06/02/2026
"๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ" ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ. ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ต ๐ฅ๐๐น๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐'๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐.
The statutory list of eligible fixed-site facilities under 49 U.S.C. 44802 currently includes:
โข Energy production, transmission, and distribution facilities
โข Railroad facilities
โข Oil refineries and chemical facilities
โข Amusement parks
โข State prisons
To evaluate scope, the FAA worked with Sector Risk Management Agencies across 16 CISA-defined critical infrastructure sectors. They identified approximately 125,000 potentially eligible sites but estimate receiving around 9,000 UAFR applications over the first five years. Eligibility doesn't equal automatic designation.
To successfully petition for a UAFR, applicants must demonstrate that a restriction is necessary for at least one of four reasons:
1. Aviation safety
2. Protection of people and property on the ground
3. National security
4. Homeland security
That burden of proof sits with the applicant, not the FAA. Facilities must document existing drone traffic patterns, identify specific vulnerabilities, and describe the potential consequences if those vulnerabilities are exploited.
The framework is designed to be targeted, not sweeping. Whether the proposed 16-sector scope is appropriately calibrated is actually one of the open questions the FAA is asking the public to weigh in on before July 6.
๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฉ: ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐จ.
