Drones: Safety, Technology and Legislation

Small drones (uncrewed aircraft systems or unmanned aircraft systems) have the potential to provide significant social and economic benefits in the United States. Specifically, drone operations offer a wide range of potential applications in areas such as inspecting infrastructure, aiding in disaster and wildfire response, and delivering medical supplies. Chapter 1 examines the FAA’s approach to managing the safe integration of drones into the national airspace system. Chapter 2 discusses federal and local roles for responding to a drone incident at an airport and federal legal authorities related to using drone detection and counter-drone technology at airports. Chapters 3 and 4 review counter-drone and drone swarm technologies. Chapter 5 reports on the use of armed drones. Chapters 6-8 review recent drone legislation. Chapter 9 contains information on recreational flyers and chapter 10 explains no drone zones.