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　　　　　　Figure 1: In 2019, the First U.S. FAA-approved commercial drone delivery by Wing was conducted in Virginia.

 

　November 7, 2025 – Earlier this month, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) Japan Office hosted a seminar to provide an overview of the newly proposed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) regulatory framework for commercial Unmanned Areial Systems (UAS). More than a dozen Japanese companies focused on drone software, component manufacturing, and delivery services were in attendance.

 

 

　On June 6, 2025, the U.S. Federal Government released Executive Order No. 14307, ‘Unleashing American Drone Dominance’ requiring the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule enabling BVLOS operations within 240 days. The new regulatory framework was released in August and open for public comment until October 6, 2025. The goal has an implementation target of February 2026.

 

　VEDP’s Director of Japan, Masai Satoru and FDI Advisor Ms. Michaela Martin conducted a seminar to detail UAS activity in Virginia. The importance of U.S. drone activity is tied directly to Virginia’s collection of assets in air mobility that position Virginia as a leader in this growing industry. Virginia is home to one of six FAA-designated UAS test sites at Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (VT-MAAP). It also has two NASA facilities focusing on UAS research: Langley Research Center and Wallops Flight Facility. Virginia is currently poised to lead this promising disruptive technology sector and host unmanned systems manufacturing, delivery, and testing.

 

　The core focus of the seminar focused on an overview on how the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for BVLOS Part 108 will differ from the current BVLOS Part 107 Rule due to the release of Executive Order No.14307 in June. In addition, the VEDP team shared valuable insight on current U.S. drone import/export activity and potential growth opportunities for Japanese related drone companies. The seminar concluded with and overview and details on how Japanese drone companies can seek to obtain BVLOS authorization with an introduction to the UAS experts at VT-MAAP.

 

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