aircraft to be on the Cleared List, not just NDAA compliant.
AUVSI Green List
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International Green List covers everything the Blue List does, plus additional stipulations on cybersecurity, networked operations, and business practices. DIU has a limited budget to maintain Blue platforms, and as it has refreshed the list some platforms have rolled off onto Green instead. Green is recognized by a growing number of agencies but is not a drop-in substitute for Blue in every contract.
Simple rule of thumb: NDAA is the supply-chain floor, Blue adds cybersecurity and is what most DoD buyers are told to specify, and Green is Blue plus more. If your contract or grant names one of these, buy to that spec. If none of them is named, ask the grant administrator or contracting officer before you order.
The five Freefly SKUs at a glance
Here is the whole current lineup in one table, with the two questions above driving the columns.
| Aircraft | Payload class | NDAA 848 | Blue UAS | Typical buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astro Max | Up to 3 kg | No | No | Commercial mapping, inspection, agriculture |
| Astro Max NDAA / Blue | Up to 3 kg | Yes | Cleared | DoD, federal, SLED, public safety |
| Alta X Gen 2 | Up to 35 lb | No | No | Cinema, heavy LiDAR, utility, cargo |
| Alta X Gen 2 NDAA | Up to 35 lb | Yes | In process | NDAA-required federal / SLED heavy lift |
| Alta X (Gen 1) | Up to 35 lb | Yes | Transitioned to AUVSI Green | Existing Alta X operators, Green-list buyers |
That table is the whole article in miniature. The rest is detail, judgment calls, and the reasons each of those boxes is the way it is.
The Astro Max family
The Astro Max is Freefly's compact commercial platform. Fourteen-inch airframe, twenty-one-inch folding props, up to about 43 minutes of flight time unloaded, around 28 minutes carrying the 61 MP Sony LR1 mapping payload, and a Smart Dovetail quick-release mount that takes a very broad ecosystem of RGB, thermal, multispectral, LiDAR, and specialty sensors up to roughly 3 kg. Two hard cases in the back of a truck cover almost any survey, mapping, or inspection mission short of cinema.
Standard Astro Max
The standard Astro Max ships with a Herelink 2.4 GHz radio on the Pilot Pro controller and is built on Freefly's full commercial supply chain. It is the right pick for any operator whose work is not tied to federal procurement or to a grant that references NDAA or Blue UAS: commercial mapping firms, agriculture service providers, private inspection teams, energy contractors working on privately owned assets.
Astro Max NDAA (Blue UAS Cleared)
The NDAA configuration swaps the Herelink radio for a Doodle Labs Helix secure mesh link, is built from an audited supply chain that meets Section 848, and is on the Blue UAS Cleared List. Freefly secured reaffirmation of the Astro platform during the 2025 Blue Refresh, so Blue status is current and expected to hold through at least another refresh cycle.
If you have any federal-money exposure at all, buy the NDAA version. The cost delta is small relative to the risk of having to re-buy an aircraft mid-contract because your compliance posture does not match your funding source. If you truly have no federal-procurement entanglement, the standard Astro Max is often the better value.
The Alta X Gen 2 family
Alta X Gen 2 is the heavy lifter. Folding carbon-fiber airframe, ActiveBlade propellers that reduce vibration to roughly a fifth of standard, a 35 lb payload capacity, and the same custom Skynode flight controller that powers the Astro Max. The internal payload bay, onboard Ethernet, and 12 V / 24 V regulated payload power make it a genuine platform for custom integrations rather than just a flying tripod. Batteries and chargers are sold separately on both versions; Freefly recommends six AS150U 12S packs and a dual-channel smart charger per aircraft.
Standard Alta X Gen 2
This is the drone for cinema teams flying Mōvi Pro, Mōvi XL, or Mōvi Carbon, for survey outfits carrying 100 MP Phase One rigs or heavy Phoenix-class LiDAR, and for cargo, logging, and industrial work where the payload exceeds the Astro's 3 kg ceiling. It is not NDAA-built and it is not intended for federal procurement.
Alta X Gen 2 NDAA
The NDAA SKU uses the same airframe with NDAA-compliant Doodle Labs radio and Pilot Pro controller. It is the right platform for NDAA-required heavy-lift missions: utility and infrastructure work on assets under regulatory or grant mandates, public-safety heavy-lift, and federal programs that need more than 3 kg of payload.
Blue UAS status for the Alta X Gen 2 is pending, not granted. Per Freefly, the Gen 2 airframe is in process for DIU Blue approval. The Pilot Pro controller and Doodle Labs radio link are already Blue compliant, but the drone itself is not yet on the Cleared List. If your contract strictly requires a Cleared-List airframe today, do not assume the Gen 2 qualifies. Confirm with the contracting officer, or go with the Astro Max NDAA if the payload fits.
The original Alta X still has a place
The first-generation Alta X is the platform that built Freefly's heavy-lift reputation. It joined the DIU Blue List on December 9, 2023, held Blue status through several extensions, and received a one-year Exception to Policy that ran through February 28, 2026. During the 2025 Blue Refresh, DIU prioritized FPV platforms and the Alta X rolled off the Blue List. Freefly transitioned it to the AUVSI Green List, which retains the Blue requirements and adds further cybersecurity, networked-operations, and business-practice stipulations.
