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OPERATING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS 

IN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM: 

ASSESSING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

EFFORTS TO ENSURE SAFETY 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND 

TECHNOLOGY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013 

Serial No. 113–5 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

HON. LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas, Chair 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

ANDY HARRIS, Maryland 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana 

STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas 

BILL POSEY, Florida 

CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming 

DAVID SCHWEIKERT, Arizona 

THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky 

KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota 

JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma 

RANDY WEBER, Texas 

CHRIS STEWART, Utah 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

ERIC SWALWELL, California 

DAN MAFFEI, New York 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

JOSEPH KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

SCOTT PETERS, California 

DEREK KILMER, Washington 

AMI BERA, California 

ELIZABETH ESTY, Connecticut 

MARC VEASEY, Texas 

JULIA BROWNLEY, California 

MARK TAKANO, California 

VACANCY 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT

HON. PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia, Chair 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

BILL POSEY, Florida 

DAVID SCHWEIKERT, Arizona 

KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

DAN MAFFEI, New York 

ERIC SWALWELL, California 

SCOTT PETERS, California 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Friday, February 15, 2013 

Page 

Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 

Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 

Opening Statements 

Statement by Representative Paul C. Broun, Chairman, Subcommittee on 

Oversight, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of 

Representatives .................................................................................................... 8 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 9 

Statement by Representative Dan Maffei, Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Oversight, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 

U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 10 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 13 

Witnesses: 

Dr. Karlin Toner, Director, Joint Planning and Development Office, Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 15 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 17 

Dr. Edgar Waggoner, Director, Integrated Systems Research Program Office, 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 23 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 25 

Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director, Civil Aviation Issues, Government Accountability Office (GAO) 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 37 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 39 

Discussion ................................................................................................................. 61 

Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions 

Dr. Karlin Toner, Director, Joint Planning and Development Office, Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) ........................................................................... 70 

Dr. Edgar Waggoner, Director, Integrated Systems Research Program Office, 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ................................ 75 

Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director, Civil Aviation Issues, Government Accountability Office (GAO) ............................................................................................. 80 

Appendix II: Additional Material for the Record 

Requested material for the record submitted Dr. Edgar Waggoner .................... 88 

(1) 

OPERATING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS 

IN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM: 

ASSESSING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

EFFORTS TO ENSURE SAFETY 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, 

Washington, D.C. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:01 a.m., in Room 

2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Paul Broun 

[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. 
2 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Te"a~ 

CHfI-!RMJ\N 

Q:ongress of the 'Rnited ~tatcs 

1llousc of 'Rcprcswtatiucs COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

2321 RAYBURN HOUSE OfFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515~6301 

Subcommittee on Oversight 

EDl>lE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

RANKING MEMBER 

Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems ill the National Airspace 

System: Assessing Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety 

Friday, February 15, 2013 

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

2318 Rayburn House Office Building 

Dr. Karlin Toner, Director, Joint Plarming and Development Office, Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) 

Dr. Edgar Waggoner, Director, Integrated Systems Research Program Office, National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

Dr, Gerald Dillingham, Director, Civil Aviation Issues, Government Accountability Office 

(GAO) 
3 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Oversight 

HEARING CHARTER 

Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: 

Assessing Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety 

Friday, February 15,2013 

10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 

2318 Rayburn House Office Building 

On February 15,2013, the Subcommittee on Oversight will hold a hearing titled "Operating 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: Assessing Research and 

Development Efforts to Ensure Safety." The hearing will examine challenges to integrating 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) safely into the National Airspace System (NAS) and federal 

research and development (R&D) efforts to ensure the safe operation ofUAS in the NAS. 

Witnesses 

• Dr. Karlin Toner, Director, Joint Planning and Development Office, Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) 

• Dr. Edgar Waggoner, Director, Integrated Systems Research Program Office, National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

• Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director, Civil Aviation Issues, Government Accountability 

Office (GAO) 

Background 

For most people, the term unmanned aerial vehicle (UA V) is closely associated with the U.S. Air 

Force's Predator or Global Hawk aircraft. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), however, is a 

more accurate and complete term which includes the aircraft as well as supporting ground, air, 

and communications infrastructure. UAS come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are viable 

for a broad range of civilian and commercial uses. Current domestic use ofUAS is limited to 

academic institutions, federal, state, and local government organizations that receive a Certificate 

of Waiver or Authorization (COA) and private sector entities that receive special airworthiness 

certificates by the FAA. 1 Typical domestic applications of UAS include border patrol, scientific 

research, and environmental monitoring. For example, NASA has made extensive use of a 

myriad of advanced UAS to conduct aeronautics, meteorological, and environmental research 

over the years; from the Mini-Sniffers of the 1970s to the new high-altitude X-56A Multi-Use 

1 U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, "Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) 

Operational Approval," National Policy Notice, serial N 8900.207 (Washington, DC, 20\3). 
4 

Technology Testbed, or MUTT. 2 Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) operates the RQ-4A Global Hawk platform for climate research, the Customs and 

Border Patrol (CBP) operates the MQ-I Predator platform for border patrol, and public 

universities operate additional systems for academic research purposes. 

Though military and civil government will likely dominate in the near term, the UAS market is 

dynamic and the commercial sector is poised for explosive growth. The Teal Group, an 

aerospace and defense industry market intelligence firm, forecasts worldwide annual spending on 

UAS research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT &E) activities and procurement rising 

from $6.6 billion in 2013 to $11.4 billion in 2022. Total worldwide spending for the period is 

forecast to amount to $89.1 billion. Throughout the forecast period, Teal expects the U.S. share 

ofRDT&E to account for 62 percent of worldwide spending, while U.S. procurement will 

amount to 55 percent of worldwide spending. 3 In 2010, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle 

Systems International (AUVSI) estimated that over the next 15 years more than 23,000 jobs, 

totaling $1.6 billion in wages, could be created in the U.S. as a result ofUAS integration into the 

National Airspace System. 4 This does not include the tens of thousands of secondary jobs in 

sensor manufacturing, software development, and other complementary industries. 

To make the most of this opportunity, Congress directed that federal agencies accelerate the 

integration of UAS into the national airspace. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of20 12 

contains provisions designed to promote and facilitate the use of civilian unmanned aircraft. 

These included mandates for: 

development of an integration plan that is to commence by the end of FY20 15, if not 

sooner, along with a five-year roadmap for achieving integration objectives; 

selection of six test sites to study UA V integration into the NAS; 

designation of certain permanent areas in the Arctic where small unmanned aircraft may 

operate 24 hours per day for commercial and research purposes, including flights 

conducted beyond line-of-sight; 

a simplified process for issuing authorizations for entities seeking to operate public UAS 

in the NAS; 

incrementally expanding airspace access as technology matures and safety data and 

analysis become available and to facilitate public agency access to UAS test ranges; 

developing and implementing operational and certification requirements for public UAS 

by December 31, 2015; and 

2 Gary Creech, "Introducing the X-56a Mutt: Who Let the Dog Out?" 

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/x-56a mutt.html (accessed February 8, 2013). 

3 Teal Group, World Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems: Market Profile and Forecast (Fairfax, 2012), cited in U.S. 

Government Accountability Office, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Measuring Progress and Addressing Potential 

Privacy Concerns Would Facilitate Inlegration into the National Airspace System, GAO-12-981 (Washington, DC, 

2012). 

4 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Unmanned Aircrqft System Integration into the United 

States Notional Airspace System: An Assessment of the Impact on .fob Creation in the Us. Aerospace Industry 

(Arlington, 2010). 

2 
5 

an exemption from rules and regulations peltaining to the operation of unmanned aircraft 

for model aircraft weighing 55 pounds or less that arc flown within visual line-of-sight 

strictly for hobby or recreation.) 

UAS stakeholders have made progress toward completing the above requirements, but the GAO 

and Department of Transportation's Office ofinspector General have both assessed that 

significant technical obstacles and research gaps still exist. 6 Also, The Washington Post recently 

reported that at least nine U.S. UAS crashes occurred near civilian airports overseas as a result of 

pilot error, mechanical failure, software bugs, or poor coordination with air-traffic controllers. 7 

While the operational environment for military UAS overseas is vastly different from UAS use 

domestically, these incidents are instructive. As UAS are integrated or accommodated into the 

NAS, several R&D challenges must be addressed. 

Vulnerabilities in command and control ofUAS operations - Ensuring uninterrupted 

command and control is critically important to safe integration of UAS into the national airspace. 

Unprotected data links can be hacked, spoofed or jammed to disrupt or gain control of the 

aircraft. For example, last summer a University of Texas (UT) at Austin research team 

demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to electronically hijack a UA V through Global 

Positioning System (GPS) spoofing. The team created false GPS signals to commandeer a small 

but sophisticated UA V about one kilometer away.8 Redundant systems or encrypted 

communications would mitigate risks, but the costs, weight, and encryption issues make such 

additional equipage unfeasible for smaller UAS. NASA's five-year UAS Integration in the 

National Airspace System Project aims to: develop data and rationale to obtain appropriate 

frequency spectrum allocations to enable safe and efficient operation of UAS in the NAS; 

develop and validate candidate secure safety-critical command and control system/subsystem test 

equipment for UAS that complies with UAS international/national frequency regulations, 

recommended practices and minimum operational and aviation system performance standards for 

UAS; and perform analysis to SUppOlt recommendations for integration of safety-critical 

command and control systems and air traffic control communications to ensure safe and efficient 

operation of UAS in the NAS. 9 

Homeland Security [n 2008 and again in 2012, the GAO assessed that Transportation Security 

Administration (TSA), a subordinate agency within the Department of Homeland Security, had 

, FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 20 12 (PL 112-95) 

6 GAO-12-981, Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

7 Craig Willock, "Drone crashes mount at civilian airports," The Washington Post, November 30,2012, 

http://www.washingtonpost.comlworld/national-security/drone-crashes-mount-at-civilian-airportsoverseasl20 1211 1I30Ie75a13e4-3a39-11 e2-83f9-fb7ac9b29fad story.html (accessed February 6, 2013). 

8 Melissa Mixon, "Todd Humphreys' Research Team Demonstrates First Successful Ops Spoofing ofUav," 

http://www.ae. utexas.edu/newslarch ivel20 12/todd-humphreys-research-team-demonstrates-first -successful-gpsspoofing-of-uav (accessed February 6, 2013). 

9 "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System," National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, http://www.nasa.govlcenters/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-075-DFRC.html(accessed February 7, 

2013). 
6 

not properly examined nor identified specific steps to mitigate potential security threats posed by 

routine UAS access to the national airspace. 10 

Spectrum - The 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference allocated two bands of protected 

spectrum for UAS command and control. ll UAS stakeholders continue to develop hardware and 

standards to operate safely in allocated spectrum, while also working with the National 

Telecommunications and Information Administration and International Telecommunication 

Union to identify additional UAS-dedicated spectrum, particularly satellite spectrum, needed to 

assure continuous communication. 

Inability to detect, sense, and avoid other aircraft - No suitable technology exists that would 

provide UAS with the capability to "sense and avoid" other aircraft and airborne objects in 

compliance with FAA regulations. 12•

13 Most UAS, particularly small UAS, do not carry onboard 

systems to transmit and receive electronic identification signals. Solutions such as ground-based 

sense and avoid (GBSAA) 14 may offer a technical alternative to maintaining a human line-ot:' 

sight in the near-term before ultimately transitioning to Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B) and the satellite-based Next Generation Air Transportation System 

(NextGen). NextGen is due for implementation across the United States in stages between 2012 

and 2025. 

FAA's NextGen Integration Office and Joint Planning Development Office (JPDO) are working 

together to provide UAS stakeholders with a framework to collaborate and coordinate their UAS 

and NextGen R&D efforts. NASA is assessing how NextGen separation assurance systems, with 

different functional allocations, perform in real-world settings. For instance, in 2012 NASA 

researchers at Dryden Flight Research Center successfully tested an ADS-B transponder system 

on a UAs. 15, 16 Also, NASA, in collaboration with the FAA and U.S. Air Force Research Lab, is 

considering a two-tier, $1.5 million challenge - part of NASA's Centennial Challenge series to 

develop reliable sense-and-avoid techniques to fly safely in congested airspace. 17 

Human Factors - Unmanned aircraft systems is a misnomer. Skilled human operators are 

critical to safe UAS operations. FAA defines human factors as the examination of interactions 

10 GAO-12-98I, Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

11 Julie Zoller, "NTIA Spotlight: Meeting Spectrum Needs At Home Takes Work Abroad," 

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog!2012/ntia-spotlight-meeting-spectrum-needs-home-takes-work-abroad (accessed 

February 7, 2013). 

12 Ibid. 

13 The FAA regulations include 14 C.F.R. § 91.111, "Operating near other aircraft," with reference to "create a 

collision hazard," and 14 C.F.R. § 91.113, "Right of way rules." 

14 GBSAA is an air surveillance radar that provides positional information via a display oftraffle information to the 

UAS flight crew. 

lS GAO-12-981, Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

16 ADS-B transponder system uses GPS signals along with aircraft avionics to transmit the aircraft's location to 

ground receivers. The ground receivers then transmit that infonnation to controller screens and cockpit displays on 

aircraft equipped with automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast transponder system avionics. 

17 "REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 

SYSTEMAIRSPACE OPERA nONS CHALLENGE," 

https:llwww. fbo.govl?s=opportunitv&mode=form&id=426438809b8348c 1 57fa5b7120c 18a45&tab=core& cview= 

1 (accessed February 7, 2013) 

4 
7 

between people, machines, and the environment for the purpose of improving performance and 

reducing error. 18 VAS stakeholders arc examining ways to incorporate additional technical 

safeguards and regulations to mitigate the risks associated with remotely piloted aircraft, but 

according to a September GAO report, several issues remain: how pilots or air traffic controllers 

respond to the lag in communication of information from the VAS; the skill set and medical 

qualifications required for VAS operators; and VAS operator training requirements. 19 NASA is 

working to develop a research test bed and database to provide data and proof of concept for 

ground control station (GCS) and will coordinate with standards organizations, such as RTCA 

SC-203,20 to develop human-factors guidelines for GCS operation in the NAS.2l 

Lack of technological standards - Minimum aviation system performance standards (MASPS) 

and minimum operational performance standards (MOPS) are needed in the areas of: 

operational and navigational performance; command and control communications; and sense and 

avoid capabilities. The complexity of the issues and the lack of data have hindered the standards 

development process. That said, according to the GAO, the FAA had not made the most of the 

data it possessed to develop such standards, according to a report issued in September 2012. 22 

For instance, the FAA had not analyzed information collected as part of the COA process, nor 

had it uscd the seven years of operational and safety data provided by the Department of Defense 

because it lacked sufficient detail to be of much value. FAA officials have since more clearly 

defined and communicated data requirements, and the agency contracted with MITRE to address 

remaining data challenges. However, it remains to be seen if this will result in useful 

infonnation. 23 

"GAO-12-981, UnmannedAircl'ajl Systems 

19 Ibid. 

20 RTCA is a private. not-for-profit organization consisting of industry experts. SC 203 is responsible for developing 

consensus-based recommendations and standards regarding UAS communications, navigation, surveillance and air 

traffic management system issues. 

21 "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System," NASA 

22 Ibid. 

2J Ibid. 

5 
8 

Chairman BROUN. The Subcommittee on Oversight will come to 

order. 

In front of you are packets containing the written testimony, biographies, and Truth in Testimony disclosures of today’s witness 

panel. I will recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement. 

Good morning, and welcome. This hearing, titled ‘‘Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: Assessing Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety,’’ is the 

first hearing for the 113th Congress’s Subcommittee on Oversight. 

During our break, our name changed but our general and special 

investigatory authority to review and study, on a continuing basis, 

all laws, programs and Government activities dealing with or involving non-military research and development remains the same. 

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our witnesses today. 

We really appreciate you guys being here. I also want to welcome 

our returning Members and our new Members, including the Subcommittee’s Ranking Member, the distinguished gentleman from 

New York, Mr. Maffei. I look forward to working with you all, and 

Mr. Maffei, I look forward to working with you as my Ranking 

Member on this Committee. 

Today’s hearing focuses on integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, into the national airspace. As a pilot, I am extremely 

interested in this issue. Specifically, we hope to gain a better understanding of the safety risks, current technological obstacles and 

key research and development efforts being undertaken to overcome those obstacles. UAS has garnered a great deal of attention 

lately. In fact, if you watched the news this morning, there was a 

lot of news about this issue. In January, PBS’s NOVA aired a documentary entitled, ‘‘Rise of the Drones.’’ Last week’s Time magazine 

cover carried the same title, and of course the Administration’s use 

of drones for targeting terrorists to confront our war on terrorism 

has come to be a central issue in the confirmation hearing of the 

proposed CIA Director, the nominee John Brennan. However, privacy issues and military applications of UAS are beyond the scope 

of this hearing. 

I use the term ‘‘unmanned aircraft systems’’ or UAS, instead of 

UAV or drone, because it is a more complete and accurate term. 

As the name suggests, UAS are complex systems made up of not 

only aircraft but as well as supporting ground, air and communications infrastructure. UAS comes in a variety of shapes and sizes 

and can carry out a wide range of missions. 

Aviation has come a long way in a relatively short time thanks 

to American innovation and ingenuity. The list of American pioneers of aviation and aerospace is very long. You may not know the 

details of their achievements, but I am sure you will recognize 

names such as Clyde Cessna, James McDonnell and Donald Douglas, Howard Hughes, William Boeing, Charles Lindberg, Kelly 

Johnson, just to name a few. Unmanned aircraft are the next step 

in the evolution of modern aviation which all began with two 

American brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Just as UAS has 

sparked a revolution in military affairs, they will also very likely 

transform civilian and commercial sectors. 
9 

The Teal Group, an aerospace and defense industry market intel- ligence firm, predicts America will spend over $49 billion on UAS 

just over the next decade. In 2010, the Association for Unmanned 

Vehicle Systems International estimated that over the next 15 

years, more than 23,000 UAS jobs, totaling $1.6 billion in wages, 

could very well be created. This does not include the tens of thousands of secondary jobs in sensor manufacturing, software development and other complementary industries. 

That said, the addition of thousands or tens of thousands of additional aircraft into the national airspace certainly poses safety concerns for all us. There is no guarantee that accidents will not occur, 

but we need to take every precaution to reduce the risks involved 

in the UAS integration. 

Last year, Congress directed that federal agencies, including the 

FAA and NASA, collaborate in accelerating the integration of UAS 

into the national airspace. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act 

of 2012 contains provisions designed to promote and facilitate the 

use of civilian unmanned aircraft. We on this Subcommittee know 

you have been working hard and have made progress toward meeting the prescribed objectives, but we also know there are many unresolved issues, both technologically and regulatorily. 

Again, our goal here today is to better understand the research 

that is underway to overcome these technological issues and mitigate the risks involved with UAS integration into the national airspace system. We are particularly interested in hearing about any 

advances toward eliminating vulnerabilities in command and control communications, new sense and avoid capabilities, and agreements on technological standards. 

The Washington Post recently reported that at least nine American UAS crashes occurred near civilian airports overseas as a result of pilot error, mechanical failure, software bugs, or poor coordination with air traffic controllers. In August of 2010, the New York 

Times reported that a Navy UAS violated airspace over Washington, D.C., when the operators lost contact due to a software 

issue. While this may be more acceptable in remote areas overseas, 

we need to do much better here in our own skies. The threat of 

command and control link jamming, GPS navigation signal spoofing, and system hacking is a real concern that has to be addressed 

before any UAS integration into the national airspace. Overcoming 

these challenges will require significant research and development 

investments by both the public and private sector. Given our Nation’s current financial state, this demands more efficient coordination between all stakeholders. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Broun follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PAUL C. BROUN

Good morning and welcome. This hearing, titled ‘‘Operating Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems in the National Airspace System: Assessing Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety,’’ is the first for the 113th Congress’s Subcommittee on Oversight. During the break, our name changed but our general and special investigatory authority to review and study, on a continuing basis, all laws, programs, and 

Government activities dealing with or involving non-military research and development remains the same. 

