Dedrone, a security drone service company, is helping drone makers comply with the newly established remote ID rules in the United States and the European Union (E.U.) with its intelligent software system that identifies the drone operator, the operator’s location, drone type and drone location in real time.
Late last year, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its final rules for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), known as drones, including a requirement for remote identification and allowing operators to fly over people and at night under certain conditions.
At the same time, the E.U.’s framework for the safe operation and management of drone traffic took effect. This means that both regions require drone pilots to comply with regulations in their geography including registering the aircraft and incorporating registration data into the drone’s remote ID system.
The need for remote ID and other rules for drone operation are due to the increase in UAS flying into restricted airspaces worldwide. Government’s are concerned that drones, which have been used for violence in war-torn regions, may one day be used as a weapon against passenger or military aircraft.
Remote ID has become a popular issue after several drones caused issues globally. In 2018, a significant drone misadventure grounded flights at Gatwick Airport in the U.K., affecting the travel plans of about 110,000 passengers. In January 2019, drone sightings near New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport disrupted flights both in and out of the airport. With other incidents continuing to crop up and airports taking aggressive actions against drones flying in their airspace, remote ID is considered a critical technology to prevent further interruptions or potential damage.
Dedrone’s database of drone activity, DroneDNA, automatically references remote ID data as well as identifies any unauthorized or noncompliant drone activity. If an unauthorized drone alert is triggered, users can respond to the threat and ensure that the airspace is protected against unwanted drones potentially engaged in espionage, contraband delivery or terrorism. Simultaneously, the system allows authorized drones to proceed with normal flight patterns.
Additionally, the technology is based on the FAA and E.U. guidelines through Dedrone’s participation in the ASD-STAN working group, which defined the technical standard for remote ID in UAS.
European countries are taking it upon themselves to meet remote ID requirements as well. ANRA, a drone services company, recently partnered with the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) to remotely identify drones in Switzerland. The technology provides levels of access to drone information based on user permissions.