In practical terms, the original Alta X is now the right answer for two groups: operators who already own Alta X fleets and want supply-chain parity with their existing aircraft, and buyers working under contracts or programs that accept or require the AUVSI Green List. Everyone else who needs heavy lift should be looking at the Gen 2.
How to choose, step by step
If you can answer these four questions in order, you will almost always end up at the right SKU.
- Is this work funded by federal dollars, a federal grant, or a contract that references NDAA or Blue UAS? If yes, you need an NDAA SKU. If the contract also names Blue UAS specifically, you need a Cleared-List airframe. If the contract names Green, the original Alta X is still in play.
- What is the heaviest payload you need to fly? Up to 3 kg, go Astro. Above that, go Alta X Gen 2 (or Gen 1 if you are a Green-list buyer).
- Do you need onboard customization, internal bay space, or 12 V / 24 V regulated payload power? If yes, Alta X Gen 2 is built for that. Astro is not.
- Are you replacing an Alta X Gen 1 fleet? Consider keeping at least one Gen 1 around for parts-commonality, accessories, and landing-gear compatibility, and add Gen 2 aircraft alongside it rather than doing a clean-sheet swap.
Compliance rules move. Blue refreshes happen annually. The DIU-to-DCMA transfer of list management is still settling in. An aircraft that is Blue Cleared today may be on Green in eighteen months, and an in-process aircraft may clear Blue before your next purchase cycle. Before a large order, check the current Cleared List and talk to your contracting officer rather than relying on any static reference, including this article.
Cost and time-to-fly, briefly
The NDAA premium on the Astro Max is modest compared to the cost of being out of compliance on a contract. On the Alta X side, the Gen 2 NDAA lands in the mid-forty-thousand range before accessories, and the bare airframe ships without batteries or chargers, so a realistic package price climbs once you add a working battery rotation and a charger. Astro Max configurations tend to be simpler to spec because the mapping payload ships as part of common bundles; Alta X configurations tend to need a conversation about payload, landing gear, and batteries before you can quote a real number.
On time-to-fly, both families are turnkey in the sense that Freefly ships them pre-configured and Standard Remote ID is pre-installed. The Alta X Gen 2's ActiveBlade props, 12 mm rail kit, and Smart Dovetail mount are installed at the factory. Expect a day of bench time to confirm radio binding, payload integration, and mission-planning workflow before your first real job, regardless of which SKU you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Our city police department wants a drone for search, overwatch, and traffic. Which Freefly is right?
The Astro family is the right size; heavy-lift Alta X is overkill for almost all police work. Which Astro depends on how the drone is being funded and what your department's own policy says. If you are buying with BJA, DHS, COPS, or similar federal grant money, or if your department or state has adopted a policy that requires NDAA or Blue UAS hardware, you need the Astro Max NDAA. If the purchase is funded with local dollars and your department has no such policy, the standard Astro Max is perfectly legal to fly and usually the better value. Check with your chief, your grant administrator, or your procurement office before you order, because these policies are changing quickly at the state level.
We fly 100 MP Phase One surveys and our client is a private pipeline operator. Do we need NDAA?
Usually no. Purely commercial work for private clients does not typically trigger NDAA requirements. Confirm with the client's procurement team, but in most cases the standard Alta X Gen 2 is the right aircraft and you save on compliance premium.
What if we already own an Alta X Gen 1? Should we buy another one, or move to Gen 2?
Depends on your contract portfolio. If your work is covered by programs that accept or require AUVSI Green, keeping the Gen 1 fleet intact and adding more Gen 1 aircraft is reasonable. If you are chasing new federal work that specifies Blue, start standing up a Gen 2 NDAA fleet, but budget time for your pilots to cross-train on the newer flight controller and the Smart Dovetail payload interface.
Is the Astro Max NDAA really the same airframe as the Astro Max?
Same airframe, same flight performance, same Smart Dovetail ecosystem. The differences are in the radio (Doodle Labs Helix instead of Herelink), the supply chain (audited for Section 848), and the compliance paperwork that comes with the aircraft. Payloads are mechanically interchangeable, though if you need end-to-end NDAA compliance you also need to pick payloads that are themselves NDAA compliant.
Do I need a Part 107 license for any of these?
For commercial operations in the United States, yes. Federal, state, and local agencies may operate under Part 89 / public aircraft rules depending on mission. All five of these aircraft ship with Standard Remote ID pre-installed for Part 89 broadcast compliance. Training is available through Terrestrial Imaging for Part 107 prep and agency-specific SOP development.
Can you help us figure out the right package?
Yes. Tell us what you are flying, who is funding it, and what you need to carry. We will spec a complete package: aircraft, payloads, batteries, chargers, cases, spares, and training. Get in touch and we will walk you through it.
Freefly's lineup looks confusing on the surface because so many SKUs share an airframe and a name. It gets simple the moment you answer the two questions up top. Match your compliance rules to the right tier (standard, NDAA, Blue, or Green) and match your payload weight to the right family (Astro Max or Alta X Gen 2), and you land on a single SKU more often than not.
Ready to pick one? Browse our current Freefly lineup, or reach out and we will help you spec the right package for the work you are actually doing.
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