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our witnesses. I also want to welcome 

our returning members and our new Members, including the Subcommittee’s Rank-
10 

ing Member, the distinguished gentleman from New York Mr. Maffei. I look forward 

to working with you all. 

Today’s hearing focuses on integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, into 

the national airspace. Specifically, we hope to gain a better understanding of the 

safety risks, current technological obstacles and key research and development efforts being undertaken to overcome those obstacles. UAS have garnered a great deal 

of attention lately. In January, PBS’s NOVA aired a documentary titled ‘‘Rise of the 

Drones,’’ last week’s TIME Magazine cover carried the same title, and of course the 

Administration’s use of drones for targeting terrorists was central to the confirmation hearing of CIA Director nominee John Brennan. However, privacy issues and 

military applications of UAS are beyond the scope of this hearing. 

I use the term unmanned aircraft systems or UAS, instead of UAV or drone, because it is a more complete and accurate term. As the name suggests, UAS are complex systems made up of the aircraft as well as supporting ground, air, and communications infrastructure. UAS come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can carry 

out a wide range of missions. 

Aviation has come a long way in a relatively short time thanks to American innovation and ingenuity. The list of American pioneers of aviation and aerospace is 

long. You may not know the details of their achievements, but I am sure you’ll recognize their names: Clyde Cessna, James McDonnell and Donald Douglas, Howard 

Hughes, William Boeing, Charles Lindberg, Kelly Johnson, just to name a few. Unmanned aircraft are the next step in the evolution of modern aviation which all 

began with two American brothers in 1903. Just as UAS have sparked a revolution 

in military affairs, they will likely also transform civilian and commercial sectors. 

The Teal Group, an aerospace and defense industry market intelligence firm, pre- dicts America will spend over $49 billion on UAS in the next decade. In 2010 the 

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International estimated that over the 

next 15 years more than 23,000 UAS jobs, totaling $1.6 billion in wages, could be 

created. This does not include the tens of thousands of secondary jobs in sensor 

manufacturing, software development and other complementary industries. 

That said, the addition of thousands or tens of thousands of additional aircraft 

into the national airspace poses safety concerns. There is no guarantee that accidents will not occur, but we need to take every precaution to reduce the risks involved with UAS integration. 

Last year, Congress directed that federal agencies, including the FAA and NASA, 

collaborate in accelerating the integration of UAS into the national airspace. The 

FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 contains provisions designed to promote 

and facilitate the use of civilian unmanned aircraft. We on this Subcommittee know 

you have been working hard and have made progress toward meeting the prescribed 

objectives, but we also know there are many unresolved issues, both technological 

and regulatory. 

Again, our goal here today is to better understand the research underway to overcome these technological issues and mitigate the risks involved with UAS integration into the national airspace system. We are particularly interested in hearing 

about any advances toward eliminating vulnerabilities in command and control communications, new ‘‘sense and avoid’’ capabilities and agreements on technological 

standards. 

The Washington Post recently reported that at least nine American UAS crashes 

occurred near civilian airports overseas as a result of pilot error, mechanical failure, 

software bugs, or poor coordination with air traffic controllers. In August of 2010, 

the New York Times reported that a Navy UAS violated airspace over Washington, 

DC when operators lost contact due to a ‘‘software issue.’’ While this may be more 

acceptable in remote areas overseas, we need to do much better here in our own 

skies. The threat of command and control link jamming, GPS navigation signal 

spoofing, and system hacking is a real concern that will have to be addressed before 

any UAS integration into the NAS. Overcoming these challenges will require significant R&D investments by both the public and private sector. Given our nation’s current financial state, this demands more efficient coordination between all stakeholders. 

Chairman BROUN. I now recognize the Ranking Member, the 

gentleman from New York, Mr. Maffei, for an opening statement. 

You are recognized, sir, for five minutes. 

Mr. MAFFEI. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am excited 

about the opportunity to work with you on this important Subcommittee. I particularly want to compliment you for your leadership in calling this hearing today. It hopefully won’t surprise you 
11 

that on this issue I will be echoing a lot of your same comments, 

and I thought your opening statement very articulate. 

Addressing the research and development efforts regarding the 

integration of unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, into the national airspace is serious issue and presents daunting technical 

challenges, possible economic opportunities, as the chairman mentioned, but also potential threats to our civil liberties and safety. 

I know firsthand what a complicated issue it is and the challenges it presents. An unmanned aerial vehicle unit operates out 

of my district at Hancock Field Air National Guard base on the 

military side. Now, while these are commonly referred to as drones, 

the future of unmanned vehicles goes far beyond what that word 

implies. There is a real human element to unmanned flight of this 

kind just as there is an increasing robotic element to manned 

flight. There are tremendous potential technical risks and public 

concerns associated with integrating UAS into the national airspace, and my constituents express those concerns on a daily basis. 

These aircraft represent an emerging technology with broad possible uses among many industries and government agencies. They 

could potentially provide benefits to many industries from our 

farmers to firefighters, search and rescue, researchers, meteorologists and scientists. 

However, regardless of their specific use, we need to ensure that 

unmanned aerial systems operate in our national airspace safely 

and securely. But first they must overcome the technical challenges 

that exist, and indeed, there are many. A 2012 GAO report detailed 

several critical areas which must be addressed before UASs can fly 

safely in our skies. Chief among them is the stark reality that the 

technology to provide unmanned aircraft the ability to ‘‘sense and 

avoid’’ other aircraft and airborne objects does not currently exist, 

and this is a serious concern. Other technical challenges range 

from lost-link scenarios where communication between the pilot 

and UAS is severed as a result of environmental or technical 

causes or even by human actors whether they are inadvertent or 

intentional. Acquiring dedicated radio frequency spectrum in order 

to secure the continuous communication for UAS operations, particularly as the spectrum needs of the onboard sensors expand, is 

another challenge, and I look forward to our witnesses addressing 

some of these challenges in depth today. 

There is a real and critical human element of unmanned flight 

of any kind. Highly skilled pilots who once sat in the cockpits now 

sit in ground stations detached from the sensation of flight and the 

G forces while remaining integrally connected to the outcome of the 

mission. We need to ensure that these human elements from proper training and medical certifications are appropriately incorporated into UAS integration as well. 

A year ago, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 was 

signed into law. It required the FAA to establish an integration 

plan permitting unmanned aerial systems to operate in the United 

States by September of 2015. I look forward to hearing from the 

FAA today on their progress in the last year as well as a realistic 

report on what challenges remain and where the FA stands in 

meeting these deadlines. 
12 

Now, 20 years ago, cell phone technology was in its infancy, and 

within ten years these devices have transformed from simple mobile phones to the pocket accessories used to help small businesses 

and owners expand. While security and safety concerns about the 

use and growth of these devices—they almost all have cameras on 

them now—have existed since the beginning, their proliferation 

and technical advancements have not slowed. Today, there are 

more than 315 million cell phones in the United States alone and 

most of these devices not only carry those cameras but also GPS, 

or global positioning satellite capabilities as well. And while these 

technical advancements have not been hindered or restricted, there 

are reasonable and legitimate limits on the use of cell phones in 

hospitals, secure facilities, on airplanes and while driving your car. 

So this should be an analogy to us. 

Despite all the recognized challenges with UAS, whether we like 

it or not, for better or for worse, this technology is here and it is 

not going away. Both the public sector and commercial sector remains interested in this technology and that interest continues to 

evolve and expand. As a result, we must develop the necessary 

framework to handle UAS emergence safely and securely. We must 

also ensure the protection of individual rights and personal privacy 

in the air and on the ground. Like any new technology, it is impossible to predict the ultimate path UASs will take. 

In tackling the tremendous task of ensuring the safe and secure 

operation and integration of UAS into the domestic airspace, we 

are once again presented with the challenge of balancing all these 

important issues. There are private sector issues which might help 

grow the economy. The government’s interest is to provide domestic 

security, and we as representatives are charged with safeguarding 

the public’s interest and protecting their civil liberties. Developing 

an effective regulatory framework could be an arduous process but 

this hearing is one step towards ensuring that this is happening in 

a timely and effective manner. It is our responsibility, and we don’t 

take it lightly, to recognize the need for oversight, to ensure the 

proper steps are being taken, proper procedures are being created 

and federal agencies are meeting the critical timelines to address 

the rapid emergence of these UAS systems in our national airspace, and that is why I again want to compliment the chairman. 

Thank you for your leadership in calling this hearing today. I want 

to thank the witnesses, and I look forward to your testimony. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Maffei follows:] 
13 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF RANKING MINORITY MEMBER DAN MAFFEI

Opening Statement 

As prepared for delivery 

Mr. Dan Maffei, Ranking Member 

Subcommittee on Oversight 

Committee 011 Science, Space & Technology 

"Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: 

Assessing Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety" 

Friday, February 15, 2013 

10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. 

231SRaybum 

Thank you, Mr. Chainnan. I am excited about the opportunity to work with you on this important 

oversight committee and I appreciate the necessity of this bearing you have called today. 

Addressing the research and development efforts regarding the integration of Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems or U-A-S into the national airspace is a selious issue that presents daunting technical 

challenges, possible economic oppOltunities and potential threats to individual civil liberties. I 

know firsthand what a complicated issue this is and the challenges it presents. A detachment of 

Umnarmed Aerial Vehicles operates in my district at the Hancock Field Air National Guard 

Base. 

While commonly referred to as "drones," the future ofumnamled vehicles goes far beyond what 

tlus word implies. 

There are tremendous potential technical risks and public concems, associated Witll integrating 

UAS into the national airspace. My constituents express those concerns on a daily basis. These 

aircraft represent an emerging technology with broad possible uses among many industries and 

goverml1ent agencies. They could potentially provide benefits to many different industries, from 

farmers to fire-fighters to search and rescue teams, researchers, meteorologists and scientists. 

However, regardless of their specific use, we ueed to ensure that Unmanned Aerial Systems 

operate in our National Airspace safely and securely. But first they must successfully overcome 

the technical challenges that exist. Indeed, there are many. 

A 2012 GAO report detailed several critical areas which must be addressed before umnanned 

vehicles can fly safely in our skies. Chief among them is the stark reality that the teclmology to 

provide u~manned aircraft the ability to "sense and avoid" other aircraft and airborne objects 

does not currently exist. This is a serious concern. Other technical challenges range from "lostlink" scenruios where communication between the pilot on the ground and aircraft is severed as a 

result of enviromnental or technical causes or by human actors - either inadvertently or 

intentionally. Acquiring dedicated radio-frequency spectnnn in order to secure continuous 

communication for unmamted aircraft operations - particularly as the spectrum needs of onboard sensors expands -- is another challenge. I look forward to our witnesses addressing some 

of those challenges in-depth today. 

There is a very real and critical human element to umnanned flight of any kind. Highly skilled 

pilots who once sat in cockpits now sit in ground stations, detached from the sensation of flight 

age 
14 

while remaining integrally connected to the outcome of every mission. We need to ensure that 

those human elements - from proper training to medical certifications - are appropriately 

incorporated into the UAS integration plan as well. 

A year ago, the FAA Modernization and Refonn Act of2012 was signed into law. It required 

the FAA to establish an integration plan pennitting umnanr.ed aerial systems to operate in the 

United States by September 2015. I look forward to hearing from the FAA today on their 

progress ill the last year, as well as a realistic report on what challenges remain and where FAA 

stands in meeting these deadlines. 

Twenty years ago, cell phone technology was in its infancy. Within ten years these devices had 

transfonned from simple mobile phones to pocket accessories used to help small business 

owners expand. VVhile security and safety concerns about the use and growth of these devices 

have existed since the beginning, their proliferation and teehnical advancements have not 

slowed. Today, there aIe more than 315 million cell phones in the U.S. alone and most ofthese 

devices not only carry digital cameras bnt Global Positioning Satellite or GPS capabilities as 

well. While these technical advancements have not been hindered or restricted there are 

reasonable and legitimate restrictions on the use of cell phones in hospitals, secure facilities, on 

airplanes and while driving. 

Despite all of these recognized challenges, commercial and public sector interests remain and 

this technology continues to evolve and expand. As a result, we must develop the necessary 

framework to handle the emergence ofumu<umed aircraft safely and securely. We must also 

ensure the protection of individual rights and civil libeliies in the air and on the grormd. Like 

any new tec1U1ology it is impossible to predict the ultimate path umuarllled aircraft will take. 

In tackling the tremendous task of ensuring the safe and secure operation and integration ofUAS 

into the domestic airspace we are once again presented with the challenge of balancing many 

interests. There are private sector interests which may help grow the economy. The 

govermnent's interest is to provi.de domestic security. And we as Representatives must 

safeguard the public's interest and protect their civil liberties. Developing an effective 

regnlatory framework is an arduous process, but tlus hearing is one step (owards ensuring that is 

happening in a timely and effective manner. It is our responsibility to recognize the need for 

oversight to ensure that proper steps are being taken, proper procedures are being created and 

federal agencies are meeting criticallimelines to address the rapid emergence of Unmanned 

Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace. 

I want to thank Chainnan Bronn for calling this hearing today and I want to thank the witnesses 

for appearing before the Subcommittee this morning. I look forward to your testimony. 

age 
15 

Chairman BROUN. Mr. Maffei, thank you so much and I look forward to working with you as we go forward through this Congress, 

and just from your statements, I can tell that you are I are going 

to be close colleagues protecting civil liberties and privacy issues, 

because those issues are extremely important to me and have been 

for a long time, well, since I have been here and before I came 

here. 

At this time I would like to introduce our witnesses. Our first 

witness is Dr. Karlin Toner, who is the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office at the Federal Aviation Administration. Our next witness is Dr. Edgar Waggoner, Director of the Integrated Systems Research Program Office at NASA. And the final 

witness today is Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director of Civil Aviation 

Issues at the Government Accountability Office, or GAO. 

As our witnesses should know, spoken testimony is limited to 

five minutes each after which the Members of this Committee will 

have five minutes each to ask questions. 

I now recognize Dr. Toner to present her testimony. Dr. Toner. 

STATEMENT OF DR. KARLIN TONER, 

DIRECTOR, JOINT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, 

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) 

Dr. TONER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, Chairman 

Broun, Congressman Maffei and Members of the Subcommittee. I 

appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss 

the Federal Aviation Administration’s current research in support 

of unmanned aircraft systems integration into our national airspace system. 

I am the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office 

and will touch upon the role my office plays in facilitating and coordinating UAS research efforts throughout the government with 

partners including the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and 

Homeland Security, NASA, and the FAA. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to speak to you about 

the solicitation the FAA announced yesterday that requested state 

and local governments, eligible universities, and other public entities to develop six UAS research and test sites around the country. 

This solicitation was done in accordance with the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which directed the FAA to establish 

the test sites in order to conduct the critical research that will help 

determine how best to safely integrate these systems into our NAS. 

Once the sites are selected, which will be later this year, we expect 

to learn how UAS operate in different environments and how they 

impact air traffic operations. The test sites will also inform the 

agency as we develop standards for certifying unmanned aircraft 

and determine the necessary air traffic requirements. 

In addition to the test sites, the FAA is publishing a notice in 

the Federal Register asking the public to review draft privacy language and provide input. The broad outline of FAA’s privacy proposal will require each test site to ensure their privacy policies address the following: notice or awareness, choice and content, access 

and participation, integrity and security, and finally, enforcement 

mechanisms to deal with violations of these policies. The FAA 
16 

thinks the test sites will provide important information that will 

inform our UAS integration process moving forward. 

With respect to FAA’s research and development efforts, we are 

working in four areas: sense and avoid, control and communication, 

maintenance and repair, and human factors. Research in all four 

areas is critical, as the opening statements have mentioned. My 

written statement contains more details on each area, but I would 

like to take a moment to highlight the work we are doing with 

NASA in the area of control and communication. 

The FAA is collaborating with NASA on prototype architecture 

that will be used to develop a high-level security risk assessment. 

Our joint work will define the network architecture and candidate 

security mechanisms for protecting the air-ground communications 

that can eventually be used to develop security standards and requirements. Likewise, all of our partner agencies have mission-related incentives for UAS integration to succeed. The JPDO enables 

leveraging the research being done by different agencies to ensure 

that all agencies are aware of and can benefit from the work being 

done throughout the Administration. This synergy, such as the 

FAA–NASA partnership I described, ensures that all research dollars are being used as effectively as possible to reach our common 

goal of safe UAS integration. 

I certainly understand the desire to safely integrate UAS into the 

NAS. Because FAA’s mission is to ensure the safety and efficiency 

of the NAS, integration can only occur to the extent the FAA is satisfied that the safety of the NAS will not be degraded by the introduction of these new aircraft. This is an extremely complex endeavor, but the FAA has been challenged with complex problems in the 

past, and the aviation safety record is a testament to the fact that 

we have been able to meet those challenges. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement, and I will be happy 

to answer your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Toner follows:] 
17 

STATEMENT OF DR. KARLIN TONER. DIRECTOR, JOINT PLANNING AND 

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, FEDERAL A VIA TION ADMINISTRATION, ON OPERATING 

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM: ADDRESSING R&D 

EFFORTS TO ENSURE SAFETY, BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, 

SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS AND 

OVERSIGHT, FEBRUARY 15,2013. 

Chainnan Broun, Congressman Maffei, Members of the Subcommittee: 

Thank you for inviting me today to discuss the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) 

ongoing research and development efforts to ensure the safe integration of unmanned aircraft 

systems (UAS) into the national airspace system (NAS). As Director of the Joint Planning and 

Development Office (JPDO), r will discuss both the role of the JPDO in the coordination and 

collaboration of research efforts, as well as FAA's overall research efforts to achieve UAS 

integration. 

The current NAS was developed to accommodate the capabilities of manned aircraft. While 

many procedures and principles used for manned aircraft apply to UAS, there are significant 

differences between the two types of operations in technological maturity, perception and 

acceptance, and operational experience. Joint efforts, including the development ofNextGcn, 

must deal with these differences because the demand for UAS operations has increased 

dramatically over the past few years, and is expected to continue to increase, due to the unique 

capabilities, and lower operating costs ofUAS. 

The FAA's mission is to ensure the safety and efficiency of the NAS. This means FAA will not 

integrate UAS unless and until we can be assured the safety of the NAS will not be degraded. 

JPDO is tasked with coordinating with public agencies, including the Department of Homeland 

Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics 

1 
18 

and Space Administration (NASA), and the FAA to understand the complexity of the airspace 

and to safely integrate the wide variety of UAS technology, sizes, and speeds into the NAS. 

The JPDO has developed a number of UAS national goals and related objectives in coordination 

with executive and working level representatives from NextGen partner agencies to provide a 

framework for interagency coordination and planning. The FAA is specifically focusing its 

current research efforts on four areas: sense and avoid technology; control and communication 

(including possible security risks associated with communication); aircraft certification, 

maintenance, and repair standards; and human factors associated with UAS integration. FAA 

research activities focus on new technology assessments, methodology development, data 

collection and generation, laboratory testing and field validation. The role of the JPDO is 

extremely important to enable leveraging the research being done by different agencies to ensure 

that no two agencies are conducting thc same research, and that all agencies are aware of and can 

benefit from the work being done by other agencies. This interaction helps advance the goals 

and objectives agreed to within the Administration. 

The FAA also recognizes the importance of non-safety related issues, such as privacy and 

national security which need to be taken into consideration as UAS are integrated into the NAS. 

