Commercial UAV Expo debuts a two-day DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course and unveils the 2026 Summit agenda, headlined by World Cup airspace security lessons.
Commercial UAV Expo recently announced the debut of the DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course and the full session program for the 2026 DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit. Both take place at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas during Commercial UAV Expo, which runs September 1-3, 2026. The course is presented by DRONERESPONDERS and produced by AIRT.
FIFA World Cup counter-UAS lessons headline the Summit
According to organizers, the FBI has seized more than 600 drones from restricted airspace across the 11 U.S. World Cup host cities since the tournament kicked off June 11. Federal agencies have detected more than 1,000 drones operating near venues, with matches continuing through the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium. The World Cup airspace security effort feeds a two-part Summit session, “Lessons Learned from FIFA World Cup cUAS Response.” Federal officials have said the work is laying the groundwork for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, funded in part by a $250 million FEMA counter-UAS grant to host states.
“The World Cup has become one of the most visible stress tests yet for public safety airspace management in the United States,” said Adrianne Madden, event director of Commercial UAV Expo. Attendees need “a direct line to the people who lived that response,” she added.
Public Safety Summit sessions
The 2026 program spans two days of panels for law enforcement, fire, EMS, search and rescue, emergency management and transportation agencies. Sessions include the State of Public Safety UAS Operations; Fire Service Drone Operations Across the Country with speakers from FDNY, Phoenix Fire Department, CAL FIRE and Metro Fire; a Texas DOT session on bridge inspections and crash-scene documentation; and a shared-airspace panel with DroneSense by Versaterm, ANRA Technologies, Zipline and Wing. Additional sessions cover Drone as First Responder scaling, BVLOS operations, AI-enabled workflows and evolving training standards.dronelife+1
New Program Management Course for 2026
The DRONERESPONDERS Program Management Course is a two-day training for public safety and government professionals who build and lead UAS programs. Day One covers program management, training frameworks, SOPs, regulatory considerations, safety management systems and maintenance. Day Two focuses on interagency collaboration, data-driven tools, leadership strategies, emerging technologies and integration with Advanced Air Mobility. Participants receive a certificate of completion.
“Too many public safety UAS programs plateau because the people running them were handed a mission without a playbook,” said Jason Day, deputy director of DRONERESPONDERS. The course provides “a structured path from foundation to full operational maturity,” he added.
More information is available at Commercial UAV Expo.
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