On Monday, the FAA announced it awarded $12 million to 19 projects across 14 organizations for drone research and testing. The agency says these projects will help “safely expand drone operations in the National Airspace System.” 

The awards came through the UAS Broad Agency Announcement Program, which funds companies working with FAA-designed UAS Test Sites to work on technologies that help support safe drone integration. The FAA also says that the awards work to advance the same goals as the Unleashing American Drone Dominance Executive Order, issued in June 2025, by “supporting the full use of FAA UAS Test Sites to develop, test, and scale American drone technologies.”

“The UAS Broad Agency Announcement Program gives us another way to directly work with industry and our test site partners on technologies that are critical to safe drone integration,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in the release. “The research supported through this program will give us better data, help us identify and understand operational challenges, and inform how we safely integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System.”

A look at the list of organizations receiving funding from the program shows a variety of use cases to work toward this mission, including technologies focused on detecting aircraft, long-range cargo delivery, communication technology, mission coordination, and more. ANRA Technologies and SPS Aerial Remote Sensing stand out with multiple awards: four for the former and three for the latter. A full list of the recipients included in the release is below:

  • General Atomics — ground systems to help drones avoid other aircraft
  • NAVMAR — systems to help large drones fly safely
  • SPS Aerial Remote Sensing — a test of drone visibility technology
  • ANRA Technologies — tools to connect air taxi operations, vertiports, and flight procedures
  • Devorto Corporation — long-range cargo drone service
  • ANRA Technologies — tools to give drones a common altitude reference
  • DroneUp LLC — a secure way to verify drone identity and approval to fly
  • SPS Aerial Remote Sensing — a sensor system for drone traffic management and counter-drone operations
  • SPS Aerial Remote Sensing — tools to measure sensor performance
  • OneRadio Corporation — testing passive radar to help drones avoid other aircraft
  • Censys Technologies Corp — testing satellite communications for long-range drone flights
  • Frequentis USA — a drone technology demonstration
  • ANRA Technologies — tools to connect drone traffic systems with traditional air traffic systems at airports
  • ANRA Technologies — AI tools to identify different types of drones
  • Skydweller — onboard systems to help large drones avoid other aircraft
  • Aerial Vantage — tools to manage reserved airspace for drones in cities
  • Lighthouse Avionics Inc. — surveillance tools for long-range drone routes
  • ResilienX, Inc. — software to coordinate drone missions and resources
  • Oklahoma State University — drone visibility technology under the Aero Aware project

This research will utilize FAA-designated UAS Test Sites, located across the U.S. Today, there are a total of nine designated test sites, with the full list available below. Prior to this year, there had been seven sites for nearly a decade before the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation were added in January 2026.

  • Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, Alaska
  • Northern Plains UAS Test Site, North Dakota
  • New Mexico State University UAS Test Site, New Mexico
  • State of Nevada UAS Test Site, Nevada
  • New York UAS Test Site, New York
  • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Autonomy Research Institute, Texas
  • Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, Virginia
  • Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Oklahoma
  • Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana