FAA Launches BEYOND Phase 2, Seeks Up to Eight New State, Local, Tribal and Territorial UAS Partners
Why It MattersThe expansion signals accelerating federal support for BVLOS drone operations, feeding data and precedent toward a formal Part 108 rule that could reshape commercial UAS integration nationwide.
The FAA has issued a Screening Information Request to add up to eight state, local, tribal, and territorial lead participants to Phase 2 of its BEYOND program, the agency's primary vehicle for integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system. Eligible applicants and their industry partners have until September 10, 2026, to compete for program agreements.
BEYOND succeeded the UAS Integration Pilot Program, which began with nine lead participants under a 2017 Presidential Memorandum and concluded by statute in October 2020. During Phase 1, which ran from 2020 to 2025, participants logged more than 70,000 flights, including over 48,000 beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations, and the FAA said that data informed its pending BVLOS rulemaking proposing a new 14 C.F.R. Part 108.
The expansion was directed in part by Section 920 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which instructs the FAA Administrator to extend BEYOND and consider adding more state, local, and tribal governments, and which authorizes waivers of certain airworthiness, airman, and air carrier certificate requirements under BEYOND agreements. The FAA announced the Phase 2 expansion on August 27, saying it will double the program's current size, organized around four programmatic focus areas and five operational focus areas including public safety, controlled airspace, rural infrastructure gaps, on-airport operations, and cross-border operations. The agency may prioritize proposals involving larger UAS, longer distances, and higher altitudes, with six program-level key performance indicators to measure progress.
