Regulation of UAVs in the United States

For broader coverage of this topic, see Regulation of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has adopted the name small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) to describe aircraft systems without a flight crew on board weighing less than 55 pounds. More common names include UAV, drone, remotely piloted vehicle (RPV), remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), and remotely operated aircraft (ROA). These unmanned aircraft flown in the USA's National Airspace System must operate under the rules of a Community Based Organization for recreational purposes or 14 CFR Part 107 for commercial operations.[1][2] All UAVs weighing more than 250 grams flown for any purpose must be registered with the FAA.[3]

In December 2019, the FAA proposed a rule requiring all unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to be equipped with a device to identify them citing "All UAS operating in the airspace of the United States, with very few exceptions, would be subject to the requirements of this rule".[4][5] On December 28, 2020, the FAA announced the system, Remote Identification or Remote ID, would be required in 30 months.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Recreational Flyers & Community-Based Organizations". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "Certificated Remote Pilots including Commercial Operators". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Joseph Steinberg (December 16, 2015). "Drones in America Must Now Be Registered. Here's What You Need to Know". Inc. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  4. ^ Feuer, William (December 26, 2019). "New rule would make it possible to track and identify nearly all drones flying in the U.S." CNBC. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "UAS Remote Identification". Federal Aviation Administration. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Hollister, Sean (December 28, 2020). "In 2023, you won't be able to fly most drones in the US without broadcasting your location". The Verge. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  7. ^ Zoldi, Dawn; Poss, James (December 28, 2020). "3, 2, 1—Done! Remote ID Rule is Final". Inside Unmanned Systems. Retrieved December 29, 2020.