Homeland Security officials are making changes to the armed-pilot program to encourage more of the nation's 90,000 captains and co-captains to participate.
Armed pilots will be issued badges to identify themselves, they will be allowed to carry their weapons on flights they are not piloting, and U.S. officials will seek to expand the program for overseas flights.
Conan Bruce, spokesman for the Federal Air Marshal Service, which now operates the armed-pilot program, said the changes are in response to a working group that has been meeting for months to address pilots' concerns.
"We recognize there is a need to carry a weapon on international flights, but we have to work it out with host countries; it's not up to us," Mr. Bruce said.
But David Mackett, director of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, doesn't expect a quick fix for a program that has attracted less than 10 percent of pilots.
"Maybe at some point, we will protect a handful of international flights, but the public should not feel secure that it will happen any time soon," Mr. Mackett said.

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