The FAA plans to use the UAS test sites mandated by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act 

of2012 to gather information on operational and technical issues, as well as privacy issues and 

potential of UAS to promote economic growth. Further, the FAA will continue to work with 

relevant U.S. government agencies to develop appropriate frameworks to address the privacy and 

national security questions brought about by the integration of UAS into the NAS. 

2 
19 

VAS information systems security is needed to protect against the potential impact that a loss of 

confidentiality, integrity or availability would have on individuals and organizational operations 

and assets. We need to identify potential security features or mechanisms to protect VAS 

operations against threats, such as IT system threats, radio link threats, and human or physical 

threats. For example, FAA is currently collaborating with NASA on a VAS prototype 

architecture that will be used to develop a high-level security risk assessment. Our joint work 

will define a network architecture and potential security mechanisms for protecting air-ground 

communications for control and communication that are consistent with developed standards. 

I want to assure you that VAS integration has the attention of individuals at the highest levels 

within the Administration. The President's budget request for FY 20 l3 reflects the FAA's 

commitment to VAS-related research. The request proposed a significant increase in FAA 

funding for this research. In addition, the interagency structure, such as the NextGen Senior 

Policy Committee, provides for Cabinet level input and review as required. All of the agencies 

involved in VAS integration have mission-related incentives for succeeding, which translate into 

the interest and support of key policy makers throughout the Administration. 

The NextGen VAS Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap was published last year and is 

the first report that identifies relevant ongoing and planned NextGen VAS R&D activities. It is 

the joint product of more than 60 experts from the JPDO and our NextGen partners. The work 

was organized within four broad challenges which encompass research by the FAA and partner 

agencies and are common ways to think about identified barriers to VAS NAS integration. It is a 

blueprint for identifying and addressing technical challenges and establishes a set of research 

areas that must be addressed to permit routine VAS operations in a NextGen environment. The 

work brought together researchers, regulators and operators and led to an approach to link the 

3 
20 

R&D activities of our partner agencies with the research needs of FAA. As a result of the 

Roadmap, we now have achieved an ongoing coordinated, multi-agency effort. 

The challenges of integrating UAS into the NAS are extremely complex. It is on those 

challenges that FAA's research is focused. For example, in the area of command and control, we 

are conducting human factors research to determine the evaluation of criteria and guidelines 

related to UAS pilot and crew training and certification requirements. We also have eight 

ongoing Sense and Avoid activities in this area with the long term goal of replacing a pilot's see 

and avoid functions with technology or procedures that will meet the safety standards in our 

regulations. 

In the area of Control and Communication, we arc working with NASA on prototype 

architecture that is described above. The long term goal in this area is to develop baseline 

security standards that the prototype can be designed to meet. 

Maintenance and Repair focuses on the differences between manned and unmanned aircraft. The 

FAA has implemented detailed safety standards for maintaining an aircraft in compliance with 

our regulations. Unmanned aircraft are a new and emerging technology. The FAA is working to 

identify whether unmanned aircraft require new and innovative safety approaches to address the 

differences in the operation and maintenance of these vehicles. Should different maintenance 

and repair requirements be identified, standards and requirements would be developed to ensure 

the same level of operational safety as manned aircraft. 

Finally, there is the area of human factors. FAA has just initiated a study in this area that is 

intended to evaluate criteria for UAS control stations, pilot and crew training and certification 

requirements. In manned aircraft, a pilot can sec, feel and even smell if something is not 

4 
21 

functioning properly. An aircraft being flown by a pilot not collocated with the aircraft does not 

provide the same sensory access that a pilot in the aircraft has. We hope to use the information 

provided by the study to determine how best to mitigate this inequity. 

Each of these safety research initiatives cannot be looked at in a vacuum, but rather as part of our 

overall strategy oftransitioning to the NextGen capabilities necessary to meet the airspace 

demands of the future. It is abundantly clear that there are untold uses for the myriad ofUAS 

and that their eventual integration into the NAS is both necessary and complicated. The FAA 

and its partners throughout the Administration will continue to work to makc this happen 

seamlessly and, most importantly, safely. There is commitment to achieving the identified goals 

and objectives for integration at the highest levels of the Administration. The United States is 

the world leader for safety and technological innovation in aviation. The integration of UAS into 

the NAS is the latest of many challenges the FAA has faced, and like those we have seen in the 

past, we are confidently we will successfully and safely meet it. 

The FAA looks forward to continuing working with Congress on this and other important 

aviation issues, and we thank you for the support Congress has provided thus far in assisting our 

work. 

This concludes my prepared statement. I will be happy to answer any questions you have at this 

time. 

5 
22 

Dr. Karlin Toner 

Dr. Karlin Toner is the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office 

(JPDO). As Director of the JPDO, Dr. Toner manages an interagency initiative 

charged with facilitating and coordinating the development of the Next 

Generation Air TranspOltalion System (NextGen). Dr. Toner also serves as the 

Senior Staff Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation for NextGen, a role she 

has held since January 2009. 

Dr. Toner has 20 years of experience with the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA). From August 2006 to December 2008, she served as 

Director of the Airspace Systems Program at NASA Headquarters in 

Washington, DC. Prior to this, Dr. Toner hcld several key positions in aerospace and aeronautical 

planning and research while working at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. 

From July 2005 to August 2006, Dr. Toner was the Associate Director for Aeronautics, charged with 

developing long-range technical and resource plans for aeronautical projects. Prior to that assignment, 

she estahlished and managed the Aerospace Operations Modeling Branch. This organization provided a 

focal point for the modeling and simulation of air traffic operations within NASA. 

Dr. Toner was a lecturer in the Aerospace Engineering Department at San Jose State University from 

1991 to 1994. Her technical publications include papers on aircraft aerodynamics and design, 

computational physics, and the analysis of air traffic systems. Dr. Toner earned a NASA Exceptional 

Achievement Medal and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and 

Astronautics. In 2011, Dr. Toner received the University of Florida's Department of Mechanical & 

Aerospace Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from 

Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Karlin Toner holds doctoral and master's degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of 

Florida and a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 
23 

Chairman BROUN. Thank you, Dr. Toner. I appreciate your staying within five minutes. That was perfect. Thank you so much. 

That is excellent. 

Now I recognize Dr. Waggoner for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. EDGAR WAGGONER, DIRECTOR, 

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS RESEARCH PROGRAM OFFICE, 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

(NASA) 

Dr. WAGGONER. Chairman Broun, Ranking Member Maffei and 

Members of the Subcommittee, I want to thank you for this opportunity to testify on NASA’s research and development activities to 

ensure safety in the operation of unmanned aircraft systems, or 

UASs, in our national airspace. 

There is a growing demand to routinely fly unmanned aircraft in 

the NAS, our national airspace system, and I am sure that you are 

aware that unmanned aircraft are increasingly being used for applications where it is not feasible or practical to rely on extended 

human-piloted flights. We often refer to these as dull, dangerous or 

dirty missions. 

The application of unmanned aircraft to perform these missions 

is just part of what is driving the critical need for safe, less restrictive access to the NAS. Safe, routine access represents enhanced 

capabilities for the public sector but also the promise of new capabilities for commercial or civil aviation sectors as well. NASA is 

performing research in the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate that provides an opportunity to develop and transition our 

concepts, technologies, algorithms and knowledge to the FAA and 

other stakeholders to help them define the algorithms, regulations 

standards for safe, routine NAS access. 

In my testimony this morning, I want to make three key points. 

I will define the research that NASA is doing to help solve this 

problem, how we are working to transition our research results to 

the stakeholder community, and looking towards the future of what 

NASA considers some of the areas where additional research is required. 

So one might ask, why aren’t UAS routinely allowed in the NAS 

now? For unmanned aircraft, access to the NAS is hampered by 

various regulatory and operational challenges, making it difficult to 

establish common applicable standards and requirements. Now, the 

FAA has established a process for enabling public agencies to request a certificate or authorization (COA) or waiver in order to operate unmanned aircraft in the NAS. As a matter of fact, this is 

how NASA received permission to perform our science missions in 

flying the NAS. However, for civil, non-public UAS operations in 

the NAS, the FAA requires a special airworthiness certificate in 

the experimental category. Experimental certificates are limited to 

an individual vehicle rather than a class of vehicles and severely 

limit the uses of the UAS, for example, commercial operations are 

specifically excluded under an experimental certificate. 

The majority of the research work that NASA is performing is organized under the UAS integration in the NAS project and it is focused in the following areas: sense and avoid separation assurance 

interoperability, developing reliable communication systems and 
24 

protocols, design of ground control stations and their displays for 

effective and safe operation, and the requirements necessary to define criteria for avionics communication systems and ground control station certification. In each of these areas, we are addressing 

critical research questions and delivering research results to our 

stakeholders. 

Now, the work that NASA is performing is dependent on external government agency and stakeholder interfaces as well. I would 

like to identify three key interfaces where we are significantly involved: the UAS Executive Committee (UAS ExCom), the Joint 

Planning and Development Office (JPDO), and the UAS Aviation 

Rulemaking Committee (UASR). In each of these cases, NASA is 

playing a significant role in supporting the activities from the executive level down to our working level subject matter experts. In addition to this, we have built effective partnerships with the FAA, 

the Department of Defense and RTCA’s Special Committee 203 

that is focused on unmanned aircraft systems. 

Finally, I would like to identify some future research areas 

where NASA is undertaking studies to evaluate the implications of 

safe integration of UAS into the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). So understanding the tradeoffs between 

remote control and computerized automation of unmanned aircraft, 

referred to as levels of autonomy, is a relatively immature research 

area that we think could generate some additional focus. 

In addition, the second area I would like to point out is that of 

airborne-based sense and avoid. Issues associated with sense and 

avoid are particularly relevant when the aircraft involved are not 

under positive air traffic control. So we know about the work that 

the DOD has performed. We would like to assess that relative to 

civil applications. 

So in conclusion, I would like to leave you with this thought. 

Granted, NASA doesn’t build unmanned aircraft nor do we develop 

policy or the regulatory framework for their safe operation in 

NASA. However, through our research we conduct in cooperation 

with other government agencies, industry and academia, NASA is 

addressing barrier technology challenges for safe UAS integration 

in the NAS and ensuring that our research is effectively coordinated with and transitioned to the UAS stakeholder community. 

Chairman Broun, Ranking Member Maffei, other Members of the 

Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement, and I will be 

pleased to answer any questions at this time. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Waggoner follows:] 
25 

Statement of 

Edgar G. Waggoner, D.Sc. 

Director, Integrated Systems Research Program 

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

before the 

Subcommittee ou Oversight 

Committee on Science, Space and Technology 

U.S. House of Representatives 

HOLD FOR RELEASE 

UNTIL PRESENTED 

BY WITNESS 

February 15,2013 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to testify on NASA's 

Research and Development (R&D) efforts to enable safety in the operation of Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS). 

Iutrnduction 

There is a growing demand to routinely fly UAS in the NAS. Unmanned Aircraft Systems are 

increasingly being used for applications where it is uot feasible or practical to rely on extended humanpiloted flights. Examples include long-duration scientific research, remote sensing, firefighting, land and 

crop monitoring and surveying, border protection, emergency management, and airborne 

communications. The application of unmanned aircraft to perform these national security, defense, 

scientific, and emergency management tasks is driving the critical need for broader integration of UAS 

into the National Airspace System. 

Routine access ofUAS to the NAS represents the promise of new capabilities for the government (public) 

and commercial (civil) aviation sectors. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will not 

integrate UAS unless and until we can be assured the safety of the NAS will not be degraded. The growth 

1 
26 

of this potential industry has not yet been realized because additional research must be done to determine 

what is required to safely operate UAS in the NAS. NASA is performing research in the Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) that provides an opportunity to transition concepts, technologies, 

algorithms, and knowledge to FAA and other stakeholders to help them define the requirements, 

regulations, and issues for routine UAS NAS access. 

To be clear on the role that NASA Aeronautics plays in this effort-NASA does not build unmanned 

aircraft for the civil market nor develop the regulatory framework for their operation in the NAS. Rather, 

through the research we conduct, we address critical technology challenges for UAS integration in these 

key areas: 

Sense and Avoid/Separation Assurance Interoperability 

• Communication 

• Human Systems Integration 

• Support of UAS Certification Requirements 

Our research efforts and resulting deliverables are effectively coordinated with, and planned for seamless 

transition to, the UAS stakeholder community. 

Barriers to Integration 

Why aren't Unmanned Aircraft Systems allowed routine access to the NAS now? 

Existing Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) procedures and technologies do not allow routine UAS 

access to the NAS. Access to the NAS is hampered by challenges such as the lack of an on-board pilot to 

see and avoid other aircraft, the reliance on command and control (C2) communication frequencies used 

primarily by the military, and the wide variation in UAS size (e.g. Northrop Grumman Global Hawk vs. 

AeroVironment Nano Hummingbird) and performance characteristics (altitudes, speeds, and duration at 

which UAS operate). Understandably, the FAA needs to gather information in each of these area~, in 

order to determine the safety of these aircraft, and to set prudent operations and equipment standards 

before routine access is granted, in order to continue to ensure safety of the NAS. 

The FAA has established a process enabling public agencies to request a Certificate of Authorization or 

Waiver (COA) to operate UAS in the NAS. Recently, the FAA has worked with government partners to 

streamline the COA application process and extended the length of the Authorization from 12 months to 

2 
27 

24 months. In addition, the FAA has established expedited procednres to grant one-time Certificate of 

Authorization or Waivers for time-sensitive emergency missions such as disaster relief and humanitarian 

efforts. 

For civil (non-public) UAS operations in the NAS, the FAA requires a special airworthiness certificate in 

the experimental category. Because of safety concerns, experimental Certificates (ECs) are limited to an 

individual vehicle, rather than to a class of vehicles. For example, commercial operations are specifically 

excluded under an EC. 

The UAS Integration in the NAS Project 

The majority of NASA's research work toward integration of UAS into the NAS is organized under the 

UAS Integration in the NAS Project, which is part of the Integrated Systems Research Program. The goal 

of the project is to contribute capabilities that reduce technical barriers related to the safety and 

operational challenges associated with enabling routine UAS access to the NAS. 

Current work is focused in these areas that represent key barriers to UAS integration. 

Research Area: Sense and Avoid/Separation Assurance Interoperability (SSI) 

How can UAS sense other vehicles and avoid them? What are the appropriate variables necessary to 

evaluate the safe interoperability of manned and unmanned aircraft in the NAS? How do you quantify 

those variables in a way that could lead to aircraft certification minimum operating standards of the sense 

and avoid system? 

This research area focuses on validating technologies and procedures for UAS to remain an appropriate 

distance from other aircraft and to safely and routinely interoperate with other aircraft in the NAS. NASA 

research will help determine the combination of technologies, systems, procedures and standards required 

to ensure that UAS operating in the NAS remain outside the separation minima defined by the FAA. To 

get to that point, we first need to: 

• Determine the peiformance requirements/ora "certifiable" sense-and-avoid system (SM) that 

replaces the pilot's eyes that /ulfills the requirement to "see" and avoid other aircraft. The existing 

requirement is intentionally vague to allow for pilot discretion in detelmining the "appropriate 

3 
28 

distance" to remain from other aircraft but for UAS to contain a "certifiable" SAA system the 

requirements for remaining an "appropriate distance" cannot be vague and must be quantified. 

Otherwise it will be difficult to measure whether a given Target Level of Safety (TLOS) is 

achievable. 

Determine the impact of these SAA system requirements 011 the NAS and whether procedures or 

standards should be modified to minimize the impact. An SAA system that meets the TLOS will 

likely give the UAS pilot greater awareness about nearby traffic than has a manned pilot using only 

his or her eyes. This greater awareness may make a UAS pilot operate in different ways that impact 

the NAS differently than manned aircraft. For example, UAS pilots may contact Air Traffic Control 

more frequently to request maneuvers to avoid distant traffic, increasing controller workload. UAS in 

the NAS Project researchers will study the new impacts that a SAA-equipped UAS will have on the 

NAS and explore strategies (procedures, standards, technologies) to minimize those impacts. 

NASA researchers will employ a suite of methodologies to address this safety goal including simulations 

and flight tests. Research results will be transitioned to various stakeholders including the FAA and 

Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee (SC) - 203 Unmauned 

Aircraft Systems. RTCA SC-203 will use results to support the development of recommendations for 

SAA system requirements and performance standards. NASA also anticipates that industry stakeholders 

will usc these results to guide the design and implementation of new SAA systems. 

Research Area: Communications 

What frequency spectrum is appropriate for UAS? How do we develop and test a communication 

system? What are the security vulnerabilities that might exist in a communication system? 

The UAS Communication work with NASA's UAS Integration in the NAS Project addresses safety 

aspects of UAS communications when operating in the NAS. 

• The Project is working with the International community to identify spectrum bands to enable safe 

control of UAS. NASA assisted the community to identify spectrum for line-of-sight (terrestrial) 

UAS communications and the consider spectrum for beyond line-of-sight (satellite) for UAS 

communications at the 2012 World Radio Conference. NASA is currently conducting analyses to 

4 
29 

assist in identifying additional beyond-line-of-sight frequency bands for UAS communications at the 

2015 World Radiocommunication Conference. 

• NASA is developing a prototype control communication radio system tn allow the validation of 

proposed UAS communication system requirements in a relevant environment. utilizing frequency 

bands identified for UAS operations. This effort is in partnership with an established aircraft avionics 

manufacturer, Rockwell Collins, who has developed and fielded numerous radio systems certified by 

the FAA. NASA is conducting flight validation of a prototype UAS communication system as a full 

end-to-end system test, incorporating systems and algorithms from other UAS in the NAS subprojects. The testing of this system in a realistic flight environment enables the proposed 

communication system requirements to be rigorously evaluated, in order to establish a basis for the 

minimum perfonnance standards necessary for a FAA-certified UAS control communication system. 

NASA is working in partnership with the FAA and National Institute for Standards and Technology 

(NIST) to analyze and develop mitigations to potential security vulnerabilities of the UAS control 

communication system. The security analysis follows applicable NIST security standards, guidelines 

and processes. The developed security mitigations are being validated through tlight tests of a full 

end-to end system. 

• NASA is conducting large-scale simulations of the UAS communication systems considering a NASwide deployment of UAS. These simulations are being utilized to validate the ability to scale the 

prototype communication system to future anticipated U AS traffic levels, as well as exploring the 

effect the UAS communication system may have on manned aircraft traffic. 

NASA and the FAA are working in partnership to analyze and develop mitigations to potential security 

vulnerabilities of the UAS control communication system. 

Research Area: Human Systems Integration (HSI) 

How does the NAS accommodate a UAS pilot who is on the ground compared to a pilot in the cockpit? 

How do we design Ground Control Station displays to maximize pilot effectiveness and safety? 

NASA researchers in this focus area are working to ensure that the unmanned aircraft pilot operates as 

safely in the NAS as a manned aircraft pilot. Human Systems Integration is achieving this through; I) 

5 
30 

identifying the tasks and requirements that allow a pilot to operate safely, 2) developing a prototype 

Ground Control Station (GCS) that supports those tasks and requirements, and 3) demonstrating this 

capability in simulation and flight test and in both nominal and off-nominal conditions. The results of 

this work will be the basis for developing guidelines for GCS designed to operate in the NAS. 

The HSI element is performing a systematic evaluation of the task and information requirements 

ultimately including consideration of FAA Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) for design and safe 

operation in the NAS. Three information requirements analyses have been conducted to fulfill this 

objective: 1) analysis of the phase of flight of the aircraft; ground operations, departure, cruise and 

approach and landing; 2) a functional analysis. i.e., aviate, navigate and communicate; and 3) a 

requirements study carried out in conjunction with the FAA focused on evaluating applicability of current 

FARstoUAS. 

