FAA Officials: Drone Scale-Up Needs More Than Part 108

The FAA's next step for drone integration goes beyond writing rules. Jones framed Part 108 as solving one major problem—replacing case-by-case approvals with a predictable framework—but she placed that within a broader push to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS). This suggests the agency sees regulation as one pillar, with airspace modernization and information sharing as equally necessary pieces.

Supko's point adds a counterintuitive twist: more routine operations could actually make security easier. With more data on what normal drone activity looks like, authorities may more readily spot deviations. That view ties security to data collection, but also to context—Supko mentioned an operator's previous history as potentially useful information for evaluating an operation.

The 'info-centric NAS' idea reflects the challenge of connecting different organizations and technology providers that hold different pieces of information. The discussion concluded that managing large numbers of legitimate operations safely will depend on linking regulation, operational data, security tools, research, and testing—not on any single rule or technology.