AUVSI’s Drone & AAM Policy Symposium: Major Momentum for Advanced Aviation

August 5, 2025

Last week, AUVSI welcomed leaders from across government and industry to Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., for the 2025 Drone & AAM Policy Symposium. Against the backdrop of one of America’s most iconic stadiums, more than a dozen federal agencies, congressional offices, state and local government stakeholders, and commercial innovators came together for two days of high-level dialogue and actionable insight into the future of uncrewed and advanced aviation.

The symposium opened with keynote remarks from AUVSI President & CEO Michael Robbins, who offered a wide-ranging overview of the policy, regulatory, and security landscape shaping advanced aviation. Robbins emphasized that the future of the national airspace depends on modernized frameworks, robust public-private collaboration, and secure, scalable technologies. “We are writing the next chapter of aviation history,” he said, “and that chapter begins here.”

The timing of the event could not have been more consequential. Days after the close of the symposium, the DOT, FAA, and TSA released the long-awaited draft rule on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, an announcement that underscores the momentum and urgency voiced by attendees throughout the symposium. As FAA Assistant Administrator for Government and Industry Affairs Christopher Senn remarked during the symposium, “we’ve never been closer” to the release of a draft rule, and he was right.

“For too long, the United States has lacked a clear regulatory path to expand safe, scalable BVLOS operations,” said Robbins in a statement following the release. “This draft rule is a critical step toward enabling drone operations that will enhance safety, transform commercial services, and strengthen public safety with drones as a force multiplier.”

Robbins added that a final risk-based rule will unlock a wide range of commercial and public safety use cases, from infrastructure inspections and precision agriculture to disaster response and package delivery, applications that together represent billions in economic potential and thousands of high-quality jobs. The draft rule responds directly to the Trump Administration’s “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” Executive Order and to congressional directives to move Part 108 forward.

The BVLOS draft rule announcement was just one of several major policy milestones that framed the discussions during the two-day event.

On Day 1, Dan Edwards, Acting Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, provided a forward-looking perspective on how emerging aviation technologies support national goals. Elizabeth Cannon, Executive Director of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services, joined Robbins for a fireside chat to explore Commerce’s role in strengthening the rules around foreign-origin UAS and ensuring a resilient, trusted industrial base.

Timely panels featured experts from Capitol Hill, ASTM International, Wing, Zipline, Skydio, Northrop Grumman, Reliable Robotics, Wisk, Joby, and others, who all shared insights into evolving standards and legislative priorities shaping the future of flight. Sessions on trusted drone procurement, domestic manufacturing, and industrial base security reinforced a key theme: leadership in autonomy requires investment, collaboration, and speed.

Day 2 carried the momentum forward, beginning with keynote remarks from Senator Rick Scott, a leading voice on national security and innovation in the U.S. Senate. As a member of key committees shaping defense and transportation policy, Senator Scott has consistently championed American leadership in emerging technologies. His remarks highlighted the critical role of advanced aviation in strengthening U.S. competitiveness, securing supply chains, and modernizing infrastructure, reinforcing the importance of aligning innovation with a strong national policy framework.

Executives from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Republic Airways examined the operational and infrastructure changes needed to prepare for the next era of aviation, and FAA’s Christopher Senn and Amazon Prime Air’s Matt McCardle explored what’s needed to maintain momentum toward scaled drone and AAM operations, from detect-and-avoid and certification to autonomy and digital infrastructure. Senn noted that “UTM is the backbone to integration,” reinforcing the critical role of digital systems in enabling safe, scalable operations.

The Interagency Working Group on AAM provided an update on the Federal AAM Strategy and ten-year Comprehensive Plan, outlining key priorities for building local air mobility economies. Meanwhile, the Defense Innovation Unit participated in a candid session on acquisition friction points, progress on Blue UAS, and strategies to better align DoD procurement with commercial market dynamics.

Outside the panels, audiences had the opportunity to witness drone technology in action during live delivery demonstrations led by Wing. This real-world showcase highlighted the practical value and operational readiness of commercial UAS, offering a firsthand look at how drone delivery is already serving communities across the country.

Throughout the symposium, the message was clear: the technology is ready, and policy is advancing, but sustained momentum and follow-through will be critical to realizing the full potential of uncrewed and advanced aviation. “The time for one-off waivers and limited deployments is over,” Robbins said during his keynote address. “The United States must modernize its regulatory framework, unlock domestic manufacturing capacity, and lead the world in the safe integration of uncrewed systems.”

None of this would have been possible without our sponsors, partners, and federal agency participants that helped make this our best symposium yet. Thank you to:

• Our Thought Leaders: Agricultural Drone Initiative, Amazon Prime Air, AX Enterprise, Crown Consulting, Dzyne Technologies, Echodyne, Qualcomm, Tulsa Innovation Labs, uAvionix, Viasat, and Wing
• Our Influencers: Ascent AeroSystems, Carahsoft, DEXA, Warren Community College, Wisk, and Hextronics
• Our brand partners: Athule Aero, Honeywell, Maryland Department of Commerce, NASA, Reliable Robotics, and Zipline
• Our lunch sponsor: Iridium
• Our Media Partners: Airborne Incident Response Team, Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, Flight Safety Foundation, GAMA, Inside Unmanned Systems, P3 Tech Consulting, and This Week in Drones
• Our federal agency participants from: FAA, DoD, NASA, NTIA, NTSB, TSA, DHS, DOT, FCC, and Commerce

As AUVSI continues to advance priority policy efforts through coalition building and direct engagement with policymakers, the Drone & AAM Policy Symposium provided a vital platform to align strategy, accelerate outcomes, and reinforce America’s leadership in advanced aviation. To stay informed on these fast-moving developments, we encourage you to subscribe to AUVSI’s newsletters and attend our upcoming webinars, including our AMA-style webinar with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). And mark your calendar for AUVSI Defense in the fall, October 28-29 in D.C., where we’ll continue these critical conversations around autonomy, national security, and U.S. industrial strength.