UAS groups of the United States military

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) classifies unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into "Groups" according to their size and capability, a joint system that replaced the service branches' separate categorization schemes in 2011.[1][2][3]

The "Group" system has five categories, whose capabilities increase with the number.[4]

Group Maximum weight
(lb) (MGTOW)		 Nominal operating
altitude (ft)		 Speed (kn) Examples
1 0–20 < 1,200 AGL 100 RQ-11 Raven, WASP, Puma
2 21–55 < 3,500 AGL < 250 ScanEagle, Flexrotor, SIC5, PDW C100
3 < 1,320 < FL 180 Shield AI V-BAT, RQ-7B Shadow, RQ-21 Blackjack, Navmar RQ-23 Tigershark, Arcturus-UAV Jump 20, Arcturus T-20, SIC25, Resolute ISR Resolute Eagle, Vanilla Unmanned
4 > 1,320 Any MQ-8B Fire Scout, MQ-1A/B Predator, MQ-1C Gray Eagle
5 > FL 180 MQ-9 Reaper, RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-4C Triton, Skydweller Aero (former Solar Impulse airframe)
  1. ^ Department of Defense. "Unmanned Aircraft System Airspace Integration Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2015-08-06. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ U.S. Army. ""U.S. Army Roadmap for UAS 2010-2035"" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-08-06. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Joint Unmanned Aircraft Systems Minimum Training Standards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-08-06. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Department of Defense. "Unmanned Aircraft System Airspace Integration Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2015-08-06. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)