diff --git a/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md b/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
index 259b92ce6..5b37341cb 100644
--- a/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
+++ b/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
@@ -4100,7 +4100,8 @@ Fire Perimeters uses capped, timed server reads with stale-on-error caching and
 Prohibited & Restricted Airspace is off by default (share-link token `8`) and sits in
 Infrastructure. The proxy pages `TYPE_CODE IN ('P','R')` from the FAA SUA
 FeatureServer, caps the body, and reuses a one-hour snapshot, serving the last
-good payload as stale when a refresh fails. An answer with no valid zone, or
+good payload as stale for at most 24 hours when a refresh fails; the layer row
+then reads STALE, dated by that snapshot's fetch. An answer with no valid zone, or
 paging that ends while the service still flags more records, counts as a
 failed refresh. Client-supplied URLs are rejected.
 Polygons keep holes; pick ownership is deliberately unregistered so sibling
diff --git a/server/providers/droneAirspace.js b/server/providers/droneAirspace.js
index 3109d5984..7d9ead55c 100644
--- a/server/providers/droneAirspace.js
+++ b/server/providers/droneAirspace.js
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ const API_URL =
 const MAX_PAGES = 5;
 const MIB = 1024 * 1024;
 const SNAPSHOT_TTL_MS = 3_600_000;
+/** Longest a failed refresh keeps serving the last snapshot, marked stale. */
+const STALE_MAX_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 
 const exceededTransferLimit = (payload) =>
   payload?.exceededTransferLimit === true ||
@@ -100,7 +102,9 @@ export function droneAirspaceProxy({
       });
       return { value: await promise, stale: false };
     } catch (error) {
-      if (previous) return { value: previous.value, stale: true };
+      // A failed refresh serves the last snapshot, marked stale, for a day.
+      if (previous && now() - previous.savedAt <= STALE_MAX_MS)
+        return { value: previous.value, stale: true };
       throw error;
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/data/droneAirspaceProxy.test.mjs b/src/data/droneAirspaceProxy.test.mjs
index e56da166c..52444cda0 100644
--- a/src/data/droneAirspaceProxy.test.mjs
+++ b/src/data/droneAirspaceProxy.test.mjs
@@ -213,3 +213,25 @@ test('a cold upstream failure is 502, not an empty snapshot', async () => {
   assert.equal(res.status, 502);
   assert.equal(res.body.error, 'drone_airspace_unavailable');
 });
+
+test('a stale snapshot is served for at most a day, then refused', async () => {
+  let now = 1_000_000_000;
+  let up = true;
+  const request = install({
+    now: () => now,
+    fetchImpl: async () => {
+      if (!up) throw new Error('FAA unreachable');
+      return Response.json({ features: [feature(7)] });
+    },
+  });
+  const fresh = await request();
+  assert.equal(fresh.status, 200);
+  up = false;
+  now += 23 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+  const stale = await request();
+  assert.equal(stale.status, 200);
+  assert.equal(stale.body.stale, true);
+  assert.equal(stale.body.fetchedAt, fresh.body.fetchedAt);
+  now += 2 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+  assert.equal((await request()).status, 502, 'a day-old snapshot is refused');
+});
diff --git a/src/layers/droneAirspace/index.js b/src/layers/droneAirspace/index.js
index 6420af2bd..a031215d9 100644
--- a/src/layers/droneAirspace/index.js
+++ b/src/layers/droneAirspace/index.js
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
   let _count = 0;
   let _lastUpdate = null;
   let _lastError = null;
+  let _stale = false;
   let _enabled = false;
   let _clickHandler = null;
   let _selectedId = null;
@@ -153,6 +154,7 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
       _count = 0;
       _lastUpdate = null;
       _lastError = null;
+      _stale = false;
       _enabled = false;
       console.log('[Data:DroneAirspace] Initialized');
     },
@@ -179,9 +181,21 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
       const request = new AbortController();
       _request = request;
       try {
-        const rows = await source.getSnapshot({ signal: request.signal });
+        // The source contract is getSnapshot; a source that can also say how
+        // fresh its rows are (the FAA proxy) offers getSnapshotDetail.
