Feature: Aerospace
Review of drone regulations and standards
(EU) 2019/945 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 both cover commercial and leisure use. Teir aim is to foster innovation and growth in the sector whilst ensuring safety. Te regulations include technical requirements, such as the capabilities
By Hank Yan, Electrical and Electronic Consumer Project Engineer, SGS
T
he European Union (EU) has become the first authority in the world to publish comprehensive rules for the safe, secure and sustainable use of drones. Published in June 2019, Regulation (EU) 2019/945 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 cover commercial and leisure drones.
Te legislation comes at a time when drones are becoming
commonplace: a home delivery company recently made a trial of drone deliveries in the UK. Yet, not all drone-related stories are positive. In January 2019, flights at Newark International airport in the US were disrupted by two drones, and, in September 2019, protesters used drones to achieve a similar response at Heathrow Airport, UK.
Market regulation Unfortunately, advances in drone capability have not been matched by similar advances in relevant regulations. Te problem is only going to get worse as drones increasingly become part of everyday life. Initially, drones were associated with play. Now that technology
has advanced, businesses are seeing them as both, practical and financially-viable. Tis is underlined by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which predicted it would take to 2022 for the number of commercial drones to reach 450,000; that figure has already been superseded. Drones are no longer just useful cameras. Today, they are used
commercially for mapping, data gathering, tracking criminal activities and delivery services. Analysts from Barclays expect the commercial drone market to grow to $40bn by 2026. Te growth in the drone market has not always been matched by
government legislation, however; but, that is beginning to change. Te US Department of Justice has recently signalled its security concerns by updating its policies, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority has introduced a new register backed by fines of up to £1,000 for the misuse of drones. Te European Union (EU) is now the first authority to publish a comprehensive set of rules for ensuring the safe, secure and sustainable use of drones. Published in June 2019, Regulation
32 June 2021
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a drone must have to fly safely. New drones must also be individually identifiable, to allow them to be traced by the authorities. From June 2020, operators will need to register their drones with the authorities, and EU member states will be required to convert existing certificates of remote- pilot competency and their UAS operator authorisations or declarations to conform with Regulation (EU) 2019/945 by July 1, 2021. Te introduction of these two regulations puts the EU at the forefront of
drone legislation. Manufacturers and suppliers need to be aware, however, that other territories have varying attitudes to drone use. For example, at the other end of the scale, their use is prohibited in Barbados, Brunei, Cuba, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Difficulties Manufacturers and suppliers must understand the enforced regulations in their target markets, yet, part of the difficulty is the disconnect between standards and regulations. For example, currently there is no harmonised standard corresponding to (EU) 2019/945. Stakeholders should be aware that if a product is classified as a toy it
must also satisfy Directive 2009/48/EC, the Toy Safety Directive (TSD). Products not classified as toys should comply to the requirements of (EU) 2019/945 and the relevant essential health and safety conditions in Directive 2006/42/EC. Drones must also comply with:
• the Electromagnetic Capability (EMC) Directive – 2014/30/EU; and • the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) – 2014/53/EU. ISO released a new standard on December 5, 2019 – ISO 21384-3,
Unmanned aircraſt systems – Part 3: Operational procedures – a first of several standards in development that will promote better safety and airworthiness among unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). In the fast- growing international drone market, these ISO standards will provide minimum safety and quality requirements, as well as criteria relating to coordination and organisation in the air space. SGS has a global network of laboratories to help manufacturers
successfully access drone markets around the world. Its laboratories can perform high-quality testing on toy and non-toy drones, and evaluate compliance with RED and the EMC directive. In addition, SGS experts can assist with testing against all aspects of the Toy Safety Directive (TSD). Currently, no Notified Body has scope for (EU) 2019/945 and 2019/947.
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