European unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

The development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) has opened a promising new chapter in the history of aerospace. However, while military exploitation of UAS has grown exponentially in recent years, this trend has so far not been followed by the civil sector. Unmanned Aircrafts can offer a wide range of possibilities for the benefit of European society, ranging from environmental control, security, as well as a fascinating variety of commercial services. UAS can perform air operations that manned aviation can hardly do, with evident economic savings and environmental benefits while reducing the risk to human life. However, the absence of a clear EU regulatory framework limits the possibility to fly UAS in non segregated airspace. It is a severe limitation for the development of UAS market which requires careful consideration. The emergence of this new market needs to be further assessed, and political will power to ensure that appropriate actions are taken on the European level to help development and provide within a reasonable timeframe the necessary framework to ensure federation of efforts and quick benefits for this sector.

The link address is: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/uas_en.htm