Last summer, 11 FIFA World Cup host cities and the National Capital Region raced to stand up counter-drone capability before the first match. Many agencies were still training when the crowds arrived. Now a second round of funding is here, and every state and territory has a seat at the table.
FEMA released the FY2027 C-UAS Grant Program on October 16. It makes $250 million available to all 56 states and territories, with applications due November 16, 2026. Cities and counties cannot apply on their own. Every local need has to reach this funding through the state's plan.
To help state and local teams prepare, Airspace Link hosted a webinar on October 29. Charles Werner, founder and director of DRONERESPONDERS, and Liz Forro, policy director at the Commercial Drone Alliance, shared what they learned from round 1 and what they see coming in round 2. Rich Fahle of Airspace Link moderated.
Watch the webinar below:
The same $250 million that went to 12 recipients in round 1 is now spread across 56. Liz noted that the smaller share per state comes with a broader purpose. Round 1 was about urgency. Round 2 has more breathing room, with the 2028 Olympics and a torch relay expected to pass through the states. The NOFO puts new weight on data sharing, interoperability, and capability that outlasts any single event.
Based on the panel’s reading of the NOFO, each state starts with a floor of about $3.325 million. Liz read the NOFO as allowing states to receive potentially up to 50% more through a post-award review. That review scores proposals out of 100 points. Up to 40 go to protecting major public events and up to 30 to mobile mitigation equipment. The rest rewards layered detection and wide-area services that include a UTM provider that has applied for or received approval through the FAA’s near-term approval process.
Charles added that you do not need to be a law enforcement agency to take part. Mitigation requires in-person FBI training that reaches only about 30 people a month. Detection is far more accessible, and many tools require no federal authorization at all.
Most drones seized during the World Cup did not belong to bad actors. They belonged to people who did not know the rules. Liz called the missing step discernment, the ability to tell a real threat from the clueless and the careless.
Charles put it in sharper terms. Detecting every drone without knowing which ones are cooperative leaves responders searching an enormous haystack. Identification is what narrows it down.
Kansas City showed how that works in practice. Fifteen federal, state, and local agencies across Missouri and Kansas protected roughly 800,000 attendees across the matches and fan fest. Multiple sensors fed into AirHub® Portal, which served as their common operating picture. Known drones from media, police, and federal partners could be marked as trusted, so responders could focus on the unknowns. Charles saw the system in action.
"It was really impressive to be able to see the cooperatives, the uncooperatives, and be able to identify those drones that were flying that were supposed to be there."
For Liz, one investment matters more than any single sensor. "If you don't have a data integration layer, it's ultimately not going to work," she said. She pointed to Airspace Link as an example of that ideal model.
She described a familiar scenario. A correctional facility buys radar. A utility buys an acoustic system. An airport buys RF detection. A data layer that can take in all three gives the whole region one common operating picture. The sensors will keep changing. The integration layer is the piece that should be modular and grow with you.
That layer also connects two worlds that have long been separate. UTM grew out of the need to deconflict growing drone traffic. Security grew out of the need to find drones that should not be there. Both depend on seeing the airspace clearly. UTM providers act as a filter, setting aside authorized and compliant drones so security teams can focus on what remains.
"Capabilities like Airspace Link really sit at the nexus between these two sides of a conversation coming together, creating an ecosystem where we know what's happening in our airspace, we trust what's happening in our airspace, and we can respond to things that we really need to respond to."
The NOFO points the same way. It gives preference to data integration platforms that provide UTM services and have gone through FAA review. Liz noted that this review gives buyers a layer of federal due diligence they may not have the resources to do on their own.
Charles urged every state without a UAS and counter-UAS task force to create one now. Virginia started by listing its vulnerabilities, then took inventory of the detection equipment already in place so it could be pulled into one network. The goal, he said, is to avoid islands of sensors working on their own.
The right table includes law enforcement, fire, emergency management, aviation departments, airports, military bases, corrections, utilities, and major venues. Liz advised starting where the passion already exists. Champions are often the ones who bring everyone else together.
Working together also stretches limited dollars. One attendee noted that a radar system can cost around a million dollars. Charles suggested sharing that radar across neighboring jurisdictions, or letting venues and critical infrastructure owners carry the heavier sensors. As he put it, drone flights do not stop at the border.
Rich closed with advice for anyone still on the sidelines. Round 1 cities are now growing their programs and learning where the gaps are. The best way to get in the game is to get in the game.
Airspace Link helped Kansas City bring 15 federal, state, and local agencies into one shared airspace picture for the World Cup, built to last well beyond the tournament. Our flagship product, AirHub® Portal, brings data from multiple sensors and cooperative drone operations into one common operating picture. Airspace Link also holds FAA near-term approval for UTM services, one of the capabilities this round's scoring rewards. Learn more in our fact sheet.
Working on your NOFO submission? Our team offers guidance and support to help you plan your detection, identification, and data integration strategy and write your region's needs into the state's plan before the November 16 deadline. Talk with our team today.