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2w ago

Trump Directs Expansion of Drone Operations, Airspace Defenses and Supersonic Travel

The executive orders aim to secure U.S. skies after a series of East Coast drone sightings, with particular focus on preventing illicit flights.

FILE - A drone carries a mortar shell as soldiers take part in the U.S.-led Immediate Response 25 military exercise in Petrochori, Greece, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
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FILE - Seth Simonson, assistant professor/UAS curriculum lead for the North Dakota State College of Science, holds a Chinese-manufactured drone the college mainly uses for pilot training and photo and video collecting by students, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., on Jan. 15, 2025, (AP Photo/Jack Dura, File)
A retired British Airways Concorde supersonic airliner is moved by a barge past the Statue of Liberty on the Hudson River on March 14, 2024 in New York City.

Overview

  • The orders instruct the FAA to authorize routine commercial drone operations beyond visual line of sight to accelerate delivery services and electric air taxi trials.
  • A federal task force will be established to detect drones in real time near airports and sensitive sites and to support state and local law enforcement.
  • Administration officials plan to strengthen domestic drone supply chains to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturers without banning specific foreign firms.
  • Trump ordered the FAA to lift the nearly five-decade ban on overland supersonic flights to pave the way for high-speed commercial travel.
  • White House advisers cited last winter’s New Jersey drone incidents and the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics as reasons to tighten airspace security.