When the requirements are well understood, a prototype Ground Control Station (GSC) will be developed 

to present the required information and support the tasks required. A survey of over 100 existing Ground 

Control Stations has been conducted to ensure the industry lessons learned and state of the art for GCS 

design are well documented. Further, a similar analysis of applicable manned aircraft technologies is 

underway to make use of the decades of superior aeronautical engineering. Human factors best practices 

will be employed in the development of the prototype GCS. 

The lessons learned from these Human Systems Integration evaluations will inform GCS design 

guidelines for operations in the NAS that will be vetted through Radio Technical Commission for 

Aeronautics (RTCA) Special Committee (SC) 203 leading to recommendations to the FAA. 

Research Area: Support of UAS Certification Requirements 

What data needs to be collected on the road to developing guidelines for UAS aircraft certification? What 

criteria are critical for avionics, communication and GCS certification? 

To help identify what role certification can play in safe integration of UAS in the NAS, NASA 

Aeronautics is: (I) collecting and analyzing data on safety-related hazards from UAS operations, and (2) 

analyzing risk factors that underlie development of system safety standards for UAS. 

6 
31 

Work is underway to collect incident, accident, and system failure data to increase our understanding of 

UAS failure modes and hazards experienced to date. The majority of data on UAS incidents and 

accidents comes from military and public-use operations, where the quality and availability of data 

records are extremely variable, making comprehensive analysis difficult. NASA Aeronautics is currently 

acquiring data across many of NASA's science missions that employ UAS and data that has been made 

publicly availahle from the FAA's COA process. Various modeling and data mining techniques are being 

applied to analyze that data and to advance data collection and analyses methods, with the goal of 

facilitating proactive identification of UAS safety issues. 

Work is also underway to analyze how risks inherent in the design and operation of UAS affect the 

specification of airworthiness standards; that is, aircraft and system-specific design and performance 

standards that promote safe flight. To attain routine access to the NAS, minimum standards must be 

established or adapted from current standards for manned aircraft that provide confidence in system 

reliability and safe operation. 

NASA's UAS Integration in the NAS Project is examining the degree to which existing design standards 

and reliability requirements may serve as an appropriate certification basis for UAS, and sharing the 

results of this examination with FAA. That degree depends, at least in part, on whether aviation hazards 

or other risk factors significantly change based on operational or physical attributes of the UAS, such as 

the separation of the cockpit and pilot of the aircraft from the vehicle itself. Even in the most 

conventional UAS designs, significant new hazards may arise from ground control stations, 

communication links, and specialized avionics. The effect of failures in these elements, separately or in 

combination, can bring a new twist to long-established hazards such as loss of aircraft control and loss of 

situational awareness. Evaluation of various risk factors, coupled with lessons learned from incidents and 

accidents, is intended to support development of a well-founded safety case for integrating UAS into the 

NAS. 

Technology Transfer 

As stated earlier, the driving force behind NASA's UAS research is to be able to transfer tools and 

solutions for operation in civil airspace to the UAS community. Transfer is enabled by the coordination 

and close working partnerships that form during the research process. 

7 
32 

Inter-Government Interfaces 

The work that NASA is performing to support the safe integration of VAS into the NAS is dependent on 

external government agency interfaces to coordinate ongoing work as well as to transfer research 

deliverables. To this end. three key inter-government interfaces that NASA is involved in are the VAS 

Executive Committee (ExCom). the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). and the VAS 

Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). 

In response to integration challenges and the growing demand for VAS NAS access by government 

agencies, Congress created the VAS Executive Committee (VAS ExCom). The ExCom was created in 

order to enable DOD, DHS, and NASA to obtain routine VAS access to the NAS in order to execute their 

agency missions of national defense, security, and scientific research. The expectation is that the 

experience gained by these agencies may enable the FAA to extend normalized or routine operational 

procedures to other public VAS operators and eventually civil VAS operators. The final composition of 

the ExCom includes senior executives from all four agencies. NASA also supports the work of the VAS 

ExCom through participation on its Senior Steering Committee and associated Working Groups. 

NASA supports and closely cooperates with the Joint Planning and Development Office in cross-agency 

efforts to coordinate integration activities and document governing consensus to support UAS integration. 

The NASA Administrator is a member of the Senior Policy Committee and the Associate and Deputy 

Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate are active JPDO Board 

members. NASA also supports UAS integration efforts at JPDO through active participation in various 

working level efforts that focus on specific integration challenges. NASA is supporting the JPDO on 

developing the UAS Comprehensive Plan, a national roadmap for civil UAS access (in conjunction with 

the FAA's VAS ARC), identifying specific NASA contributions to a Research Development and 

Demonstration Roadmap, and developing national goals and objective for UAS integration. 

NASA also works as an integral contributor to the FAA's UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). 

This committee was formed to provide a forum for the Nation's aviation community to discuss UAS 

related issues, and provide recommendations to the FAA for various UAS rulemaking projects. This 

includes providing information and input to the FAA to help develop the means to continue integration of 

UAS with manned NAS operations that address safety, capacity, and efficiency objectives consistent with 

global aviation. NASA is involved at the executive level as a member of the UAS Aviation Rulemaking 

Committee and provides subject matter experts to support various working groups. 

8 
33 

In addition to the formal interfaces described, the work NASA is performing requires close coordination 

with the FAA's VAS Integration Office, industry standards, organizations, and international organizations 

in an effort to ensure that the research products NASA delivers are well aligned across the multi-agency, 

multi-national efforts to enable routine VAS access to national and global airspace. 

Partnerships and Agreements 

The VAS community is both broad and deep. NASA and DoD have extensive experience in flying VAS 

in segregated and non-segregated airspace over the past 40+ years. Other government agencies, such as 

DHS, have been flying VAS during the past decade. In addition to operating VAS, many governmental 

and industry entities have been conducting research in areas of sense and avoid, communications, 

pilot/aircraft/controller interactions, and other areas related to VAS access to the NAS. 

Since there are a multitude of operational and research experiences across the VAS community, it is 

imperative that NASA fosters partnerships and collaborations in order to ensure that the research products 

that NASA delivers are both relevant and not unnecessarily duplicative. 

Even before the onset of establishing the VAS Integration in the NAS Project, NASA began to build 

partnerships with the two key customers, the FAA and RTCA SC-203, for critical deliverables. With the 

FAA, NASA is leveraging formal agreements from the past, and has established a new VAS specific 

agreement to en'sure full collaboration at both the management and technical levels. Key personnel from 

NASA and the FAA have met and will continue to meet routinely to ensure that our deliverables will 

reduce or eliminate technical barriers for routine civil VAS access to the NAS. With RTCA's SC-203, 

NASA is represented on all of the Work Groups. NASA is developing research products that will 

validate the SC-203 standards recommendations to the FAA. 

In addition to the partnerships with the FAA and SC-203, NASA is collaborating with the DoD in several 

key areas. NASA is working closely with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to leverage research 

efforts associated with sense and avoid, particularly related to the Jointly Optimal Collision Avoidance 

(JOCA) research and on human factors efforts related to VAS access. The Project is working with VS 

Northern Command in their flight test effOlts to validate the DoD Concept of Operations for VAS access. 

NASA is working with the Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) Program on safety case 

analysis in addition to sense and avoid testing. This will again provide specific additional data related to 

routine access for both public and civil aircraft. Based on a reqnest from the VAS ExCom, NASA is 

validating specific flight test data for Class D airspace. NASA is also coordinating research activities 

9 
34 

with the DoD Policy Board for Federal Aviation and the Office of the Secretary of Defense's UAS Task 

Force to expand our collaborations with the DoD further. 

Our involvement with industry has primarily been through NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) or 

contracts. NASA does have a specific cost sharing arrangement with Rockwell Collins on the 

development of a prototype UAS communications system. 

A final area of collaboration in which NASA is engaged is global harmonization. The data and research 

findings that are being developed in the Communications activity are being shared with the international 

community through the International Telecommunication Union meetings associated with the World 

Radio Conference. NASA is also involved in several International Civil Aviation Organization activitie.~ 

as part of the U.S. delegation led by FAA and the State Department, including the Flight In NonSegregated Airspace work, the UAS Study Group, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization, and 

Working Group. 

The Reality of Research Gaps 

NASA has diligently worked to identify and address the most critical challenges associated with the 

routine operation and integration of UAS into the NAS. However, two future areas of research have been 

identified where NASA is undertaking studies to evaluate the implications of safe integration of UAS into 

the Next Generation Air Transportation System. 

Level of Auton om V 

As mission complexity and environmental complexity increase, automation technologies can augment 

piloted control of UAS in much the same manner as in manned aircraft. However, understanding the 

tradeoffs between remote control and computerized automation of unmanned aircraft systems is relatively 

immature. As civil UAS interoperate with manned aircraft in the NAS, levels of acceptable automation 

may well remain a critical obstacle for routine UAS integration and dictate the pace of expansion of the 

UAS commercial market. 

Airborne Based Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) 

As previously described, one of the critical challenges for routine UAS access to the NAS is the risk 

associated with the lack of having an onboard pilot to "see and avoid" other aircraft. This is particularly 

relevant when one or both aircraft are not under positive control from air traffic controllers. Current 

10 
35 

mitigation strategies require a ground based observer or an observer in a chase aircraft maintaining visual 

contact with the UAS. Significant research has been perfonncd supporting DoD operations that should be 

assessed for civil UAS applications. This includes addressing research issues of self-separation, collision 

avoidance, and aircraft detection. 

Conclusion 

In summary, NASA does not build unmanned aircraft for the civil market nor develop the regulatory 

framework for their operation in the NAS. However, through the research we conduct in cooperation 

with other government entities, industry and universities, we are addressing barrier technology challenges 

for VAS integration into the NAS. This includes critical research being perfonned in the areas of: 

• Sense and Avoid/Separation Assurance Interoperability 

• Communication 

• Human Systems Integration 

• Support of VAS Certification Requirements 

NASA is working diligently on various fronts to insure that the research we are delivering is effectively 

coordinated with and transitioned to the UAS stakeholder community. 

The research being conducted by NASA Aeronautics in support of integration of VAS into the NAS 

supports NASA Aeronautics' core principles of: 

• Valuing innovation and technical excellence; 

Aligning our research to ensure a strong relevance to national needs; 

• Transferring technology in a timely and robust manner; 

• Maintaining strong partnerships with other government agencies, industry and academia; and 

• Inspiring the next generation of engineers and researchers, 

Our planned research for the upcoming years will continue to provide valuable benefits to the aviation 

community and the Nation. 

11 
36 

Dr. Edgar G. Waggoner 

Director of the Integrated Systems Research Program 

As director of the Integrated Systems Research Program Office, Ed Waggoner is responsible for 

the overall planning, management and evalnation of the directorate's efforts to conduct 

integrated, system-level researeh on promising vehicle and operational technologies in a relevant 

environment that meet encrgy, environmental and mobility objectives. 

In addition, he supports the associate administrator in a broad range of mission directorate 

activities, including strategic and program planning; budget development; program review and 

evaluation; and extemal coordination. 

Previously he was on assignment to the Joint Planning and Development Offiee in Washington, 

DC, where he served as director of the Interagency Architecture and Engineering Division 

responsible for technical leadership in the development of the Next Generation Air 

Transportation System (NextGen) Enterprise Architecture, Concept of Operations, and 

Integrated Work Plan. While on this assignment, he served as a co-author of the Mobility chaptcr 

for the National Aeronautics R&D Plan. 

Waggoner began his NASA career in 1982 as a researcher in the theoretical aerodynamics 

discipline at NASA's Langley Research Center. He eventually held management positions in 

Langley'S transonic and subsonic aerodynamics branches responsible for planning and 

supervision of applied computational and experimental research directed at developing 

aerodynamics technology for advanced civil and military vehicles. 

Prior to NASA, Waggoner worked as a researcher and project engineer with Vought Corporation 

in Dallas, Texas, where he worked on advanced wind tunnel testing techniques and performed 

foundational work in the emerging field of computational fluid dynamics. 

He has been awarded several NASA Group Achievement Awards and NASA Special Act or 

Service A wards and has authored or coauthored 44 NASA technical papers, journal articles and 

conference publications on computational and experimental aerodynamics, and advanced 

airspace systems concepts. He is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics 

and Astronautics. 

Waggoner received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Aubum University, a 

master's degree in mechanical engineering from Southem Methodist University, and master's and 

doctoral degrees in engineering management from George Washington University. 
37 

Chairman BROUN. Thank you, Dr. Waggoner. I appreciate it very 

much. Excellent testimony from both you guys, and I am sure Dr. 

Dillingham is going to give us an equally excellent testimony. 

Sir, you are recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Dr. 

Dillingham. 

STATEMENT OF DR. GERALD DILLINGHAM, 

DIRECTOR, CIVIL AVIATION ISSUES, 

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE (GAO) 

Dr. DILLINGHAM. We will do what we can, Mr. Chairman. 

Ranking Member Maffei, Members of the Subcommittee, as you 

requested, my testimony addresses three areas related to integrating UAS into the national airspace system. 

First, the roles, responsibilities and coordination among the key 

stakeholders; second, Faa’sprogress in complying with the UAS requirements in the 2012 FAA Reauthorization Act; and third, R&D 

efforts by FAA and others to address key integration challenges. 

With regard to the first area of stakeholder roles, responsibility 

and coordination, Congress has tasked the FAA to lead the effort 

of integrating UAS into the national airspace system, and successful integration requires the involvement of several other agencies 

including DOD, DHS and NASA as well as industry stakeholders. 

FAA has taken several important steps to facilitate collaboration 

among the stakeholders. For example, they have established several working groups, various memorandums of understanding and 

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements to address a 

range of integration issues. FAA has also recently created the UAS 

Integration Office with one executive to coordinate UAS efforts 

across the FAA. Although we did not evaluate the effectiveness of 

these efforts, our work on other federal and industry collaborations, 

such as the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, has shown that early and continuous involvement of 

stakeholders is critical to project success. 

With regard to the implementation status of the FAA reauthorization provisions, our written statement contains a chartof selected requirements and the status of FAA’s efforts to meet them. 

Most of the requirements must be achieved between May 2012 and 

December 2015. Our work shows that while FAA has efforts underway to meet these requirements, they have completed only two of 

the nine requirements with completion deadlines that have passed 

as of this morning. Of the deadlines missed, FAA has not yet established a program for the six UAS test sites or released a comprehensive plan. Stakeholders including the Congress consider 

these actions among the key gateways to moving closer to safe and 

efficient UAS integration. While it could be argued that some of the 

provisions are complex undertaking that requires significant 

amount of effort by FAA and the partner agencies, meeting established deadlines can help increase stakeholder confidence in FAA’s 

ability to lead the UAS integration effort and contribute to the continued participation and collaboration among all stakeholders. 

Regarding research and development efforts, FAA’s UAS R&D 

roadmap identifies the various organizations that have efforts underway to mitigate obstacles that prevent UAS from being allowed 

to operate safely and routinely in the NAS. Some of these obstacles 
38 

and related research include vulnerabilities to UAS operations such 

as sense and avoid, command and control including lost link, GPS 

jamming and spoofing, and human factors. While progress is being 

made to address these obstacles, the lack of necessary data has seriously hampered the development of safety, reliability and performance standards which are needed to validate the R&D efforts. 

In addition to the technical and R&D obstacles that I have cited, 

government and industry will need to work together to address 

issues related to the public acceptance of UAS in the NAS, especially as it relates to privacy and homeland security concerns. 

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Maffei and Members of the 

Subcommittee, the potential impact of this industrial sector on the 

Nation’s aerospace industry and overall global competitiveness 

could be significant. As the Chairman noted, in addition to their 

life protection and lifesaving potential, according to an industry 

forecast, over the next decade, the worldwide market for government and commercial use of UAS could potentially grow to be 

worth $89 billion, and the United States could account for nearly 

two-thirds of the $28 billion projected R&D investment for UAS 

technologies. With this kind of growth, it will be critical for FAA 

to continue to make progress in integrating UAS into the national 

airspace system, and oversight hearings such as this one highlight 

the importance of issues that need to be addressed. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Dillingham follows:] 
39 

GAO 

For Relpa,..;;c 

Expf'ctett at Friday, F'pbruary 

GAO-13-346T 

United States Government Accountability Office 

Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, 

Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology, House of Representatives 

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 

SYSTEMS 

Continued Coordination, 

Operational Data, and 

Performance Standards 

Needed to Guide Research 

and Development 

Statement of Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D. 

Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues 

GAO 

Accountability * Integrity * Reliability 
40 

"">,,, ',," ",,',': 

~~i?~nlied\ajrCr~ft ~yste'n:s, are, ~f(~rati artdasso~iat~dequipme;'t.jhaMo"ot 

,arlY a pilot al>b",d; but l~stea~ ,: 

9~7rate o~:pre~pro9ra,m~~d r~utes:¢?r 

are ff)a~ually ."ontrolled by pll!>!- . 

"petaled gtou!\dsf(ltiQDS. i'JthQuJ;(1:! • 

current ~9m~~tic ~~e~ ~f l!AS ',qre 

limited to activiti~ssuch as law 

enforcement, forensic photography, 

~ord~r securi~; ~n~ sci~I1~~C, data' 

conec~on, Ujl;S also hl'v~ a wide r,lnge 

ofoth~r potential ~ommercial uses,.; . 

AccOfding to. an ingustryJof,ecast, the 

marke!'!or UASis expec)edtogr<lW 

""d could be potentially worth $89 

bill'9/' ove, the.qext ifecade, 

COncern~d will, thepace.ofUAS 

integration ihto the national aitspace, 

congreSs established sp.ecific 

req~ir~me~~,an~:setAe~~nnes, f~r FAA in the 2()12 FAA Mtlde.mlzatlon 

.and R"formAc! (the.2012 Act). 

Tn", t~$timon¥ discu~es.l)the 1'O.I"s • 

an~,~e~~o,n~i~j~itiesJ)f an~ c,Qordi~ati()n 

:a(l1onllfederal~gel\Ciel>'and"ther 

UA" stakeholee", involved in 

int<igratinglJ",S, 2)FM's pr(,gressirl .. ' 

<1qrnplyin\lWith Ihe 2012 Apt's YAS 

re,quirements, and;~) :~e~~~rch and 

development efforts by FAA and other 

entilies!" address ""allen~es for 

.safely integrating UA$; 

TflfslesUrrii>ri\,.;s base,d ona2Q12 

GAO rel'ortIn pastwork" GAO 

an,lIyzed FAA's <ifiorts \0 inlegrate 

UM into the natio~~1 airspace,t~erol" 

Qf,O~er~ed~r~l,~Q~nf:ie~ in aChi,eyitt,g sa!e ~nd f()l!f~n~ infegratiO!Ii !3nd researCh and development issues, 

GAO also "an\fueled selected 

inte(\iie\liS.Withoflicia!s Jr!J;m FAA and '~ther!ederal agencies, indust(y, !lnd 

acad~mic stakeholders, \ ' 

February 15, 2013 

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS 

Continued Coordination, Operational Data, and 

Perfonnance Standards Needed to Guide Research 

and Development 

What GAO Found 

While Congress has tasked FAA to lead the effort of safely integrating unmanned 

aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace, several federal and other entities 

also have a role. FAA has established various mechanisms to facilitate 

collaboration with these entities. For example, FAA has entered into formal 

agreements with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration (NASA) on obtaining appropriate safety data and 

coordinating research and development, respectively. FAA has also involved 

industry stakeholders and academia in the development of standards and 

research for UAS operations. FAA recently created the UAS Integration Office, 

within FAA, to coordinate all intra-agency UAS efforts and provide organizational 

leadership. Continued collaboration among UAS stakeholders will be critical to 

minimizing duplication of research and addressing implementation obstacles. 

