FAA: Scaling Drones Needs Airspace Modernization

FAA officials outlined the broader systems needed to manage scaled drone operations at the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas. Jessica Jones, Executive Director of the FAA's Office of Advanced Aviation Technologies, and Ben Supko, FAA Associate Administrator for Security and Intelligence, participated in the session moderated by Kenji Sugahara of the Oregon Department of Aviation.

The discussion marked a shift in the FAA's approach to drone integration. The next phase moves beyond approving individual flights to modernizing the entire National Airspace System (NAS) for scalability.

From Individual Approvals to Operations at Scale

Moderator Kenji Sugahara posed the central question of integrating large-scale BVLOS operations and counter-UAS measures. Jessica Jones identified the proposed Part 108 rule as a key step away from one-off approvals. She said getting Part 108 solves a major problem for the FAA by moving to a more scalable, predictable NAS so companies can develop their businesses and invest.

She framed this regulatory change within the larger goal of airspace modernization. The growth of operations also alters the security landscape. Ben Supko suggested that expanded routine flights could simplify threat detection by providing more data on normal drone behavior. He stated that with more data, they are able to determine when a drone is behaving outside of normal parameters, and that operations at scale may actually make it easier to determine when there are problems.

More Operations Will Require More Information

The panel examined the information authorities need for drones near sensitive sites. Supko said identification, position, and contextual data like an operator's history are important. He emphasized that law enforcement is skilled at threat assessment and that the objective is not to increase radio frequency interference or kinetic responses. He said they want as much as possible to mitigate with ground resources.

Jones linked security directly to information sharing and performance-based regulation. She stated that data-driven decisions and shared information are essential for innovation. Jones noted that UTM systems have already deconflicted 1.5 million BVLOS operations, a number expected to grow.

Building an Information-Centric NAS

A key challenge is creating a common operating picture from data held by disparate organizations. Jones described the goal of an info-centric NAS. She explained that everyone needs to be able to pull the information that they need, and that the info-centric NAS is a database, but they need people to be able to pull what they need to operate safely.

This concept is vital as drones integrate with other new aviation technologies. Operators, regulators, and security agencies all require different data streams. The task is collecting more information and ensuring the right data reaches the right parties when needed.

From Approving Flights to Managing Operations at Scale

Part 108 may remove a major barrier to widespread BVLOS flight. The discussion made clear, however, that regulation is only one component. Safely managing large numbers of operations demands improved information sharing, threat identification, and infrastructure protection.

Information sharing and security are now key pillars of advanced aviation integration alongside regulation. This explains why Jones positioned drone integration as part of the FAA's overarching airspace modernization effort.

The focus is shifting from the safety of individual flights to managing legitimate operations in shared airspace. The answer from Las Vegas depends on connecting regulation, operational data, security tools, and testing to support advanced aviation at scale.