President Trump recently signed two Executive Orders aimed at advancing the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) and promoting U.S. drone manufacturing and export.¹ The Orders underscore the Trump administration’s interest in prioritizing the safe integration of UAS and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft in the national airspace. For years, U.S. drone operators and manufacturers have noted that despite the technological readiness of drone capabilities, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) limited regulatory framework has precluded the full suite of operational use cases in the civilian sector. President Trump’s Executive Orders promise to expedite the FAA’s creation of regulatory pathways enabling the broader deployment of drones and AAM.

In his first of two related Orders, President Trump directs the FAA to publish its proposed rulemaking enabling routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for UAS within 30 days and issue a final rule within 240 days thereafter.² The Order also contains directives aimed at enabling use of U.S.-manufactured UAS by the Department of Defense, and promoting the export of U.S.-made civil UAS.

Although principally aimed at promoting drone integration, the Order also directs the FAA to establish an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) pilot program for AAM within 90 days. Under the pilot program, the FAA will select at least five projects sponsored by state, local, tribal, or territorial governments, in coordination with private sector eVTOL manufacturing or operating partners, to help inform the FAA’s adoption of permanent standards for the safe integration of eVTOL operations in the national airspace.

In a second and related Order, President Trump established a Federal Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, tasked with reviewing and proposing solutions to UAS threats in the national airspace.³ In addition, the Order directs the FAA to publish proposed and final rules related to UAS at fixed-site facilities as soon as practicable, and directs the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to explore the use of counter-UAS to protect mass gathering events.

The Trump administration’s attention on UAS and AAM is a positive for industry. The question now is whether the FAA can deliver on the President’s directives for UAS and AAM deployment and integration on these new and more urgent timelines.