While FAA has made progress toward meeting the 2012 Act's requirements, as 

of January 2013, it has missed several of its deadlines. FAA continues to face 

challenges, with many of its efforts still in process. For example, the 

establishment of six test ranges for UAS operations, as required by the 2012 Act, 

is being delayed due to privacy concerns. Meeting the 2012 Act's requirements 

moving fOlWard wi!! require continued collaboration and significant work for FAA. 

In September 2012, GAO recommended that FAA incorporate mechanisms in its 

planning that allow for regular monitoring to assess its progress. Such 

mechanisms can help FAA identify what has been achieved and what remains to 

be done. 

Research and development efforts are under way to mitigate obstacles to safe 

and routine integration of UAS into the national airspace. However, these 

research and development efforts cannot be completed and validated without 

safety, reliability, and performance standards, which have not yet been 

developed because of data limitations. GAO previously reported that FAA has 

not utilized the operational data it already possesses, such as data provided by 

the DOD. 

_____________ United States Government AccountabilityOffice 
41 

United States Government Accountability Office 

Washington, DC 20548 

Chairman Broun, Ranking Member Maffei, and Members of the 

Subcommittee: 

I appreciate the opportunity to testify on several efforts to allow 

unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to safely and routinely fly in the 

national airspace. UAS are aircraft and associated equipment that do not 

carry a pilot aboard, but instead operate on pre-programmed routes or 

are manually controlled by following commands from pilot-operated 

ground control stations. Figure 1 shows the components of a UAS, 

including the airframe, power plant, communications links, and ground 

control station. UAS are typically described in terms of weight, endurance, 

purpose of use, and altitude of operation. For the purposes of this 

testimony, we consider UAS in two broad categories: a small UAS is less 

than 55 pounds, while a large UAS is 55 pounds or more.' 

1We have distinguished between small and large aircraft because a number of rules and 

requirements apply specifically to aircraft that wejgh less than 55 pounds, which we 

discuss later in the report. According to an industry association, small UAS are expected 

to comprise the majority of UAS that will operate in the national airspace 

Page 1 GAO-13-346T 
42 

Figure 1: Conceptual Rendering of Unmanned Aircraft System 

Current domestic use of UAS is limited to activities such as law 

enforcement, search and rescue, forensic photography, border security, 

weather research, and scientific data collection. UAS also have potential 

commercial uses that include pipeline, utility, and farm-fence inspections; 

vehicular traffic monitoring; real-estate and construction-site photography; 

relaying telecommunication signals; film industry production; and fishery 

protection and monitoring. Concerned with the pace of progress toward 

integrating UAS into the national airspace, in February 2012, Congress 

established specific requirements and set deadlines for FAA to expedite 

UAS integration in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act (the 2012 

Act).' In September 2012, we reported that FAA had taken steps to meet 

these requirements and deadlines, and raised concerns about when UAS 

2Pub. L. No. 112-95, §§ 332 - 334, 126 Stat. 11 (2012). 

Page 2 GAO-13-346T 
43 

Background 

integration in the national airspace will be achieved. 3 We recommended 

that FAA incorporate regular monitoring of its efforts to measure progress 

toward fulfilling its statutory requirements. We also reported on a variety 

of obstacles that still must be overcome before UAS might be safely 

integrated in the national airspace. 

My statement today is based on our September 2012 report, updated as 

appropriate, and discusses 1) the roles and responsibilities of and 

coordination among federal agencies and other UAS stakeholders 

involved in integrating UAS into the national airspace; 2) FAA's progress 

in complying with the 2012 Act's UAS requirements; and 3) research and 

development efforts by FAA and other entities to address challenges for 

safely integrating UAS. We reviewed and analyzed documents and 

interviewed relevant government, academic, and private-sector entities, 

as well as federal UAS users. More detailed explanations of the methods 

used to conduct our work can be found in the full report referenced 

above. We performed our work in accordance with generally accepted 

government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan 

and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide 

a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit 

objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable 

basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

Currently, FAA authorizes all domestic military; public (academic 

institutions, federal, state, and local governments including law 

enforcement organizations); and civil (private sector entities) UAS 

operations on a limited basis after conducting a case-by-case safety 

review. Federal, state, and local government agencies must apply for 

Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COA), while civil operators must 

apply for special airworthiness certificates in the experimental category. 

Because special airworthiness certificates do not allow commercial 

operations, there is currently no means for FAA to authorize commercial 

UAS operations. 

Since FAA started issuing COAs in January 2007, 1,428 COAs have 

been issued. At present, under COA or special airworthiness certification, 

3GAO, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Measuring Progress and Addressing Potential 

Page 3 

Would Facilitate Integration into the National Airspace System, 

(Washington, DC Sept 14,2012) 

GAO-13-346T 
44 

UAS operations are permitted for specific time frames (generally 12 to 24 

months); locations; and operations. So, one agency can be issued 

multiple COAs to operate one UAS for the same purpose. In 2012, FAA 

issued 391 COAs to 121 federal, state, and local government entities 

across the United States, including law enforcement entities as well as 

academic institutions (see fig. 2)4 

Figure 2: Entities with COAs Approved from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 

2012 

Number of approved COAs 

250 

20, 

200 

150 

100 

50 

Entity 

Notes: DOD=Department of Defense, NASA=National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

LEAs=Local Law Enforcement Agencies, DHS=Department of Homeland Security, DOI=Department 

of the Interior, and DOE=Department of Energy. 

According to an industry forecast, the market for government and 

commercial use of UAS is expected to grow, with small UAS having the 

greatest grow1h potential. 5 This forecast estimates that the worldwide 

4These eOA figures provided by FAA may not represent the number of active COAs 

because COAs issued prior to January 2012 may still be active and COAs issued during 

2012 may have already expired. 

sTeal Group Corporation, World Unmanned Aedal Vehicle Systems (Fairtax, VA: 2012). 

Page 4 GAO·13·346T 
45 

FAA Is Responsible 

for Leading 

Coordination Efforts 

across Agencies and 

Industry to Achieve 

UAS Integration 

UAS market could be potentially worth $89 billion over the next decade< 

The majority of this estimate is for military-type products (primarily the 

U<S< military) with the associated research and development for 

production estimated to be $2R5 billion over the next 10 years< As 

smaller UAS are expected to continue to improve in technology and 

decrease in price, their prevalence in the national airspace is expected to 

increase< The forecast also indicates that the United States could account 

for 62 percent of the world's research and development investment for 

UAS technology over the coming decade< 

Congress has tasked FAA to lead the effort of safely integrating UAS into 

the national airspace, but several other federal agencies-such as the 

Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 

and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-also 

have a role< While DOD uses UAS for training and operational missions, 

DHS for border patrol, and NASA for scientific research, each agency 

provides FAA with safety, reliability, and performance data through the 

COA process< These agencies also participate in UAS integration forums 

as discussed later in this section< Table 1 provides an overview of key 

federal UAS stakeholders and their roles in integrating UAS< 

Table 1: Key Federal UAS Stakeholders and Their Roles Integrating UAS into the National Airspace 

Key stakeholders 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

Department of Defense (DOD) 

Natlona! Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

Genera! Services Admmlstration (GSA) 

Department of Justice (DOJ) 

UAS integration role 

FAA's UAS Integrat!on Office is responsible for ensuring that UAS operate safely in the 

national airspace 

DOD provIdes FAA with UAS operat!onal and safety data, as we!! as research and 

development support 

NASA provides research and development and testmg on UAS mtegratlon efforts 

DHS's Customs and Border Patrol has provided flight demonstrations to FAA's Next 

Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Office 

The General Services Admlnlstration (GSA) is responsible for trackmg the federal 

government's UAS inventory. Federal agencies that own or lease UAS report their 

UAS inventory, cost and utilizat!on data to GSA. 

DOJ's National Institute of Justice is responsible, in part, for assisting the technology 

needs-including UAS-of local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies 

Source GAO analys;s of FAA data 

FAA has established various mechanisms to facilitate collaboration with 

its partner agencies, and private sector entities to safely integrate UAS 

(see table 2)< For example, given its unique role in managing partnerships 

among federal agencies for the Next Generation Air Transportation 

PageS GAO·13·346T 
46 

System (NextGen), FAA's Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) 

was tasked by the Office of Management and Budget to, in conjunction 

with partner agencies, develop a strategic interagency UAS Research, 

Development, and Demonstration Roadmap6 This roadmap provides a 

framework for interagency and private sector coordination on UAS 

research and development efforts. Several working groups have also 

been formed, such as the UAS Executive Committee, to facilitate 

collaboration between agencies. FAA has also entered into 

memorandums of understanding (MOU) with some of these federal 

agencies. FAA signed MOUs with NASA and DOD regarding research 

and development and the availability of safety data, respectively. FAA has 

also involved industry stakeholders and academia through the UAS 

Aviation Rulemaking Committee and RTCA SC-203. For example, the 

RTCA SC-203 (a standards-making body) is developing safety, reliability, 

and performance standards for UAS operations. 

6NextGen is a complex undertakmg that requires acquinng new integrated air traffic 

control systems; developing new flight procedures, standards, and regulations; and 

creating and maintaining supporting infrastructure to create a more automated aircraftcentered, satellite-based air transportation system. JPDO's primary responsibHity is for 

overseeing and coordinatmg NextGen research activities within the federal government 

and ensuring that new technologies are used to their fullest potential in aircraft and the air 

traffic control system. 

Page 6 GAO-13-346T 
47 

Table 2: Examples of UAS Collaboration across Agencies or in Industry 

RTCA SC-203' 

ASTM International Committee F38d 

including FAA, DOD, NASA, and responsible for identifying 

of technical, procedural, and policy concerns arising from UAS integration into 

mechanism for industry and academic stakeholders as well as 

local government entities to provide recommendations and standards to 

related to UAS Integration 

state, and 

on issues 

RTCA is a private, not-for-profit organization consisting of industry experts. SC 203 is 

responsible for developing consensus-based recommendations and standards regarding 

UAS communications, navigation, surve!l!ance, and air traffic management system 

issues that are provided to FAA 

ASTM International Committee F38 is a private organization, consisting of industry 

experts that are responsible for developing standards and consensus-based 

recommendations to FAA for small UAS integration into the national airspace and 

worldwide 

GAO analYSIS of FAA data 

aThe UAS Executive Committee was formed as a result of the National Defense Authorization Act 

(NOM) for Fiscal Year 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-84, 123 Stat. 2190 (2009)). Section 935 of 2010 NOAA 

states that "The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Transportation shall, after consultation 

with the Secretary of Homeland Security, jointly develop a plan for providing expanded access to the 

national airspace for unmanned aircraft systems of the Department of Defense" and reqUires that the 

Executive Committee members to provide Congress with, among other things, a communication plan, 

speCific milestones for expanded access to the national airspace, and that the Committee report on 

their efforts. 

°FAAalso chartered a small UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee in 2008, which made 

recommendations for the standards and regulations for the operation of small UAS in the national 

airspace. 

cRTCA, formerly the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, serves as a federal advisory 

committee, and its recommendations are the basis for a number of FAA's policy, program, and 

regulatory deciSions 

dASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, works to 

deliver the test methods, speCifications, guides, and practices that support industries and 

governments worldwide. 

FAA also has agreements with a range of industry, federal research 

entities, universities, and international organizations to conduct research, 

These research and development agreements, known as Cooperative 

Research and Development Agreements and International Agreements, 

typically require the agency, organization, or company to perform types of 

research and provide FAA with the data in exchange for funding, For 

example, in 2009 FAA established an agreement with the European 

Union to initiate, coordinate, and prioritize the activities necessary for 

supporting the development of provisions required for the evolution of 

Page 7 GAO-13-346T 
48 

UAS to full recognition as a legitimate category-of-airspace user.' In 

addition, FAA partners with federally funded research and development 

centers on UAS integration efforts' 

Within FAA, steps have also been taken to increase collaboration and 

provide the organizational leadership needed to safely accelerate UAS 

integration. FAA recently created the UAS Integration Office under one 

executive to provide stable leadership and focus on the FAA UAS 

integration efforts 9 The office will coordinate all intra-agency collaboration 

efforts. At this time, some UAS responsibilities are being handled in other 

offices throughout FAA. For example, some of the research and 

development efforts and analysis of operation and safety data are being 

performed by the Air Traffic Office and the Accident, Investigation, and 

Prevention Office, respectively. The UAS Integration Office reports 

directly to the Director of the Flights Standards Service, which provides 

visibility for the office. At this time, several planning efforts are under way 

in the office. However, because the reorganization has only recently been 

implemented, it remains unclear whether the office will provide the 

support needed to guide a collaborative effort given the complexities of 

safely integrating UAS into the national airspace 

Wihile collaboration mechanisms have been developed to help facilitate 

UAS integration into the national airspace, continued collaboration among 

UAS stakeholders will be critical to minimizing duplication of research and 

addressing implementation obstacles. For example, as we previously 

reported in our September 2012 report, federal agencies have not yet 

stepped forward to proactively address the growing concerns regarding 

the potential security and privacy implications of UAS. 10 We 

recommended that DOT, DHS, and the Attorney General initiate 

7FAA's International Agreements indude ones wIth the Netherlands, the German 

Aerospace Center, and the European Union 

8FAA's FederaUy Funded Research and Development Centers are located at MITRE, 

MIT's Lincoln Lab, and the Air Force Research Lab 

9The UAS Integration Office was formally created in January 2013. However, work was 

being performed on UAS integration prior to operations being formalized. For example, the 

FAA appointed the Executive in March 2012 

10The Congressional Research Service has issued a report assessing the use of UAS 

under the Fourth Amendment Congressional Research Service, Drones in Domestic 

Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses, 

R42701 (Washington, D.C .. September 2012) 

PageS GAO· 13-346T 
49 

discussions, prior to the integration of UAS into the national airspace, to 

explore whether any actions should be taken to guide the collection and 

use of UAS-acquired data. As we discuss later in this statement, FAA and 

DOD will need to continue to work together to determine how to leverage 

DOD's operational and safety data to help develop UAS operations 

standards, which is a critical step in the integration process. While we did 

not evaluate the collaboration mechanisms already in place, stakeholders 

told us that collaboration was occurring, but efforts could be improved. 

Specifically, stakeholders told us they would like to see additional 

leadership from FAA. 

Meeting the 2012 Act's 

Requirements Will 

Continue to Challenge 

FAA 

FAA has several efforts underway to satisfy the 2012 Act's requirements, 

most of which must be achieved between May 2012 and December 2015. 

See table 3 for a list of selected requirements and the status of FAA's 

efforts to meet them. FAA has made progress toward these selected 

requirements. Of the seven deadlines that had passed, however, FAA 

had completed two as of January 2013. 

Table 3: Selected Requirements and Status for UAS Integration under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, as of 

January 31, 2013 

Deadline 

05/14/2012 

05/14/2012 

08/12/2012 

08/12/2012 

0811212012 

11/1012012 

11/10/2012 

FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 requirement 

Enter IOta agreements with appropriate government agencies to simplify the process for 

issuing COAs or waivers for public UAS 

Expedite the issuance of a eOA for public safety entities. 

Status of action 

In process 

Completed 

Establish a program to integrate UAS into the national airspace at 6 test ranges. This program In process 

is to terminate 5 years after date of enactment 

Develop an Arctic UAS operation plan and initiate a process to work with relevant federal Completed 

agencies and national and international communities to designate permanent areas in the 

Arctic where small unmanned aircraft may operate 24 hours per day for research and 

commercial purposes 

Determine whether certain UAS can fly safely In the national airspace before the completion In process 

of the Act's requirements for a comprehensive plan and rulemaking to safely accelerate the 

integration of civil UAS into the national airspace or the Act's requirement for issuance of 

guidance regarding the operation of public UAS including operating a UAS with a COA or 

waIver 

Develop a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate integration of civil UAS Into national In process 

airspace 

Issue gUIdance regarding operation of CIVil UAS to expedite COA process, provide a In process 

collaborative process with public agencies to allow an incremental expansion of access into 

the national airspace as technology matures and the necessary safety analysis and data 

become available and until standards are completed and technology issues are resolved; 

facilitate capability of public entities to develop and use test ranges; provide guidance on 

public entities' responsibility for operation 

Page 9 GAO·13·346T 
50 

Deadline 

02/1412013 

02/14/2013 

08/14/2014 

09/3012015 

12/1412015 

12/3112015 

FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 requirement Status of action 

Approve and make pubJically available a 5~year road map for the introduction of civH UAS into In process 

national airspace, to be updated annually 

SubmIt to Congress a copy of the comprehensive plan In process 

Publish in the Federal Registerthe Final Rule on small UAS In process 

Achieve safe integration of civil UAS into the national airspace In process 

Publish in the Federal Register a Final Rule to Implement the recommendations of the None to date 

comprehensive plan, 

Develop and implement operational and certification requirements for publiC UAS In national In process 

airspace. 

Source GAO af'aiYSls of FAA Modemlzabon and Reform Act as 'Nell as FAA progress 

These requirements can be considered under four categories: (1) 

developing plans for integrating UAS into the national airspace; (2) 

changing the COA process; (3) integrating UAS at six test ranges; and (4) 

developing, revising, or finalizing regulations and policies related to UAS. 

The following provides additional information on the status of FAA's 

efforts to meet the requirements under these four categories: 

Comprehensive plan and roadmap for UAS integration. FAA, with the 

assistance of JPDO, is developing several planning documents 

required by the 2012 Act, including a 5-year roadmap and 

comprehensive plan to outline steps toward safe integration. As of 

January 2013, FAA officials told us they were in the final stages of 

reviewing and approving these documents and expected to make 

them publically available by the February 14, 2013 deadline. In light of 

the timeframes and complicated tasks involved in achieving the 

requirements, in September 2012, we recommended that FAA 

incorporate mechanisms in its 5-year roadmap and comprehensive 

plan that allow for regular monitoring to assess progress toward safe 

and routine access of UAS into the national airspace. Incorporating 

regular monitoring can help FAA understand what has been achieved 

and what remains to be done and help keep Congress informed about 

this significant change to the domestic aviation landscape. While FAA 

concurred with our recommendation, because these documents were 

not publically available as of January 2013, it remains unclear whether 

they include mechanisms for monitoring progress. 

Page 10 GAO· 13-346T 
51 

Changes to the COA process. FAA has changed the existing COA 

process in response to the 2012 Act, including taking steps to 

expedite COAs for public safety entities and developing agreements 

with government agencies to expedite the COA or waiver process. To 

help expedite COAs for public safety entities, FAA extended the 

length of UAS authorization from a 12-month period to a 24-month 

period so that those entities receiving COAs do not have to reapply as 

frequently. In addition, FAA made additional changes to simplify the 

COA application process, including automating the application 

process through an online form. FAA also worked with DOJ's National 

Institute of Justice to develop an MOU to meet the operational 

requirements of law enforcement entities, which are expected to be 

early adopters of small UAS. Officials from both FAA and DOJ have 

reached agreement on a draft version of the MOU establishing this 

process. However, this MOU is still under legal review at FAA and 

DOJ-" 

Test ranges. FAA has taken steps to develop, but has not yet 

established, a program to integrate UAS at six test ranges, as 

required by the 2012 Act. As part of these ranges, FAA must safely 

designate airspace for integrated manned and unmanned flight 

operations, develop certification standards and air traffic requirements 

for UAS, ensure the program is coordinated with NextGen, and verify 

the safety of UAS and related navigation procedures before 

integrating them into the national airspace. FAA expects data 

obtained from these test ranges will contribute to the continued 

development of standards for the safe and routine integration of 

UAS.12 In March 2012, FAA issued a Request for Comments in the 

Federal Register and received a number of comments. FAA officials 

told us they are still working to meet all of the specified requirements 

for the test ranges and had expected to issue a Screening Information 

Request to initiate the competitive bid process for selecting the six 

11Additionally, FAA has signed a letter of agreement with the Department of the interior 

and is in the process of establishing additional agreements with other agencies, such as 

DOD and NASA. 