+        const snapshot =
+          typeof source.getSnapshotDetail === 'function'
+            ? await source.getSnapshotDetail({ signal: request.signal })
+            : { rows: await source.getSnapshot({ signal: request.signal }) };
         if (request.signal.aborted || _request !== request || !_enabled)
           return false;
+        const { rows } = snapshot;
+        _stale = snapshot.stale === true;
+        // A stale snapshot is as old as its fetch, not this poll.
+        const updatedAt =
+          _stale && Number.isFinite(snapshot.fetchedAt)
+            ? snapshot.fetchedAt
+            : Date.now();
 
         const signature = JSON.stringify(
           rows
@@ -190,7 +204,7 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
         );
         if (signature === _snapshotSignature) {
           if (_selectedId) publishSelectedCard();
-          _lastUpdate = Date.now();
+          _lastUpdate = updatedAt;
           _lastError = null;
           return true;
         }
@@ -239,7 +253,7 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
         _snapshotSignature = signature;
         if (_selectedId) publishSelectedCard();
         _count = rows.length;
-        _lastUpdate = Date.now();
+        _lastUpdate = updatedAt;
         _lastError = null;
         console.log(
           `[Data:DroneAirspace] Updated: ${_count} zones, ${nextEntities.length} polygons`,
@@ -251,6 +265,8 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
         console.warn('[Data:DroneAirspace] Fetch error:', e);
         _lastError =
           e?.message || msg('Restricted airspace source unavailable');
+        // A failure now outranks the stale snapshot still drawn.
+        _stale = false;
         return false;
       } finally {
         if (_request === request) _request = null;
@@ -273,6 +289,7 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
       _count = 0;
       _lastUpdate = null;
       _lastError = null;
+      _stale = false;
     },
 
     getAnalystRecords(maxCount = 2000) {
@@ -322,6 +339,7 @@ export function createDroneAirspaceLayer({
         count: _count,
         lastUpdate: _lastUpdate,
         error: _lastError,
+        stale: _stale,
       };
     },
   };
diff --git a/src/layers/droneAirspace/ownership.test.mjs b/src/layers/droneAirspace/ownership.test.mjs
index bc10318f7..6f5019309 100644
--- a/src/layers/droneAirspace/ownership.test.mjs
+++ b/src/layers/droneAirspace/ownership.test.mjs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
 import test from 'node:test';
 import { createDroneAirspaceLayer } from './index.js';
+import { layerFeedState } from '../../data/feedState.js';
 
 function harness(source, { pick = () => null, cardHit = () => null } = {}) {
   const sources = [];
@@ -159,3 +160,39 @@ test('the row legend names prohibited and restricted with the disclaimer', async
   assert.equal(legend[1].count, 1);
   assert.match(legend[0].blurb, /not a substitute/);
 });
+
+test('a stale snapshot reads STALE, dated by its own fetch, and a fresh one clears it', async () => {
+  const fetchedAt = Date.now() - 3 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+  let snapshot = { rows: [row], stale: true, fetchedAt };
+  const h = harness({
+    getSnapshot: async () => snapshot.rows,
+    getSnapshotDetail: async () => snapshot,
+  });
+  await h.layer.update(h.viewer);
+  assert.equal(h.layer.getStats().stale, true);
+  assert.equal(h.layer.getStats().lastUpdate, fetchedAt);
+  assert.equal(layerFeedState(h.layer.getStats()), 'stale');
+  snapshot = { rows: [row], stale: false, fetchedAt: Date.now() };
+  await h.layer.update(h.viewer);
+  assert.equal(h.layer.getStats().stale, false);
+  assert.ok(h.layer.getStats().lastUpdate > fetchedAt);
