The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
said on Thursday they will double the size of the BEYOND program and add up to
eight participants, with selections to be announced later. Launched in October
2020 to test beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations, the programme’s
second phase will prioritise larger unmanned aircraft systems, higher-altitude
and longer-range flights — including operations above about 122 metres (400 ft)
— and focus on missions such as moving cargo to remote or rural areas;
regulators say higher-altitude testing will also aid weather-data collection.
