FAA Awards $12 Million for Drone Integration Research
Nineteen companies will test drone integration technologies. Future research opportunities will be posted through the FAA’s program and SAM.gov.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced $12 million in drone research awards to 19 companies on October 5, 2026. The work supports safe integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace through partnerships with FAA-designated test sites.
Projects address operational problems rather than airport construction. Topics include ANRA Technologies’ vertiport procedures, General Atomics’ ground-based detect-and-avoid systems, Censys Technologies’ satellite communications for longer-range operations and DroneUp’s identification capabilities.
Key details
- Status: Research awards have been announced; this release does not open a new application round.
- Program: The FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Broad Agency Announcement supports research, development and demonstrations.
Next steps
Airport operators, drone vendors and public agencies can review the selected research topics to identify relevant operational tests. Monitor the FAA research program and SAM.gov for future calls, eligibility rules and submission instructions before preparing an application.
Contacts & resources
FAA announcement — October 5, 2026 · Program resources and opportunity updates.
Details reviewed October 10, 2026. Check linked official updates before acting.
Representative airport photograph: Austin-Bergstrom control tower, December 2024; not the drone research sites. Alexis Doine · CC0. No editorial alterations; display may be resized or cropped.