12The designation of permanent areas of operation for UAS in the Arctic, also required by 

the 2012 Act, could provide FAA with another source of data. In November 2012, FAA 

finalized an Arctic Implementation Plan to expand small UAS use in the Arctic and has 

assigned a program manager who will offieiaUy assume his position in February 2013 

Page 11 GAO-13-346T 
52 

Standards and Data 

Needed to Guide UAS 

Research and 

Development Efforts 

for Agencies 

test ranges in July 2012.'3 However, because of privacy concerns 

regarding the collection and use of UAS-acquired data expressed by 

commenters, the internal review process of the Screening Information 

Request was delayed. FAA officials said they hired a privacy expert to 

help develop a strategy to address these concerns and are working to 

incorporate this strategy in its Screening Information Request. As of 

January 2013, officials noted that FAA expects to release the 

Screening Information Request in the next 4 to 6 weeks. 

Rulemaking. While FAA has efforts under way supporting a 

rulemaking for small UAS, as required by the 2012 Act, it is uncertain 

whether FAA will meet the August 2014 deadline. In fact, the agency's 

rulemaking efforts for UAS date back more than 5 years, when it 

established the small UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee in 2008. 

In August 2011, FAA initially provided the Secretary of Transportation 

with its draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). FAA officials 

told us in January 2013 that the FAA is still internally reviewing the 

draft and working to agree on the NPRM's language. According to the 

officials, FAA has not determined when it might issue the NPRM. 

As we reported in 2012, many entities have research and development 

efforts under way to mitigate obstacles before UAS are allowed to operate 

safely and routinely in the national airspace. Some of these obstacles and 

related research include vulnerabilities in UAS operations, such as sense 

and avoid; command, control, and communications, including lost link, 

dedicated radio-frequency spectrum, and Global Positioning System 

(GPS) jamming and spoofing; and human factors. However, these 

research and development efforts cannot be completed and validated 

without safety, reliability, and performance standards, which have not yet 

been developed because of data limitations. 

Information Request is a request by the FAA for documentation, 

information, presentations, proposals, or binding offers concerning an approach to 

meeting potential acquisition requirements established by the FAA 

Page 12 GAO-13-346T 
53 

Elements of UAS Research 

and Development 

Sense and Avoid 

Command, Control and 

Communication Systems 

To date, no suitable technology has been deployed that would provide 

UAS with the capability to sense and avoid other aircraft and airborne 

objects and to comply completely with FAA regulatory requirements of the 

national airspace. 14 However, research and development efforts by FAA, 

DOD, NASA, and MITRE, among others, suggests that potential solutions 

to the sense and avoid obstacle may be available in the near term." Since 2008, FAA and other federal agencies have managed several 

research activities to support meeting the sense and avoid requirements. 

DOD officials told us that the Department of the Army is working on a 

ground-based sense and avoid system that will detect other airborne 

objects and allow the pilot to direct the UAS to maneuver to a safe 

location. The Army has successfully tested one such system, but it may 

not be useable on all types of UAS. Another potential system to address 

this obstacle is an airborne sense and avoid system, which could equip 

UAS with the same GPS-based transponder system that will be used in 

FAA's NextGen air-traffic-management system and with which some 

manned aircraft are starting to be equipped. In 2012, NASA researchers 

at Dryden Flight Research Center successfully tested an automatic 

dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) transponder system on its 

Ikhana UAS.'6 17 An airborne sense and avoid system could include ADSS, along with other sensors such as optical/infrared cameras and radar. 

Ensuring uninterrupted command and control for both small and large 

UAS remains a key obstacle for safe and routine integration into the 

national airspace. Since UAS fly based on pre-programmed flight paths 

14The FAA regulations include 14 C.F.R § 91.111, "Operating near other aircraft," with 

reference to "create a cotlision hazard," and 14 C.F.R § 91.113, "Right-of-way rules n 

15MITRE is a public interest company that works in partnership with the federal 

government applying systems engineering and advanced technology to address issues of 

national importance 

16ADS_B transponder system uses GPS signals along with aircraft avionics to transmit the 

aircraft's location to ground receivers. The ground receivers then transmit that information 

to controller screens and cockpit displays on aircraft equipped with automat!c dependent 

surveillance-broadcast transponder system avionics 

17lkhana is a large UAS that NASA has used for a number of research activITies, such as 

monitoring and tracking wildfires and expects to use for an arctic mission to assess the 

surface sea ice next year. 

Page 13 GAO· 13·346T 
54 

Lost Link 

Dedicated Radio-Frequency 

Spectrum 

and by commands from a pilot-operated ground control station, the ability 

to maintain the integrity of command and control signals are critically 

important to ensure that the UAS operates as expected and as intended. 

In a "lost link" scenario, the command and control link between the UAS 

and the ground control station is broken because of either environmental 

or technological issues, which could lead to loss of control of the UAS. To 

address this type of situation, UAS generally have pre-programmed 

maneuvers that may direct the UAS to hover or circle in the airspace for a 

certain period of time to reestablish its radio link. If the link is not 

reestablished, then the UAS will return to "home" or the location from 

which it was launched, or execute an intentional flight termination at its 

current location. It is important that air traffic controllers know where and 

how all aircraft are operating so they can ensure the safe separation of 

aircraft in their airspace. '8 FAA and MITRE have been measuring the 

impacts of lost link on national airspace safety and efficiency, but the 

standardization of lost link procedures, for both small and large UAS, has 

not been finalized. Currently, according to FAA, each COA has a specific 

lost link procedure unique to that particular operation and air traffic 

controllers should have a copy for reference at all times. Until procedures 

for a lost link scenario have been standardized across all types of UAS, 

air traffic controllers must rely on the lost link procedures established in 

each COA to know what a particular UAS will do in such a scenario. 

Progress has been made in obtaining additional dedicated radiofrequency spectrum for UAS operations, but additional dedicated 

spectrum, including satellite spectrum, is still needed to ensure secure 

and continuous communications for both small and large UAS operations. 

The lack of protected radio-frequency spectrum for UAS operations 

heightens the possibility that a pilot could lose command and control of a 

UAS. Unlike manned aircraft-which use dedicated, protected radio 

frequencies-UAS currently use unprotected radio spectrum and, like any 

other wireless technology, remain vulnerable to unintentional or 

intentional interference. This remains a key security and safety 

vulnerability because, in contrast to a manned aircraft in which the pilot 

has direct physical control of the aircraft, interruption of radio 

transmissions can sever the UAS's only means of control. 

1SAir traffic controllers monitor and coordinate the movement of air traffic. They 

communicate with pilots of aircraft, including UAS, but do not directly control the 

operations of aircraft 

Page 14 GAO·13·346T 
55 

GPS Jamming and Spoofing 

UAS stakeholders are working to develop and validate hardware and 

standards for communications operating in allocated spectrum. For 

example, FAA's UAS Research Management Plan identified 13 activities 

designed to mitigate command, control, and communication obstacles. 

One effort focused on characterizing the capacity and performance 

impact of UAS operations on air-traffic-control communications systems. 

In addition, according to NASA, it is developing, in conjunction with 

Rockwell Collins, a prototype radio for control and a non-payload 

communications data link that would provide secure communications. 

The jamming of the GPS signal being transmitted to the UAS could also 

interrupt the command and control of UAS operations. In a GPS jamming 

scenario, the UAS could potentially lose its ability to determine its 

location, altitude, and the direction in which it is traveling. '9 Low cost 

devices that jam GPS signals are prevalent. According to one industry 

expert, GPS jamming would become a larger problem if GPS is the only 

method for navigating a UAS. This problem can be mitigated by having a 

second or redundant navigation system onboard the UAS that is not 

reliant on GPS, which is the case with larger UAS typically operated by 

DOD and DHS. 

Encrypting civil GPS signals could make it more difficult to "spoof" or 

counterfeit a GPS signal that could interfere with the navigation of a UAS. 

Non-military GPS Signals, unlike military GPS Signals, are not encrypted 

and transparency and predictability make them vulnerable to being 

counterfeited, or spoofed. In a GPS-spoofing scenario, the GPS signal 

going from the ground control station to the UAS is first counterfeited and 

then overpowered. Once the authentic (original) GPS signal is 

overpowered, the UAS is partially under the control of the "spoofer." This 

type of scenario was recently demonstrated by researchers at the 

University of Texas at Austin at the behest of DHS. During the 

demonstration at the White Sands Missile Range, researchers spoofed 

one element of the unencrypted GPS signal of a fairly sophisticated small 

UAS (mini-helicopter) and induced it to plummet toward the desert floor. 

The research team found that it was straightforward to mount an 

intermediate-level spoofing attack, such as controlling the altitude of the 

UAS, but difficult and expensive to mount a more sophisticated attack. 

19Jamming and spoofing are problems that also affect other industries and projects 

Page 15 GAO·13·346T 
56 

Hmnan Factors 

Development of UAS 

Safety, Reliability, and 

Performance Standards 

The research team recommended that spoof-resistant navigation systems 

be required on UAS exceeding 18 pounds-'o 

UAS stakeholders have been working to develop solutions to human 

factor issues for both small and large UAS. According to FAA, human 

factors research examines the interaction between people, machines, and 

the environment to improve performance and reduce errors. Human 

factors are important for UAS operations as the pilot and aircraft are not 

collocated. The separation of pilot and aircraft creates a number of 

issues, including loss of sensory cues valuable for flight control, delays in 

control and communications loops, and difficulty in scanning the visual 

environment surrounding the unmanned aircraft. As part of its UAS 

Integration in the National Airspace System Project, NASA is working to 

develop human factor guidelines for ground control stations and plans to 

share the results with RTCA SC-203 to inform recommended guidelines. 

In addition, the Department of the Army is working to develop universal 

ground control stations, which would allow UAS pilots to fty different types 

of UAS without having to be trained on multiple configurations of a ground 

control station. 

The development of standards for UAS operations is a key step in the 

process of safe integration and supporting research and development 

efforts. Setting standards, certification criteria, and procedures for sense 

and avoid systems as well as protocols to be used for the certification of 

command, control, and communication systems will guide research and 

development efforts toward a specifically defined goal. Once the 

standards are developed, FAA will use the standards in UAS regulations. 

Currently, UAS continue to operate as exceptions to the regulatory 

framework rather than being governed by it. Without specific and 

permanent regulations for safe operation of UAS, federal stakeholders, 

including DOD and NASA, continue to face challenges and limitations on 

their UAS operations. The lack of final regulations could hinder the 

acceleration of safe and routine integration of UAS into the national 

airspace. 

20The presentation "Assessing the Civil GPS Spoofing Threat" by Todd Humphreys, 

Jahshan Bhatti, Brent Ledvina, Mark Psiaki, Brady O'Hanlon, Paul Kintner, and Paul 

Montgomery sought to assess the spoofing threat of a small civil UAS. The team built a 

civilian GPS spoofer and tested some countermeasures. They concluded that GPS 

spoofing is a threat to communications security and civil spoofing has not been the focus 

of research in open literature 

Page 16 GAO·13·346T 
57 

Standards-making bodies are currently developing safety, reliability, and 

operational standards. 21 While progress has been made, the standards 

development process has been hindered, in part, because of FAA's 

inability to use safety, reliability, and performance data from DOD, the 

need for additional data from other sources, as well as the complexities of 

UAS issues in general. As we previously reported, while DOD provided 

FAA with 7 years of data in September 2011, FAA officials told us they 

have been unable to use this data to develop standards because of 

differences in definitions and uncertainty about how to analyze these 

data.'2 To mitigate these challenges FAA has been working with DOD to 

develop an MOU and better identify what data are needed. Finally, FAA is 

also working with MITRE to develop a data collection tool that will allow 

officials to better analyze the data they receive from DOD. 

The establishment of six test ranges, as previously discussed, and the 

designation of permanent areas of operation in the Arctic could provide 

FAA with two potential new sources of safety, reliability, and performance 

data for UAS. However, it is unclear when the test ranges and Arctic area 

will be operational. Use of these data will be important in developing 

safety, reliability, and performance standards, which are needed to guide 

and validate the supporting research and development efforts. According 

to an RTCA official, both DOD and NASA are sharing the results of their 

UAS flight experience and research and development efforts to assist 

RTCA in the standards development process. The RTCA official 

suggested that the standards-making process might be accelerated if it 

could start by producing an initial set of standards for a specific UAS with 

a clearly defined mission. The committee could then utilize those initial 

standards, along with the subsequent safety and performance data from 

those operations, to develop additional standards for increasingly 

complex UAS functions and missions. 

FAA and NASA are taking steps to ensure the reliability of both small and 

large UAS by developing a certification process specific to UAS. 

Currently, FAA has a process and regulations in place for certifying any 

21For example, RTCA, a standards-making body chartered by FAA, established a federal 

advisory committee to establish minimum aviation-system performance standards and 

minimum operational performance standards for FAA to use in developing UAS 

regulations. 

221n June 2011, FAA and DOD signed a memorandum of agreement that specified the 

data from this process that would be provided 

Page 17 GAO·13·346T 
58 

new manned aircraft type and allowing it access to the national airspace. 

FAA's Research and Development office is working to identify the 

substantive differences in how to meet the certification standards for 

manned and unmanned aircraft. According to its 2012 Research 

Management Plan, the office has six activities under way that support the 

development of UAS-specific certification and airworthiness standards. 

In closing, UAS integration is an undertaking of significant breadth and 

complexity that touches several federal agencies. Congress has 

highlighted the importance of UAS integration by establishing statutory 

requirements and setting deadlines for FAA. FAA, as the lead agency, 

faces the daunting task of ensuring that all of the various efforts within its 

own agency, as well as across agencies and other entities, will align and 

converge in a timely fashion to achieve UAS integration within these 

deadlines. Because of concerns about the agency's ability to meet 

deadline requirements, we recommended that FAA incorporate regular 

monitoring of its efforts to assess progress toward fulfilling its 

requirements outlined in the 2012 Act. Incorporating regular monitoring 

will help to inform stakeholders and Congress about what has been 

achieved and what remains to be done and help FAA build stakeholder 

confidence in its ability to achieve UAS integration in a safe and timely 

manner. In addition, the various entities' research and development 

efforts require continued collaboration to address the critical issues that 

need to be resolved before UAS are allowed to operate safely and 

routinely in the national airspace. This collaboration will be important to 

help align research and development goals across federal agencies and 

minimize duplication of research or inefficient use of resources. 

Chairman Broun, Ranking Member Maffei, and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be 

pleased to answer any questions at this time. 

Page 18 GAO· 13·346T 
59 

GAO Contact and 

Staff 

Acknowledgments 

(540256) 

For further information on this testimony, please contact Gerald L. 

Dillingham, Ph.D., at (202) 512-2834 or dillinghamg@gao.gov. In 

addition, contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and 

Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this statement. Individuals 

making key contributions to this testimony include H. Brandon Haller, 

Assistant Director; Heather Krause, Assistant Director; Cheryl Andrew; 

Colin Fallon; Rebecca Gambler; Geoffrey Hamilton; Daniel Hoy; Brian 

Lepore; Sara Ann Moessbauer; Faye Morrison; Jeffrey Phillips; Nalylee 

Padilla; and Melissa Swearingen. 

Page 19 GAO·13·346T 
60 

Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D. 

Dr. Dillingham is currently the Director of Civil Aviation 

Issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 

Washington, D.C.-the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress. As 

such, he oversees all program evaluation and policy analysis 

related commercial and general aviation safety, airport and 

airline finance, the environment, air traffic control, airport 

development, and international aviation issues. 

Dr. Dillingham is recognized as an expert on aviation issues, 

program evaluation, and policy analysis. He has appeared as an 

expert witness before numerous committees of the U.S. Congress. 

He also served on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks 

Upon the United States (The 9/11 Commission). Dr. Dillingham 

holds a Ph.D. and master's degree from the University of Chicago 

in Sociology, and a postdoctoral certificate in Evaluation 

Research from the University of California-Los Angeles. 
61 

Chairman BROUN. Thank you, Dr. Dillingham. You did an excellent job also, and all three witnesses, I appreciate you all being 

here and the excellent testimony and hopefully Dr. Dillingham’s 

questions that they brought up at GAO are going to be answered 

not only through this hearing but also through written questions 

that we will ask you all as we go along. 

Reminding Members that Committee rules limit questioning to 

five minutes each, the chair at this point will open the first round 

of questions and the chair will recognize himself for five minutes. 

On December 4, 2011, the United States lost an RQ–170 Sentinel 

near Iran. Iranians claim to have spoofed the global position system, GPS, signal that was in operation with that Sentinel. Last 

summer, Professor Humphreys from the University of Texas at 

Austin demonstrated that it is possible to spoof the GPS signals to 

take control of an unmanned aircraft. GAO’s testimony states that 

military GPS signals, unlike the non-military GPS signals, unlike 

the military GPS signals, are not encrypted and transparency and 

predictability make them vulnerable to being counterfeited or 

spoofed. I ask, what R&D is being conducted to address this concern, and are there any R&D gaps that you are aware of? Dr. 

Toner, if you could start off answering those questions, and Dr. 

Waggoner, if you could fill in any gaps that Dr. Toner leaves out. 

Dr. TONER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

You mentioned the very careful experimentation that was conducted by Dr. Humphreys and his students in Texas. We are aware 

of the experiments. Believe me, the security of the communication 

and control system is one of the key challenges we have looked at 

for UAS. I mentioned in my testimony projects that we are working 

on. What I want to point out about Dr. Humphreys’ experiments 

is that I believe in his paper he even points out that they were very 

carefully conducted and would be hard to repeat. That said, we 

must be cognizant. The FAA has initiated a group that is looking 

at spoofing and jamming. There is also a position navigation and 

timing excom that looks across the government at GPS systems 

and would be concerned in that area. We are working on multiple 

levels to address it. 

Chairman BROUN. Dr. Waggoner? 

Dr. WAGGONER. Yes, sir. We are also aware of the work that Dr. 

Humphreys did at the University of Texas. Just to frame this problem, the issue with GPS is far bigger than just UAS. I mean, this 

would have economic implications. Our economy is run on GPS actually now. So we are aware of this. We are certainly in our work 

that we are working to make sure that there is adequate 

redundancies in any systems that we would test so positioning is 

not only reliant on the GPS signal and other situation awareness 

issues associated with that as well. Our focus is more on security 

at the command and control signal to the vehicle and making sure 

that within these frequencies that we are operating in, that those 

are secure and the data that we are transmitting is reliable and 

is valid data. So from that point of view, we have a very robust research effort going on in that. 

As far as spoofing of the GPS signal, we are aware of it. We are 

cognizant of what Dr. Humphreys did, and as part of our knowledge base and the constraints that we are operating under but we 
62 

don’t have any particular research efforts going towards spoofing of 

the GPS signal. 

Chairman BROUN. Certainly, this is of great concerns to Americans not only because of the safety just generally but also because 

if Dr. Humphreys and his students can spoof the GPS system, what 

could other nation-states or terrorist groups do also. 

Will civil and commercial UAS operating in the national airspace 

use encrypted command, control and navigation links? Dr. Toner? 

Dr. TONER. The military today uses encrypted links, and I believe that solution may not be as viable for the commercial market. 

That is the reason so much research is being done today. 

