FAA Awards $12 Million To 19 Drone Research Projects Ahead Of BVLOS Rule
· TexaHub · Drones, Regulation & Ethics
The FAA has funded 19 research and testing projects at its UAS test sites, while the Part 108 rule for routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights remains unpublished.
The Awards
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on 5 October that it is awarding $12 million across 19 drone research and testing projects, according to AVweb [1]. The work covers detect-and-avoid systems, satellite communications, drone identification and the integration of drone traffic management with conventional air traffic systems. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the UAS Broad Agency Announcement Program gives the agency "another way to directly work with industry on technologies critical to safe drone integration" [1].
According to DroneXL, ANRA Technologies received four awards and SPS Aerial Remote Sensing three, with General Atomics, Skydweller and DroneUp each receiving one. Congress provided the money through the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 at $6 million a year for fiscal 2025 to 2028, and projects require at least a 1:1 industry cost share [2].
Part 108 Still Pending
The research is meant to inform Part 108, the FAA's proposed framework for routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations [1]. DroneXL reported that the rule has been under review at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs since July, meaning companies are testing against a rule that has not yet been published [2].
Sources
[1] FAA Awards $12 Million for BVLOS Drone Research — AVweb, 5 Oct 2026
[2] FAA Puts $12 Million Into Drone Test Sites as Part 108 Sits Unsigned — DroneXL, 5 Oct 2026