Update on ISO Standards for UAS

Robert Garbett – Chief Executive at Drone Major Group

As the 6th Plenary of the ISO committee responsible for the development of Unmanned Air System (UAS) standards closes, I am delighted to report that Part 3, which will specify the requirements for safe commercial UAS operations will now proceed to the Draft International Stage at date to be confirmed. The release of this document, which is eagerly awaited, will enable industry and the wider community to actively engage and comment to ensure that the final standard is robust and applicable.

It was great to be present at the birth of a new Working Group which has been formed to develop international standards for UAS Traffic Management (UTM). This will group work closely with the existing groups focussed on the development of product and operational standards as well as external agencies to ensure that the UTM standards dovetail with existing standards on Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems and, in the future, Surface Traffic Management (STM) systems in order to establish the international standards for integrated airspace. If you wish to engage with this work, please contact your national standards body. If you don’t know who that is, please contact me.

An additional work item is also soon to be submitted to form a new project to develop international standards for UAS training & qualification. This project is being led by the UK and Japan delegations who will work together with experts from around the world to develop far-reaching standards in this area.

Looking over the horizon, the committee are now looking at future work items to expand the impact of these important standards on a rapidly growing and evolving industry.

If you would like to know more or want to get involved, please contact me or register at www.dronemajor.net for regular updates. It’s free, 100% GDPR compliant and we never share your data.