Chairman BROUN. Dr. Waggoner, do you have any additions? 

Dr. WAGGONER. No, sir. 

Chairman BROUN. My time is just about out, so please answer 

this question. In 2010, the Navy lost control of a Fire Scout UAS, 

which eventually violated the airspace here in Washington, DC. 

What work is being done to address the challenge of ensuring the 

safety in the event of a lost link? Anyone? 

Dr. WAGGONER. So the work that we are doing, there would be 

certain lost-link protocols that would come into play so that’s where 

autonomy would take over if there was a loss of the command control link to the UAS so that the UAS would either go to a predetermined position in order to reestablish the link or return to base. 

Chairman BROUN. Weren’t there protocols in place for this particular incident, though, and we still had a problem. Is that correct? 

Dr. WAGGONER. That is correct in that case. 

Chairman BROUN. Okay. Well, hopefully we can have that taken 

care of so that this doesn’t occur anymore. I am sure it caused a 

lot of consternation here in D.C. 

With that, my time is up. Mr. Maffei, you are recognized for five 

minutes. 

Mr. MAFFEI. Mr. Chairman, thank you, and I found your questions and answers very enlightening. Clearly, there are some real 

national security and homeland security elements to this, and of 

course, on 9/11, it was not military airplanes that were taken over, 

it was the civilian airliners, and the same thing could be true; our 

biggest threat on these may not be a military craft being taken 

over in the Middle East but maybe a civilian one being taken over 

here. So we want to look at those things. 

Dr. Toner, you said in your testimony that the FAA will not integrate UAS unless and until we can be assured that the safety of 

the national airspace will not be degraded, and I assume you mean 

in all these respects, and Dr. Waggoner echoed that. But given the 

fact, Dr. Toner, that we have a very aggressive timeline set out for 

you and the FAA has already missed many of those deadlines, do 

you believe that you will be able to safely and effectively integrate 

the UAS into the national airspace by the current deadline of September 2015, and if you are not sure you can, are there things that 

you need from us in Congress to help make that happen or expedite it? 

Dr. TONER. Our approach is a phased in approach, and we are 

very cognizant that the FAA Act of 2012 called for safe integration 

by 2015. We view that as a beginning. If you look at aircraft such 
63 

as the F-22 today, it is a manned aircraft but it is not fully integrated into the air traffic control system. We are taking a phasedin approach. In 2015, we will have integration beginning, but as we 

move towards the NextGen system, there will be new capabilities 

that make this an even more efficient integration for more varieties 

of aircraft. So, I think it is important that we consider a rolling approach as we focus on the safe integration and safe interaction of 

manned and unmanned aircraft. 

Mr. MAFFEI. Well, what do you need from us? Nothing? 

Dr. TONER. Congress has given us a lot of attention and support. 

We would ask for the opportunity to continue to explain the difficulties and challenges and our progress as we move forward. 

Mr. MAFFEI. Okay. Thank you very much. 

The chairman and I both have expressed concerns about privacy 

and civil liberties related to the equipment on board of these UAS 

aircraft, surveillance sensors, et cetera, and then I think there is— 

well, let me ask you this. Who is responsible for regulating these 

issues such as privacy concerns? Dr. Dillingham, do you have an 

idea of that? Everyone can answer if you have opinions. 

Dr. DILLINGHAM. Mr. Maffei, we looked into this, and I think at 

best we can say, it is unknown at this point. When we did our 

work, we asked FAA about it, and FAA said our area is safety and 

that is what we are going to focus on, and of course there are already existing a number of different privacy regulations and laws 

but none of them have been tested with regard to UAS. I think the 

recent SIR that was put out by FAA to seek comments on privacy 

issues will be a start on that. From our perspective, that is one of 

the big obstacles to integration, that is, public acceptance, public 

education, and public concern about how that data will be used. 

Mr. MAFFEI. The other two witnesses are free to answer, but if 

you want to also address that public acceptance issue because it 

also seems there is no agency that is working on education of the 

public, et cetera. 

Dr. DILLINGHAM. Not so much an agency but some of the industry associations, some of the model airplane associations are trying 

to educate the public or at least inform the public. One of the 

things that we keep in mind is, no matter what kind of technology 

is out there for good, there will be some who will find a way to misuse that technology, so it becomes very important that the public 

recognize those issues as well. 

Mr. MAFFEI. Anything to add from the other two witnesses? I 

have one more question, so quickly. 

Dr. WAGGONER. Yes, sir, just real quickly, while I am not an attorney or certainly a legal expert on this, we go to a lot of forums 

where this subject is discussed, and sort of the consensus opinion 

that I have drawn from this is that yes, privacy is not the FAA’s 

responsibility. They are focused on safety. There are legal precedents that are set relative to technology and surveillance if these 

exist, and the legislators and the community really need to identify 

what the ethical issues are and how these differ from a UAS to a 

manned aircraft relative to flight operations. Then this issue that 

Dr. Dillingham mentioned, the public and the media really need to 

be educated about UAS operations and missions. 
64 

Mr. MAFFEI. Dr. Toner, do you have anything to add? You don’t 

have to. Okay. Thank you very much, and Mr. Chairman, you and 

I may have to roll up our sleeves and do a little bit of bipartisan 

work to maybe set a legislative beginning to it, I don’t know, but 

I would like to look into that with you. 

One quick question, and it can be answered in writing, but Dr. 

Toner, I really appreciate the fact that the FAA took the first formal step in selecting the six UAS test sites yesterday by releasing 

the screening information request document to the public. While I 

realize that this may not be your exact area, nonetheless, can I— 

I may have some additional questions on it once we sort of review 

it in terms of trying to get more precision on what you are really 

looking for. After you get a chance, can I get your commitment that 

we will receive timely written responses to that? 

Dr. TONER. We will provide a timely response, sir. 

Mr. MAFFEI. Thank you very much, Dr. Toner. Thank you, Mr. 

Chairman. 

Chairman BROUN. Mr. Maffei, all the Members of the Committee 

will have the opportunity to give written questions to the witnesses 

and hopefully—in fact, I have already talked with them about that 

and they are all willing to give us those expeditious answers to all 

these questions because I know all of us have questions and all of 

us have concerns about this. The American public are just frightened, frankly, about the use of the UAS to possibly have invasions 

of their privacy and invasions of their civil rights, and I am extremely interested in making sure that we protect those privacy 

issues and civil rights issues. It is something that I have been focusing on for a long period of time not only in this issue but 

through cybersecurity and everything else. I am eager to work with 

you on this issue. Mr. Maffei? 

Mr. MAFFEI. Me too, and certainly, Mr. Chairman, I think you 

will agree, we have to at least figure out who the go-to person is 

in the Administration so that, you know, we have—it doesn’t fall 

through the cracks. 

Chairman BROUN. Absolutely. No matter who is in the White 

House and whatever the Administration is, this is an extremely important issue and it is a constitutional issue for me. 

Mr. Cramer, you are recognized for five minutes. 

Mr. CRAMER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to all of 

the witnesses. You really have done an excellent job of both efficiently and thoroughly answering the questions in the charter, so 

I appreciate that very much. I especially appreciate the opportunity 

to meet you before the hearing, and Dr. Toner, to have somebody 

who has actually spent New Year’s Eve in Hazen, North Dakota, 

as a witness on my first hearing is extraordinarily fortuitous for 

me because, as you know, in North Dakota we were quite pleased 

yesterday when the SIR was released. It has been a long wait. 

Nonetheless, we are grateful for the opportunity to be one of at 

least the 26 states that applied for the designation, and I would 

say, given that you spent New Year’s Eve in Hazen, North Dakota, 

at one point, you understand how extreme our climate can be and 

I hope you take that into account if you are on the team that chooses where a good place would be to test extreme weather. But I also 

assure you that in the summertime, the other extreme is the same. 
65 

I would be interested in just exploring a little further this juxtaposition of the privacy issue with the safety issue because as I 

understand it, while the SIR has a—is it a 60-day window for public comment on the privacy question? Am I correct in that, Dr. 

Toner? Do you know? 

Dr. TONER. Yes, that is correct. 

Mr. CRAMER. But does that—thank you. And does that have anything to do then with the designation of the test sites? In other 

words, is it part of the SIR but not part of the criteria to be considered? 

Dr. TONER. We are looking to get public input on the privacy policy. We will be evaluating the test site proposals as called for in 

the SIR. We are looking to make sure that we are doing a good job, 

and that the authors are doing a good job in meeting the criteria 

in the SIR. 

Mr. CRAMER. And so then getting back to some of your earlier 

criteria, I guess in your opening statement about the collaboration, 

the coordination and cooperation of various institutions, that would 

certainly, I think, fit into some of that. 

Dr. TONER. I cannot comment on the collaboration in terms of the 

proposals themselves. However, from my office’s perspective, we 

need everybody rowing in the same direction on this issue since it 

is so complex. 

Mr. CRAMER. Sure. Well, the point of the question is probably to 

make the statement given that you have answered all the questions, the technical questions, so well. Again, going back to the criteria, we are in North Dakota, again, speaking for my constituents 

who are very interested in this topic because we are a big aviation 

state. As you know, we have the School of Aerospace Sciences, Dr. 

Waggoner at the University of North Dakota and the aviation 

school that is very much a part of a team that the governor has 

put together called the Airspace Integration Team. This is a state 

effort to do exactly—unify all of the institutions under one collaborative effort to try to get this designation, and that we think is second probably to the extreme weather in terms of the criteria. I 

would have a question, though, about our proximity to Canada. Is 

that—would you consider that a concern or an asset, being a border 

state, and what kind of collaboration do we have, if any, with the 

Canadian government if the—as we test the airspace, national airspace, realizing we deal with a lot of international airspace. 

Dr. TONER. We have laid out in terms of the test sites what we 

believe are a wide range of criteria that we hope will attract a wide 

variety of offers including North Dakota. I could not comment 

today on the interaction with Canada and any international implications, and I could get back to you if you needed. 

Mr. CRAMER. If you could, that would be great. 

And Mr. Chairman, again, they have done such a great job answering the questions that I had earlier that I think I will yield 

back. 

Chairman BROUN. Thank you, Mr. Cramer. 

They have just called votes. We have some time. We will try to 

get through as many questions as we can. Mr. Peters, you are recognized for five minutes. 
66 

Mr. PETERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for the 

opportunity to serve with you and Mr. Maffei on this Committee. 

I look forward to it. 

I had a pretty simple question about spectrum. You know, San 

Diego supports more than 7,100 jobs in the UAS industry, and we 

are interested in seeing these vehicles being able to be used for environmental monitoring and scientific research. We think they have 

got great application there. In addition, we are also the home to 

Qualcomm and interested in the wireless industry. That is our 

largest private employer. So my question is about the bulk of spectrum resources required from the use of these aircraft and whether 

any of you has reviewed what the potential spectrum need will be 

for the various unmanned aerial systems operating in the United 

States 5, 10, 15 years down the road. 

Dr. TONER. The FAA worked with the FCC to reserve some spectrum for the command and control of UAS. We could get you the 

specifics on our work. We believe, based on our assessment of the 

market for operation today, that spectrum should be adequate. 

However this is a point that we will continue to study to ensure 

adequacy down the road. 

Mr. PETERS. I think that is fair, and I appreciate in addition to 

looking at the privacy concerns raised by the previous gentleman 

who spoke previously, I would appreciate an update on that as we 

go along. 

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity and yield back. 

Chairman BROUN. Thank you, Mr. Peters. 

Mr. Posey is next in line but he said he is not interested in asking questions. We appreciate you joining us. Oh, he has one question. Okay. 

Mr. POSEY. Mr. Chairman, I just want to apologize for being late. 

We rolled votes from yesterday in the Financial Services Committee and I had to go do that first. 

Chairman BROUN. Thank you for being here. So Mr. Schweikert, 

you are recognized for five minutes. 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

This is one—when you are from Arizona and, you know, we actually have a number of manufacturers producing products and those 

things. I have a couple different questions. First one, particularly 

for the FAA, sort of the R&D roadmap and the deadlines and the 

mechanics that are supposed to be built in there, where are we 

time-wise? What should our expectations be of deliverabilities? 

What do we expect to see in the next year or two out of that? 

Dr. TONER. Thank you. That is a great question, and I will probably run out of time to explain the answer. I am assuming you are 

talking about the UAS research, development and demonstration 

roadmap that we published about a year ago. At that time we said 

that the challenges we had identified were a good start, they were 

a snapshot in time, and that we would need additional vetting and 

additional insurance that we would be meeting the needs of the 

regulatory folks with our research program. During the past year, 

we have worked tirelessly along with the government partners. We 

are, I think, very close to the coordination of a set of national goals 

and objectives of getting a single point of view, or concept of operations, that we can use as a measuring stick for our progress. We 
67 

have set up a framework for how we can prioritize the R&D challenges. We know we have many of them. We want to make sure 

we cover them all. Quite frankly, we are looking forward to the 

point where we can share that with the full community. 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Chairman, as you go through those sort of 

challenges, are you going to be publishing updates saying look, 

here is what we are seeing, you know, here is our latest status? 

And I know that is always hard around here. One of the things we 

have great frustration with is the number of missed deadlines. I 

think you had one, what was it, September that you missed? 

Dr. TONER. Yes. In our roadmap report, we did push ourselves 

a little bit and promised some September data. 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Would we be seeing some incremental updates, 

some incremental publications telling us where you are at? 

Dr. TONER. We have not released incremental publications because it is very important to us, and the five agencies that we have 

been working with as partners, that we have coordinated with the 

agencies. We are in the last steps of coordination, and then we 

think we can release a very comprehensive package. 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. All right. My friend from civil aviation? 

Dr. DILLINGHAM. Is that me? 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Yes. 

Dr. DILLINGHAM. I just wanted to add to Dr. Toner’s comments 

that we did a report a couple of years ago and we made a recommendation that when the comprehensive plan is developed, that 

it also include the ability to show progress, to monitor progress towards goals, and we have not seen that comprehensive plan yet. It 

has been delayed as well. But if our recommendation is adhered to, 

the kinds of things that you are interested in and asking for should 

be included. 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Okay. Doctor, a slight lark but it sort of ties 

in. Being from Arizona, and I actually have this gentleman as a 

constituent who is a high-end engineer, has lot of resources, has 

built himself about a nine-foot-size flying wing with constant 

uplink, and I appreciate it when he flies over my house and sends 

me a text message with photos of my house and what I am doing 

in my backyard. What are we seeing also from the hobbyist world? 

Are they running ahead of us? Are they heading towards a dangerous conflict? What is going on there, and are we about to see 

also some clash of cultures of people going off on their own? 

Dr. DILLINGHAM. This is a very sensitive and difficult area but 

let me try and respond. The 2012 FAA Reauthorization Act actually prohibited FAA from making regulations related to model aircraft, and persons who operate model aircraft. There are existing 

regulations that suggest that if you operate it in accordance with 

the principles that are now inforce, that that would be okay, and 

there is a way for FAA to intervene if you operate them dangerously. The Model Aircraft Association has issued some guidelines, though voluntary, that their membership, which I think is 

over 150,000, adhere to, but it is a different world in terms of modeling and, you know, how they are going to come together is to be 

determined. 

Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Well, I know I am beyond time but, Mr. Chairman, what you and I grew up thinking of as a model airplane, 
68 

these things ain’t model airplanes anymore. They are stunning in 

scale and complexity. So thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman BROUN. Absolutely, and the American public are very 

fearful, concerned, and that is the reason that the news media has 

been focusing on this issue so long, and I appreciate you, Dr. 

Dillingham. I wasn’t trying to ignore you and neither were any of 

these Members, but I trust that you guys are going to continue to 

monitor and report back to us on an ongoing basis what you find, 

and please keep us informed. 

Also, Dr. Waggoner, if you would, please provide for the record 

all of NASA’s UAS R&D projects as well as the FY 2012 and 2013 

funding levels for each project. The FAA has been kind enough to 

provide those for us but we have not got those records from NASA, 

so if you would, please provide those—that information to us in an 

expeditious manner. 

I thank all the witnesses for you all’s excellent testimony today. 

It is not only interesting but extremely valuable for us. Members 

of the Committee may have additional questions, as I have talked 

to you all in private. We ask for you to respond to those very expeditiously in writing to us. The record will remain open for two additional weeks for additional comments and for written questions 

from Members. I thank you all. I am disappointed that we have a 

vote on that is going to interrupt this extremely interesting topic 

for me and for the Members of the Committee, for Americans all 

over the country, and I thank C–SPAN for coming and helping to 

broadcast this to the American public so we can get that information out and you all’s valuable testimony. Thank you so much for 

being here. 

The witnesses are excused and the hearing is now adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 10:59 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 
(69) 

Appendix I 

ANSWERS TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS
70 

ANSWERS TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS

Responses by Dr. Karlin Toner 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT 

"Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: Assessing 

Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety" 

Questions for the Record for Dr. Karlin Toner, Director,Joint Planning and Development 

Omce, 

Federal Aviation Administration 

Questions submitted by Dr. Paul Broun, Chairman 

I) Please explain how agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the 

Department of Defense (DoD) coordinate to identify R&D gaps, 

a, How do agencies decide who will fund projects to address these gaps? 

The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) is mandated by P.L. 112-95 to coordinate research goals and to 

create multi-agency roadmaps for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The JPDO began the 

prioritization of R&D topics with the NextGen UAS Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Roadmap 

Developed in 2011, the NextGen UAS RD&D Roadmap is a catalog of ongoing and planned R&D efforts being 

conducted by the NextGen partners supporting the integration of UAS operations into the NAS. Subject matter 

experts from the partner agencies - FAA, NASA, DoD, DHS, and the Department of Commerce - contributed to the 

NextGen UAS RD&D Roadmap, identifying planned and ongoing work and critical R&D challenges in their areas of 

expertise. The NextGen UAS RD&D Roadmap defined 23 challenges within the four technical tracks of 

Communications, Airspace Operations, Unmanned Aircraft, and Human Systems Integration. 

Building on that effort, the JPDO continued coordination during FY12 to agree on a methodology to prioritize UAS 

research. The FY13 JPDO-ied effort is reviewing the data collected in FY11, updating the UAS R&D needs and R&D 

inventory, conducting an initial gap analysis, and will collaborate on priority gaps. Continuing coordination among the 

JPDO and its partner agencies concerning UAS R&D, builds on the cooperative process established to formulate the 

UAS Comprehensive Plan, including the UAS National Goals, concluded earlier this fiscal year. The process included 

determination of agency needs based on published documents and resolution of issues through formal review, 

adjudication, and vetting. The same steps will be used to identify critical gaps in ongoing and planned R&D and 

categorize them with respect to criticality and goals being supported. This process is intended to be an on-going effort 

to ensure that priority research is identified, This structured coordination also allows for information sharing and 

greater efficiencies in demonstrations and analyses 

The coordination process will include a review of progress in filling the gaps, as well as identification of new and 

emerging needs and gaps. The results of these reviews, along with indications of actions that may be required, will be 

made available to the partner agencies for programming considerations, Interagency coordination on UAS research is 

also taking place through several efforts. 

To cite a particular example, the FAA has partnered with DHS, Customs and Border Protection, in support of NextGen 

demonstration activities. The FAA also continues to partner with NASA in support of the multi-year "UAS in the NAS" 

project, and with DoD in support of their "Airspace Integration Joint Test" The agencies are committing resources and 

subject matter expertise to support research and analysis required to address known research challenges while 

identifying research gaps. 

2) How often does the UAS Executive Committee meet to coordinate efforts? 

a, How many times has it met in the last year? 

The UAS ExCom meetings are normally scheduled quarterly. In 2012, the UAS ExCom only had three formal 

meetings due to schedule confiicts (19 January, 8 May and 28 August). However the ExCom principals also had 

several informal telecons to discuss issues and progress. 

