Looking for an NDAA-compliant smart controller? ACSL, which has been proving itself as an increasingly prominent alternative to DJI, just gave us one more reason to turn our heads to its direction. The company today launched a new product called TENSO. TENSO is an NDAA-compliant drone controller, offering a product that has been highly sought-after.

In fact, here at Drone Girl, we’ve had oodles of readers asking for recommendations of the best drone controller not made in China. Up until now, the options had been few and far between. But with TENSO, which comes from Japanese drone maker ACSL, we finally have one.

Here’s your guide to TENSO, as well as a bit of other color around what ACSL has been up to these days:

TENSO: key specs

The TENSO smart controller is designed for operations with the SOTEN drone, which ACSL launched in January 2023. When SOTEN first debuted, it came with the standard controller, which had more simplified specs. TENSO turns the standard controller up a notch — or many.

Here are some key TENSO specs:

• AES256 encryption communication protocol between SOTEN drone and controller (same as the standard controller)
• Recommended operating temperature range from 14°F to 104°F
• IP43-rating (dust and splash resistant)
• 2.3 lb weight
• 3 hours of battery life
• 5″ display
• 1080p resolution
• Up to 1000 nits of brightness (including direct sunlight)
• 2.5 mile maximum operation range
• 2.4 GHz operating frequency
• Wi-Fi and LTE compatible

In short, you’re looking at a portable and powerful drone. But besides its durability, the key power of this drone controller is that communication protocol. As the same protocol used by the U.S. government for classified information, TENSO is best used in sensitive drone operations.

You’re not limited to just one controller either. In fact, the SOTEN drone allows any combination of up to three standard and smart controllers to link to it simultaneously in flight.

That said, it’s not cheap — and you can’t buy one yet even if you wanted to. It’ll be available for purchase come September. Existing SOTEN drone pilots can buy it as a standalone piece for $2,800. Or, if you’re new to the SOTEN system, ACSL will also sell operation-ready bundles with the option to pick one with this controller.

And no, you can’t just buy this drone controller from Amazon or some other electronics store. ACSL works with authorized dealers. Find an ACSL authorized dealer near you, here.

How TENSO fits into the broader ACSL ecosystem

Japanese drone company ACSL started making waves across the U.S. in early 2023, when news broke that it would launch a U.S. subsidiary in California’s Silicon Valley. For what it’s worth, ACSL itself is hardly new. Founded in 2013, ACSL is Japan’s largest drone maker. That is, unless you count other Japanese companies like Sony. Primarily known for handheld cameras , Sony did semi-recently get into drones itself).

By launching in the U.S., ACSL could focus on selling NDAA-compliant drones — a feature increasingly critical for many pilots flying drones in the U.S.

Being NDAA-compliant means adhering to specific provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act, particularly those related to the use of technology and equipment. If a product is NDAA-compliant, it means they are certified to not contain components manufactured by blacklisted entities. With that comes a promise that they meet certain cybersecurity standards and can protect sensitive government data. NDAA compliance is seem among customers as essential for safeguarding sensitive government information and protecting critical infrastructure from potential vulnerabilities.

ACSL’s SOTEN drone

ACSL’s first product to launch in the U.S., the SOTEN drone, was hardly cheap. Clocking in at many thousands of dollars, it’s for people who value security over anything. After all, its strict security standards include the option to encrypt collected photo and video data before it’s recorded to the on-board memory card. In addition, communication between the drone and the controller is encrypted.

It launched with its own proprietary controller, though the controller’s features were far more basic than the TENSO that we’re learning about today. Here’s a look at the standard SOTEN drone controller (and not that clunky separate screen):

With no built-in screen, users have to attached their own separate device. And yes, that could mean another Chinese made electronic, such as an iPhone. Both, that controller and drone are also NDAA-compliant.

How has ACSL weathered its entrance into the U.S. market

SOTEN announced its U.S. launch over a year ago. The drone units themselves arrived in the U.S. toward the beginning of this year.

Ths far, ACSL has landed clients including utility providers Ameren and New York Power Authority. It has also landed some drones as a service companies such as Firmatek.

ACSL has entered the U.S. at a critical time. Especially lately, an uptick in American legislation has sought to ban or limit drones made in China — particularly DJI drones. That includes the Countering CCP Drones Act, which already passed in the House. Though, it still needs to pass the Senate. Other, more moderate proposals would severely limit DJI drones. That includes the Drones First Responders Act, which would create a 30% tariff on drones made in China.

Though intended to boost American drone companies, such legislation also paves the way for companies like ACSL to thrive.

Other ACSL upgrades ahead

Alongside the TENSO launch, ACSL announced a few other smaller upgrades to its SOTEN drone, addressing complaints from early-adopters. Those include:

• Reducing real-time video latency by 25%
• Adding custom gimbal control (gimbal speed now adjusts based on zoom level)
• Offering direct exposure control (pilots can now quickly adjust image exposure to reveal object details)
• Upgraded compatibility by supporting more Android devices

And now, SOTEN drone’s firmware is fully compliant with U.S. remote ID regulations, as accepted by the FAA.

Thaht’s not all. ACSL CTO Dr. Chris Raabe also said the company has some improvements planned in its pipeline, which include:

• Expanding line up of swappable payloads
• Additional countermeasures against camera vibration
• A dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz) radio link for improved robustness in noisy
• environments.
• Automatic continuation of mapping missions following a battery swap.
• Capability to monitor and control the aircraft via LTE cellular network.
• RTK module add-on for centimeter-level positional accuracy
• Further real-time video latency reduction

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