Ascento Guard Dori USA v1 joins a growing list of UAS exempted from the FCC Covered List through the federal Conditional Approval process.
The Federal Communications Commission has updated its Covered List to exempt another uncrewed aircraft system following a Conditional Approval from the Department of War.
In an August 21 Public Notice, the FCC said DoW granted Conditional Approval to Ascento Inc.’s Ascento Guard Dori USA v1 Uncrewed Aircraft System. The approval exempts that specific system from the Covered List.
The notice also grants an exemption for several Wi-Fi routers from WNC Corporation.
Conditional Approvals Continue
The FCC added UAS and UAS critical components produced in foreign countries to the Covered List in December 2025. At the same time, the agency established that the list could be updated when DoW or the Department of Homeland Security determines that specific equipment does not pose unacceptable national security risks.
Since then, DoW has granted Conditional Approvals to a growing number of UAS. The FCC’s current list includes systems from SiFly Aviation, ScoutDI, sees.ai, AIR6, Elevon Aerial, Blueflite, Verity, Flock Safety, ABZ Innovation, Ceres Air and Parallel Flight Technologies, among others.
The terms of those approvals changed in July. UAS Conditional Approvals no longer carry a fixed expiration date. They can remain effective as long as the applicant follows the onshoring plan included in its application and the products pass updated vetting. Failure to follow the plan, or false statements or misrepresentations in the application, can terminate the approval and return the equipment to the Covered List.
The FCC says those conditions apply to the Ascento approval.
About Ascento
Ascento is a Swiss robotics company that grew from a project at ETH Zurich. ETH lists Ascento among its robotics startups and describes the company as developing mobile robots for security monitoring.
Ascento is best known for autonomous ground robots designed to patrol large sites. Its commercial security platform combines autonomous operation with cameras and other sensors for tasks such as perimeter checks and thermal monitoring. Ascento currently operates their Guard product as a “Robotics as a Service” offering.
The FCC notice does not provide technical specifications for the newly approved Guard Dori USA v1, and publicly available information does not establish that it is the same platform as Ascento’s better-known ground robots. The FCC identifies the Guard Dori USA v1 specifically as an uncrewed aircraft system.
The Conditional Approval applies only to that identified system. It provides another example of the process now available for specific foreign-produced UAS to receive an exemption from the FCC Covered List.
Read more:
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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