- The Transportation Department and FAA will add up to eight new lead participants to the BEYOND drone program.
- All eight original participants will stay in Phase 2 while the agency expands long-range drone testing.
- Applications will open through SAM.gov as the FAA seeks state, local, tribal, and territorial leaders.
The Transportation Department and FAA announced August 27, 2026, that they will add up to eight lead participants to the BEYOND drone program. The expansion will double the program’s current size.
All eight original participants will remain in Phase 2. The agency will seek new state, local, tribal, and territorial entities to lead additional testing across the United States.
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the second phase. The effort is designed to accelerate drone integration into the national airspace system and support advanced operations.
Duffy tied the expansion to the country’s position in aviation.
“America leads the world in aviation, and this expansion will help keep it that way”
The program centers on practical, long-range commercial drone operations. Testing will cover larger aircraft, longer distances, and flights above 400 feet.
BEYOND launched in October 2020. Its work has focused on moving drone operations beyond individual approvals and toward more complex flights within the national airspace system.
The expansion targets longer and more complex drone flights
Phase 2 will broaden the program’s work on advanced drone operations. The stated focus includes larger drones, longer distances, and flights above 400 feet.
Those tests are tied to the effort to integrate drones into the national airspace system. The department also described the expansion as a way to support aviation innovation and U.S. leadership in the field.
The program’s first group will continue while the FAA builds out the next phase. That keeps the existing testing network in place as new entities are selected.
Eight organizations already anchor the testing network
The current participants represent tribal, state, local, academic, and aviation organizations. They will continue into the next phase.
| Existing lead participant | Location or type |
|---|---|
| Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma | Tribal participant |
| Kansas Department of Transportation | Kansas |
| North Carolina Department of Transportation | North Carolina |
| North Dakota Department of Transportation | North Dakota |
| Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority | Memphis-Shelby County |
| Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership | Virginia |
| City of Reno | Nevada |
| University of Alaska Fairbanks | Alaska |
The group gives the program several operating settings, from a tribal government and transportation departments to an airport authority, a city, a university, and a Virginia aviation partnership.
Applicants will enter through a future federal solicitation
The FAA plans to accept applications through SAM.gov. It will make the selections at a future date.
The agency will choose up to eight additional lead participants. That ceiling includes state, local, tribal, and territorial entities, broadening the types of organizations that can apply to lead the work.
The announcement does not set a selection date. The next participants will be added after the federal application process.
Section 920 provides the statutory route into Phase 2
The expansion follows Section 920 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The provision connects the enlarged testing network to the second phase of the program.
Phase 2 therefore adds capacity rather than replacing the first group. The existing eight organizations will continue their work as the agency brings in new leads.
The department has described the enlarged program as part of a broader push to integrate advanced drones into the national airspace system. The stated goal includes strengthening U.S. leadership in aviation innovation.
Duffy said the department wants to remove obstacles while keeping development and testing in the United States.
“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”
The testing scope includes larger drones, longer distances, and operations above 400 feet. The agency’s stated objective is to expand advanced drone operations through the new phase.
The FAA announced the expansion on August 27, 2026, and the new participants will join a program whose first phase began in October 2020. The existing participants remain in place as the agency moves toward the next round of long-range testing.
