29 January 2026
By Chris "The Drone Geek" Fravel
If the past few months have taught us anything in the world of drones it’s this: don’t get too comfortable, because at any point, anyone, anywhere can change the complexion and trajectory of this industry in an instant.
This became especially evident after the events of December 22nd, 2025 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that not only would all future DJI and Autel drones be placed on their “covered entities list,” but also any and all future foreign-made drones and components as well. This action left many of us, myself included, looking for answers as to where, when, and how to source drones and drone components that would empower us to continue innovating, building, and flying unmanned aerial systems – and despite our best efforts, the future looked bleak.
But that’s where a marketplace like UAS Nexus comes into play.
UAS Nexus, founded in Salt Lake City, Utah by Bobby Sakaki, is a members-only syndicate marketplace for UAS components and systems aiming to empower innovators and enthusiasts of UAV technology with NDAA-compliant and BlueUAS certified products.
Bobby Sakaki
Bobby Sakaki is recognized as a leading expert in sUAS technology and is the driving force behind the company’s vision. His expertise has been honed over a decade, during which he has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, U.S. federal agencies, and emerging startups on drone innovation. Prior to founding UAS Nexus, Sakaki spent years evaluating and curating the most advanced systems and components through his consulting firm, Lyterate.
His extensive industry background includes key roles in product leadership and business development at prominent companies within the drone space, such as Ascent AeroSystems, Autel Robotics, and WhiteFox Defense Technologies. This experience provides the foundation for the UAS Nexus marketplace, which he personally vets and monitors to ensure the quality and regulatory compliance (NDAA and BlueUAS certification) of every component. But Sakaki acknowledges he could not do this alone – which is why he has brought friend and colleague Ryan LaBarre to UAS Nexus to assist in the design and infrastructure initiatives of the company.
Ryan LaBarre
LaBarre serves as the UAS Design and Infrastructure Subject Matter Expert, providing the engineering backbone for the UAS Nexus platform. He is a systems engineer and platform designer with deep, practical experience that ensures high reliability in the field. His work is comprehensive, spanning unmanned aircraft architecture, avionics integration, custom airframes, and rigorous performance validation across diverse operating environments.
LaBarre’s primary focus is on creating modular and maintainable designs, translating complex engineering decisions into dependable, real-world capability. At UAS Nexus, he spearheads the engineering execution and system design, working closely with Sakaki to align all hardware, software, and operational requirements. His role is critical in developing platforms like the Platform One ecosystem and ensuring the components available in the syndicate marketplace are fully integrated and ready for deployment.
I had the opportunity, thanks to Sakaki, to sign-up for a membership with UAS Nexus. Once my request for membership was approved, I was given access to the complete marketplace of components and systems available for purchase through the company that all met NDAA-compliant or BlueUAS standardization. Having the ability to purchase components and systems from a marketplace that is vetted and monitored by a mind like Sakaki’s along with help from LaBarre, gives anyone peace-of-mind when building out their next build and ensuring its longevity – no matter what politics impact the industry as a whole down the road.
Do you need a flight controller? Pick up the BrainFPV RADIX 2 HD on UAS Nexus. Looking for a pair of analog goggles? The Syndicate marketplace has the Orqa FPV.One Pilot goggles on sale for $699.99. How about a camera for your drone? You have options ranging from the Fat Shark Aura Analog FPV camera to the Gremsy G-Hadron 640R to fit just about any mission set.
While that is all well-and-good, what about those of us that don’t want to piece together our own drones? What if we don’t necessarily have the technical background to understand how to pair flight controllers to electronic speed controllers or video transmission systems or GPS units? That’s where the UAS Nexus Platform One fills the need.
The UAS Nexus Platform One is an advanced, first-of-its-kind ecosystem engineered by UAS Nexus to integrate and unify Western drone technologies into a single, scalable, attritable, and interoperable platform. It is designed to be a highly flexible airframe that empowers innovators and enthusiasts to build drones using NDAA-compliant and BlueUAS certified components, providing a reliable domestic source for critical UAV technology.
A key feature of Platform One is its versatility in hardware and software. It is compatible with a wide range of popular autopilot software, including INAV, Betaflight, PX4, and Ardupilot. For hardware, it supports cutting-edge compute and flight control modules such as the ModalAI VOXL2/2 MINI, TBS Lucid, BrainFPV Radix2, and Auterion Skynode-S. The airframe is constructed from durable materials, including carbon fiber and flexible FDM print, and incorporates active cooling or heatsink options for component longevity. Standard sensors include GPS, a current sensor, and an FPV camera, with an optional Time-of-Flight (TOF) sensor. It is also designed to integrate various modern radio protocols like ELRS, CRSF, GHOST, and IP-based links such as Doodle Labs, DTC, or Silvus.
On top of empowering innovators to purchase components and finished drone solutions for their specific use cases or needs, UAS Nexus also offers a wide-range of services geared towards helping organizations develop and implement their internal drone programs including: engineering, GTM, training, regulatory, and BlueUAS services.
The engineering services allow customers to work with the UAS Nexus in-house engineers to deliver OEM-level integrations across sensors, radios, and flight systems to enable you to have purpose-built systems that are reliable and ready to execute missions effectively. GTM or “market access” allows innovators to partner with UAS Nexus to help adapt drone technology to new markets through focused strategy, alignment, and access to new opportunities. The UAS Nexus training services delivers a hands-on program that is both certified provider and veteran-led, building skill, safety, and compliance at the entry level for you and your organization. Regulatory services from UAS Nexus supports organizations through every stage of compliance and transforms ever-evolving standards into clear, actionable steps for operational readiness. Finally, for those of you looking for a pathway to BlueUAS certification for your platform or components, UAS Nexus can guide you through the process of component selection, documentation, BOM readiness to meet government and enterprise requirements, and will work with you and their assessment partners to move your platform toward approval for BlueUAS.
While UAS Nexus still has plenty of room to grow and improve, as a drone enthusiast and professional of 8 years, I can say that I am genuinely excited about what Sakaki and LaBarre (as well as the rest of their team and partners) are building. This marketplace, if curated correctly, could be a pathway forward for those of us who are overwhelmed and undercut by the constant shifting of regulations on and access to UAV technology and components. There will certainly be a need for UAV professionals capable of not just flying drones, but understanding their inner-workings and how they are best deployed to accomplish mission sets and tasks across the world’s vertical use cases. Those lucky enough to get in the door early with UAS Nexus will be empowered with the tools to be a valuable asset to the world of drones for the foreseeable future. Whether you run to apply for membership or you simply pay attention to the moves UAS Nexus is making, remember that this (in my eyes) is going to be a key player in the future of drones.