+  assert.equal(layerFeedState(h.layer.getStats()), 'nominal');
+});
+
+test('a failed refresh after a stale snapshot reads as the failure, not stale', async () => {
+  let fail = false;
+  const h = harness({
+    getSnapshot: async () => [row],
+    getSnapshotDetail: async () => {
+      if (fail) throw new Error('FAA SUA HTTP 502');
+      return { rows: [row], stale: true, fetchedAt: Date.now() - 60_000 };
+    },
+  });
+  await h.layer.update(h.viewer);
+  assert.equal(layerFeedState(h.layer.getStats()), 'stale');
+  fail = true;
+  await h.layer.update(h.viewer);
+  assert.equal(h.layer.getStats().stale, false);
+  assert.equal(h.layer.getStats().error, 'FAA SUA HTTP 502');
+  assert.equal(layerFeedState(h.layer.getStats()), 'degraded');
+});
diff --git a/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.js b/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.js
index 17e67b3ae..bd5c4d40e 100644
--- a/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.js
+++ b/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.js
@@ -4,20 +4,35 @@ import { readResponseJsonCapped } from '../../sources/httpBody.js';
 export function createDroneAirspaceSource({
   fetchImpl = (...args) => globalThis.fetch(...args),
 } = {}) {
+  /**
+   * The rows with how fresh they are: the proxy answers from its last
+   * snapshot, marked stale, while the FAA service is unreachable.
+   * @returns {Promise<{rows: object[], stale: boolean, fetchedAt: number|null}>}
+   */
+  async function getSnapshotDetail({ signal } = {}) {
+    signal?.throwIfAborted();
+    const response = await fetchImpl('/api/drone-airspace', { signal });
+    if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`FAA SUA HTTP ${response.status}`);
+    const payload = await readResponseJsonCapped(
+      response,
+      80 * 1024 * 1024,
+      signal,
+    );
+    signal?.throwIfAborted();
+    if (!Array.isArray(payload?.rows))
+      throw new Error('Malformed drone airspace snapshot');
+    return {
+      rows: payload.rows,
+      stale: payload.stale === true,
+      fetchedAt: Number.isFinite(payload.fetchedAt) ? payload.fetchedAt : null,
+    };
+  }
+
   return {
-    async getSnapshot({ signal } = {}) {
-      signal?.throwIfAborted();
-      const response = await fetchImpl('/api/drone-airspace', { signal });
-      if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`FAA SUA HTTP ${response.status}`);
-      const payload = await readResponseJsonCapped(
-        response,
-        80 * 1024 * 1024,
-        signal,
-      );
-      signal?.throwIfAborted();
-      if (!Array.isArray(payload?.rows))
-        throw new Error('Malformed drone airspace snapshot');
-      return payload.rows;
+    /** The zone rows (see getSnapshotDetail for staleness). */
+    async getSnapshot(options = {}) {
+      return (await getSnapshotDetail(options)).rows;
     },
+    getSnapshotDetail,
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.test.mjs b/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.test.mjs
index 160fb1789..93644db1a 100644
--- a/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.test.mjs
+++ b/src/layers/droneAirspace/source.test.mjs
@@ -103,3 +103,17 @@ test('a malformed successful response is never accepted as an empty snapshot', a
     );
   }
 });
+
+test('the snapshot detail carries the proxy staleness and fetch time', async () => {
+  const fetchedAt = Date.UTC(2026, 10, 3, 12);
+  const rows = normalizeDroneAirspaceSnapshot(validPayload);
+  const source = createDroneAirspaceSource({
+    fetchImpl: async () => Response.json({ rows, stale: true, fetchedAt }),
+  });
+  assert.deepEqual(await source.getSnapshotDetail(), {
+    rows,
+    stale: true,
+    fetchedAt,
+  });
+  assert.deepEqual(await source.getSnapshot(), rows);
+});