U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is launching Phase 2 of the BEYOND program, with the next stage focused on expanding efforts to integrate drones into the national airspace system (NAS). The FAA BEYOND Program Phase 2 initiative is also intended to secure America’s leadership in aviation innovation.
Under the FAA BEYOND Program Phase 2 expansion, the FAA will double the program’s current size by selecting up to eight additional state, local, tribal and territorial entities as lead participants. The move will significantly broaden advanced drone operations across the country, while providing the agency with additional partnerships to support the development and testing of drone activities.
“America leads the world in aviation, and this expansion will help keep it that way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department is cutting through barriers, advancing innovation and making sure the next generation of aviation technology is developed, tested and built right here in the United States,” he added.
Phase 2 Targets Complex Drone Operations
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency’s approach will continue to focus on safety, scalability and information gathered from actual operations.
“As drone technology continues to advance, the FAA is focused on building a regulatory framework that is safe, scalable and grounded in real-world data,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
“Phase 2 of BEYOND will expand the partnerships and operations needed to address remaining challenges in beyond visual line of sight operations, public safety missions, on-airport operations and other complex airspace environments,” he added.
Building on Earlier Federal Drone Programs
The FAA BEYOND Program Phase 2 expansion follows the earlier work of two programs from the first Trump administration: the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program, launched in 2017, and BEYOND Phase 1, which began in 2020. Together, those programs created a model for collaboration involving federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments as well as industry. That collaboration was established to safely advance drone operations in the United States.
Authorized under Section 920 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, BEYOND Phase 2 will increase participation while supporting more advanced drone operations. The new lead participants will work with the FAA to address the remaining challenges involved in safely scaling routine drone operations in the National Airspace System.
