The FAA has launched Phase 2 of its BEYOND drone-integration programme, doubling the effort by seeking up to eight additional state, local, tribal and territorial lead participants to support more advanced unmanned aircraft operations in the US national airspace system. The expanded phase targets challenging use cases including public safety missions, controlled airspace, on-airport operations, remote rural areas and cross-border flights.
The programme is designed to generate operational data for FAA policy, rulemaking and guidance as the agency works to move beyond case-by-case waivers and towards more routine drone integration. BEYOND Phase 2 builds on the earlier programme structure and continues under authority granted by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
The new solicitation broadens the focus to infrastructure, scalability, safety and automation, with particular emphasis on beyond-visual-line-of-sight flying, larger unmanned aircraft, higher-altitude missions and longer-range operations. Proposal submissions are due on 10 September, giving state and local entities a short window to apply for lead roles in the next stage of the programme.