Originally published New National Drone Training Program Aims to Strengthen Public Safety UAS Operations on by https://www.hstoday.us/industry/industry-news/new-national-drone-training-program-aims-to-strengthen-public-safety-uas-operations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-national-drone-training-program-aims-to-strengthen-public-safety-uas-operations at Homeland Security
The Airborne International Response Team (AIRT), a nonprofit organization focused on advancing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in public safety, has announced a new national training initiative to address significant capability gaps identified in its latest Government and Public Safety Sector Survey, according to a press release yesterday.
The newly launched program—UAS National Initiative for Training and Education (UNITE)—is designed to support leadership development and improve sustainability for public safety drone operations across the U.S.
The 2025 survey, which gathered responses from nearly 900 individuals involved in government and public safety UAS programs, highlighted a number of challenges agencies face in maintaining and expanding their drone capabilities.
One of the most prominent findings: 91% of public safety drone pilots serve in collateral roles, meaning flying a drone is secondary to their primary job duties. This structure often limits the ability of agencies to sustain and grow effective drone programs.
The survey also revealed that only 26% of respondents were satisfied with their agency’s internal capacity to train remote pilots, while just 18% were satisfied with external training options. Furthermore, only 31% of agencies reported having a formal plan in place to manage pilot turnover or succession, an issue that could impact long-term program viability.
In response, DRONERESPONDERS, a program under AIRT that supports public safety UAS operations, created UNITE to strengthen leadership skills, provide strategic guidance, and offer flexible training formats to meet agency-specific needs.
UNITE includes three core training pathways:
- Online Training: A UAS Leadership Series featuring progressive learning modules tailored to current and aspiring drone program managers.
- Regional Events and Workshops: In-person, multi-agency training days across the country focusing on operational best practices.
- Custom Training: Specialized modules and curricula for agencies with unique challenges or operational requirements.
To lead the new initiative, AIRT has appointed Jason Day as DRONERESPONDERS Deputy Director of Training. Day brings direct experience from overseeing the largest public safety drone program in the U.S. at the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Day said the new program aims to address the training and leadership development gaps surfaced in the survey. “UNITE will help fill the gaps identified by AIRT’s research data by creating more robust public safety UAS leaders better equipped to develop and lead all types and sizes of drone programs for their respective jurisdictions,” he noted in the announcement.
While public safety drone usage has expanded significantly in recent years, the findings suggest that organizational support and structured training programs remain inconsistent. UNITE is positioned as a response to those challenges, seeking to provide scalable solutions that align with national airspace regulations and local agency needs.
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Originally published New National Drone Training Program Aims to Strengthen Public Safety UAS Operations on by https://www.hstoday.us/industry/industry-news/new-national-drone-training-program-aims-to-strengthen-public-safety-uas-operations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-national-drone-training-program-aims-to-strengthen-public-safety-uas-operations at Homeland Security
Originally published Homeland Security