3) Are there any federal agencies or organizations that are not satisfactorily fulfilling their role in 
71 

addressing UAS safety concerns? 

The FAA is not aware of any agencies that are not adequately addressing safety concerns related to UAS. The FAA's 

main partners who assist with UAS safety concerns are NASA and DoD. Both have been engaged with the FAA on 

addressing safety concerns. Intra-agency working relationships have been established at all levels with these two 

Agencies. There is a formal outlet for decision making and escalation through the UAS Executive Committee 

(ExCom). 

4) Are there any organizations that should be involved that cUlTently are not? 

Those organizations with interest in current safety related issues are involved. 

5) Please explain the relationship between the FAA and DHS as it pertains to safety and security. 

a. Understanding that you cannot spcak for DBS. what is your understanding of what DHS is 

doing in this regard? 

The FAA has an excellent working relationship with DHS and each agency has clear expectations and understanding 

of their respective roles and responsibilities. Both agenCies understand the need to cooperatively develop solutions 

that meet individual requirements. DHS is proactively working to develop Unmanned Aircraft Systems capabilities 

and Operational Missions requirements while meeting FAA safety standards and documentation within coordination 

time frames. 

b. What is the FAA responsible for? What is the DHS responsible for? How does this differ? 

The FAAs role is to ensure the safe operation of aircraft within the National Airspace System. DHS has the National 

Security Mission responsibility for protecting U.S. borders in a safe manner so as to avoid unnecessary damage or 

harm/injury to individual citizens and property. 

How are decisions like this made? 

Together, the FAA and DHS cooperate to ensure DHS' priority missions are given timely NAS access while meeting 

the FAA's safety requirements and minimizing the impact to operations. 

c. How involved has the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) been in the process? 

The FAA interacts with TSA and other DHS agencies as appropriate in carrying out our mission to ensure safe 

operations. 

6) A late 2012 GAO report suggests that the FAA has failed to act on a 2008 GAO recommendation to 

utilize the operational data it has collected on UAS as part of its Certificate of Waiver or 

Authorization (COAl to develop safety, reliability, and performance standards. Why has FAA failed 

to act? 

The FAA has been challenged with turning the limited safety data provided via the Certificate of Waiver or 

Authorization (COA) process into tangible performance standards, aircraft certificate standards, or operational 

integration standards. In response, the FAA has charted a plan to acquire the needed data through Research and 

Development (R&D) Projects, both joint with interagency partners, and independently. The goal of these research 

projects is to ensure that developed standards meet rigid safety standards and fall within the parameters of our 

NextGen Modernization Program. 

a. If this assessment is inaccurate, please describe how the FAA has utilized data it 

received from COA recipients such as NASA, DHS, and public universities. 

The FAA has used the limited data available to help define the requirements for future R&D strategy development 

which will serve as an input for our safety standards development. 

b. Has the FAA utilized data from UAS manufacturers that received special 

airworthiness certificates? 
72 

Yes, the FAA has used the data collected from the COA holders as well as experimental certificate holders to identify 

adverse trends and assess operational risks imposed by the accommodation of UAS in the NAS. 

7) RTCA's Special Committee 203 has been working on Minimum Aviation System 

Performance Standards (MASPS) and Minimum Operational Performance' Standards 

(MOPS) for unmanned aircraft, How critical are these processes in advising us what research and 

development work is needed? 

These processes are very important in advising the FAA on what R&D work is needed. 

a, When are these standards likely to be finalized? 

RTCA provides the FAA with recommendations on technical standards for all types of avionics, RTCA is working on 

developing standards for Detect and Avoid (DAA) equipment and Command and Control (C2) radio equipment. The 

DAA system is designed to replace the functionality of the pilot on manned aircraft to "see and avoid" other aircraft in 

the airspace. This capability is a key enabler for integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National 

Airspace System (NAS). C2 radios are also key to approval of UAS by the FAA. This standard will allow aircraft 

equipment manufacturers to build radios for controlling UAS that meet FAA safety requirements. 

NASA and the FAA are conducting supporting research for both DAA and C2 standards, In addition, the USAF 

Research Lab is leading the effort to create DAA systems and is playing a key role in the development of RTCA 

standards. In an effort to ensure that RTCA SC-203's efforts are aligned with the strategic needs of the FAA, the 

Governing Board that oversees all FAA standards writing special committees will revise the tasking for SC-203, After 

the tasking has been revised, RTCA in collaboration with the FAA will publish new timelines for completion of these 

standards. 

8) Many who follow this issue argue that a "one-size-fits-all" approach to regulation will not be effective 

given the wide range of systems, 

a, What is your recommendation for categorizing the systems? By size (Lc, weight)? 

Payload? Capabilities? Mission? Complexity? 

The UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) addressed this question through the Terminology and Classification 

Action Team (TCAT), and antiCipates the delivery of their final recommendations to the FAA in Spring 2013. At this 

time, it is expected that the TCAT will recommend that large UAS follow the existing categorization used for manned 

aircraft, A category for small UAS is being addressed as part of the small UAS rulemaking activity. 

b, How does this impact R&D investments? Do you see a greater need for R&D on smaller or larger 

systems? 

FAA UAS research is currently studying various sizes of UAS, In addition to physical size and weight differences, 

small and large UAS operations may differ in other ways, such as in flight profiles, operational missions, performance 

characteristics, and crew composition. These differences all have the potential to significantly impact National 

Airspace System (NAS) operations. UAS integration will require that UAS impacts on the safety of the NAS be well 

understood, such that appropriate mitigations (in the form of standards, regulation, policies, procedures, etc,) can be 

identified and put into place. Therefore, research should encompass as many of these operations-and UAS sizes--

as possible, 

c, What is the status of a final rule regarding the certification and operation of small 

(Le" ultralight, low-speed, short-life) UAS? 

The small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is in coordination with FAA and DOT. The FAA is targeting 

release of the NPRM for 2013, 

d, What sort of training or certification will be required of civilian UAS operators? 

I, Would certification be universal or system-specific? 
73 

It is anticipated that certification will generally be universal. The FAA currently has a legacy system in place which 

may be used. This system consists of an aeronautical knowledge exam and a practical examination whereby a 

person demonstrates competency on flying the aircraft. Through using this process, a UAS pilot would have a 

certificate for the operation of an unmanned aircraft and its associated system(s). 

2. What training opportunities currently exist for want-to-be civilian UAS 

operators? 

Currently, several universities and UAS manufacturers offer training in unmanned aircraft systems. 

3, Will proof of training be required to purchase a UAS? Would there be penalties (e.g., 

fines, revocation of license) for operating a UAS without proper credentials? 

There is no required training to be able to purchase a UAS. However, training is required to operate a UAS in the 

NAS. Penalties currently exist for operations without proper certification of the Airman. 

4. Will current air traffic controllers require any new or supplemental training to 

familiarize themselves with UAS operations? 

As with all emerging technologies (e.g. ADS·B, and other NextGen systems) the Air Traffic workforce will require 

updated training on system capabilities, new procedures or work processes, as well as new standards or performance 

characteristics as they relate to UAS operations. 

9) GAO's Dr. Dillingham testified that "[clnsuring uninterrupted command and control for both small and 

large UAS remains a key obstacle for safe and routine integration into the national airspace." Dr. 

Dillingham's testimony also states that "UAS currently use unprotected radio spectrum and, Iikc any other 

wireless technology, remain vulnerable to unintentional or intentional interference. This remains a key 

security and safety vulnerability ..... 

a. Who is responsible for ensuring that command and control and navigational links 

are secure, reliable, and robust? 

Information system security will be approved as a part of the aircraft certification process, which will include 

certification of a safe and secure command and control link. The FAA's Aircraft Certification Service will certify civil 

UAS using industry standards developed by RTCA. These standards are currently in development, and are not 

expected to be complete before 2016. These standards will be implemented using Technical Standard Orders. 

to) Dr. Toner, in your statement you mentioned "perception and acceptance.!! There are a lot of misconceptions 

and associated fears with regard to unmanned systems. What can be done to change that? 

Given the amount of recent publicity on UAS, there appears to be an opportunity for public outreach and education to 

specifically address public and media concerns head on and to act as the Administration's focal point for high·level 

UAS messaging. Partnership opportunities exist with Public (Governmental) UAS users, UAS Industry Groups, UAS 

Modeling Associations and Privacy Advocates; Who would be responsible for leading the development and execution 

of such a public outreach campaign is to be determined. The six UAS test sites, as required by the FAA 

Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, will provide the FAA with information that may be used in the future to support 

educational opportunities. 

11) Please identify any projects jointly funded by FAA and NASA with any other agency, as well as the FY 13 

funding level for those projects. 

The FAA and NASA are collaborating on the NASA-funded "UAS in the NAS" project. The FAA is providing subject 

matter expertise. but no funding, in support of various sub·projects: 1) Separation Assurance and Sense and Avoid 

Interoperability; 2) Human·System Integration; 3) Communications; 4) Certification; and 5) Integrated Test and 

Evaluation. The FAA is providing NASA with technical and operational expertise to provide input into research 

objectives, methodologies, test plans, and reports, and is also sharing with NASA results from FAA-led research. 
74 

12) Is current funding sufficient to meet the Congressional mandate for full integration of 

UAS by 2015? Is this timetable reasonable? 

UAS Integration is expected to be incremental and will take a number of years, starting in 2015, with the integration of 

small UAS in the National Airspace System. The aggressive timeline in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 

2012, which called for the safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as 

soon as practicable, but not later than September 30, 2015, did not provide for additional resources. The loss of staff 

hours and contract support due to sequestration further complicates the Agency's timetables. 

13) FAA's repelt titled "NextGen UAS Research, Development and Demonstration Roadmap" indicated that 

it would be updated regularly, How is this document used to make investments at FAA? How often do 

you plan on updating this report? Do you believe this document is sufficient to coordinate R&D 

investments? 

The NextGen UAS Research, Development and Demonstration Roadmap is a catalog of ongoing research projects 

from partner agencies - FAA, NASA, 000, DHS, and DOC. This baseline document can be used to compare 

against the UAS research needs to enable gaps to be identified. The RD&D Roadmap is being used, in addition to 

updated information received from each of the partner agencies, to form a complete view of ongoing research for 

UAS as of FY13, which will then be used by the partners to determine where their research efforts (ongoing and 

new) fit into the UAS priorities. The updated catalog of research, the agreed-upon research priorities, and the 

enhanced relationships among the various research groups will improve the coordination of R&D investments. 
75 

Responses by Dr. Edgar Waggoner 

"Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: 

Assessing Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety" 

Questions for the Record for Dr. Edgar G. Waggoner, Director, Integrated 

Systems Research Program Office, 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

1. Please explain how agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA). and the Department of Defense (DoD) coordinate to identify 

R&D gaps. 

a. How do agencies decide who will fund projects to address these gaps? 

A: Several formal forums exist for coordination of agency efforts to address research gaps and to 

ensure no unnecessary duplication of effort. These include the Unmanned Aircraft System (VAS) 

Executive Committee and the Senior Steering Committee, RTCA Special Committee 203 and 

associated Working Groups, the Joint Planning and Development Office, and the UAS Aviation 

Rulemaking Committee. All of the subject Agencies are involved in each of these forums and each 

forum focuses on a particular aspect ofUAS integration, e.g. the ExCom focuses on public UAS 

access. In addition, there are ad hoc on going dialogues among and between the various agencies 

focused on specific research activities. 

In particular during FY 2011, the JPDO sponsored an effort to catalogue the UAS related activities 

of the subject agencies. The NextGen UAS Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) 

Roadmap was published in 2011. This report accomplished the following objectives: 

• Documented an initial set of critical R&D challenges that need to be addressed to 

enable routine access for UAS in the NextGen NAS; 

• Developed an approach to linking the R&D activities of the partner agencies 

with the R&D needs of the FAA to support integration of UAS in the NAS; 

• Established an approach to coordinating R&D activities of the participating 

agencies in order to address those challenges; 

• Identified relevant ongoing and planned R&D projects to serve as a baseline for 

the NextGen UAS RD&D Roadmap; and 

• Set forth a series of next steps toward achieving a responsive, vetted Roadmap, 

monitoring progress, and identifying actions needed. 

The UAS RDD Roadmap has assisted the JPDO partner agencies in sharing information to leverage 

the research investments of other agencies. Funding decisions to address UAS research gaps are 

made at the agency level based on priorities, capabilities and available resources. 

2. How often does the UAS Executive Committee meet to coordinate efforts? 

a. How many times bas it met in the last year? 
76 

A: The ExCom meets approximately quarterly. Since January 2012 the ExCom has met on the 

following dates: January 19,2012, May 8, 2012, August 28,2012, November 20,2012, and 

January 9, 2013. 

3. Are there any federal agencies or organizations that are not satisfactorily fulfilling their 

role in addressing UAS safety concerns? 

A: The UAS RD&D Roadmap identifies responsibilities of federal agencies to conduct the R&D 

required to address UAS safety concerns associated with the enabling UAS routine access to the 

NAS. Federal agencies are fulfilling their respective roles as identified in the roadmap. 

4. Are there any organizations that should be involved that currently are not? 

A: The UAS RDD Roadmap is a comprehensive assessment of the roles of federal agencies in 

conducting related R&D. All agencies with a role in this effort are identified appropriately in the 

Roadmap. 

5. RTCA's Special Committee 203 has been working on Minimum Aviation System 

Performance Standards (MASPS) and Minimum Operational Performance Standards 

(MOPS) for unmanned aircraft. How critical are these processes in advising us what 

research and development work is needed? 

a. When are these standards likely to be finalized? 

A: The MASPS and eventually the MOPS being developed by RTCA Special 

Committee 203 will provide the minimum safety standards for the UAS system and two 

critical UAS technologies necessary for the safe introduction ofUAS into the NAS for 

civil operations. These two critical areas for UAS civil standards are Sense and Avoid 

(SAA) and Control and Communications (C2). The MASPS and MOPS under 

development for the UAS system, SAA and C2 are very critical in advising what research 

and development work is needed. NASA's UAS Integration in the NAS Project continues 

to work closely with RTCA to support development of these standards and their 

associated data requirements to validate system-level performance recommendations. 

The current plan within RTCA calls for the UAS System MASPS to be completed and 

released in May 20l3. The date for the SAA and C2 MASPS is in flux. 

6. Many who follow this issue argue that a "one-size-fits-all" approach to 

regulation will not be effective given the wide range of systems. 

a. What is your recommendation for categorizing the systems? By size 

(i.e. weight)? Payload? Capabilities? Mission? Complexity? 

A: The categorization of the systems is the responsibility of the FAA. The UAS 

Integration in the NAS Project is currently evaluating the impact of size, payload, 

capabilities, mission, and complexity to support proposed categorization ofUAS and 

associated operations. Research to date has identified numerous factors, including 

weight, complexity, and various operational capabilities that may have a significant 
77 

influence on categorizing VAS. Initial work designed to determine the scope of the issue 

was recently published in a NASA Technical Memorandum titled "Perspectives on 

Vnmanned Aircraft Classification for Civil Airworthiness Standards", NASA/TM-2013-

217969. The outcomes of NASA research will be shared with the FAA through the end 

of the Project in FY 2016 to assist them with their rulemaking responsibilities. 

b. How does this impact R&D investments? Do you sec a greater ·need for R&D 

on smaller or larger systems? 

A: NASA is conducting research on sense-and-avoid requirements applicable to VAS 

irrespective of size, since we do not see a difference in sense-and-avoid R&D needs in 

relation to large or small VAS. 

With respect to airworthiness standards, the answer is not as clear. The classification 

research described in 6(a) indicates that further R&D investments are needed to address 

the unique aspects of unmanned systems that may introduce unacceptable risks, including 

the reliability and design assurance of equipment such as communication links for 

command and control, sense and avoid sensors, and ground control stations. 

c. What is the status of a f'mal rule regarding the certification and operation of 

small (i.e., ultralight, low-speed, short-life) UAS? 

A: The FAA has not released the final small VAS rule for public comment as of this 

writing. 

7. GAO's Dr. Dillingham testified that "(e)nsuring uninterrupted command and 

control for both small and large VAS remains a key obstacle for safe and routine 

integration into the national airspace." Dr. Dillingham's testimony also states 

that "UAS eurrently use unprotected radio spectrum and, like any other wireless 

technology, remain vulnerable to unintentional or intentional interference. This 

remains a key security and safety vulnerability ... " 

a. Who is responsible for ensuring the command and control and navigational 

links are secure, reliable, and robust? 

A: In the Vnited States, it is the responsibility of the FAA to establish the civil 

certification requirements for secure, relIable, and robust VAS communications. For 

integration in the NAS, civil VAS will need to utilize FAA certified communications 

equipment operating in protected safety spectrum for control communications. 

To address security of the VAS control communication system, NASA is working in 

partnership with the FAA to analyze and develop mitigations to potential C2 security 

vulnerabilities to inform related FAA security requirements for civil VAS. Reliability 

and robustness are being addressed during the development of control communication 

performance requirements in RTCA SC-203, leading to control communication MASPS 

and MOPS. NASA has partnered with Rockwell Collins to develop a prototype VAS 

control communication system and perform a series of flight tests to evaluate the 
78 

prototype in relevant flight environments. Results of these evaluations will be shared 

with the FAA. 

8. Dr. Toner's statement mentioned "perception and acceptance.» There are a lot 

of misconceptions and associated fears with regard to unmanned systems. What 

can be done to change that? 

A: NASA's research to develop technical solutions to real challenges related to safety 

and security can contribute to public confidence that UAS will be at least as safe and 

secure as manned aircraft before they can access the National Airspace on a routine basis. 

9. Please identify any projects jointly funded by FAA and NASA with any other agency, as 

well as the FY 2013 funding level for those projects. 

A: Relative to research and development associated with integrating UAS int() the NAS, 

NASA is cooperating on various activities across several stakeholder agencies. The 

majority of these coopemtive activities do not require any exchange of funds. However, 

there are two activities where NASA is supporting the funding of specific, focused 

integration efforts. 

The UAS Integration in the NAS Project is working closely with the FAA UAS 

Integration Office to deliver relevant data. The Project is currently planuing to augment 

the FAA's contmcted effort to develop the National Airspace System Enterprise 

Architecture (EA) at the FY 2013 funding amount of$500K. The NASA contribution 

will focus on integration of essential source materials (FAA UAS ConOps, FAA 

Roadruap for Integmtion of Civil UAS in the NAS, Aviation Rulemaking Committee 

(ARC) Implementation Plan Working Group (IPWG) Implementation plan, and ]PDO 

Comprehensive Plan) to reflect unique aspects ofUAS operations in the NAS in the 

NextGen Architecture. 

In addition, the UAS Integration in the NAS Project is working closely with the Air Force 

Research Lab (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to coordinate on Human 

Factors guidelines for ground control stations (GCS). The Project isjointly funding a 

contmct with approximately $150K to acquire software support and maintenance from 

the AFRL contractor for common software that both NASA and AFRL are using in our 

respective UAS research efforts. 

10. Is it important for the FAA to regularly update its report titled "NextGen UAS Research, 

Development and Demonstration Roadmap?" How often would you recommend this 

roadmap be updated? Do you believe this document is sufficient to coordinate R&D 

investments? How does this document influence R&D investments at NASA? 

A: As discussed previously, the NextGen UAS RD&D Roadruap is an important document that 

catalogued ]POO partner agency activities as they were defmed in FY 2011. Additional work is 

ongoing through the various coordination mechanisms described above to identiJY gaps between 

current pl3Jls 3Jld assess additional R&D needs. This includes the FAA's Compreheusive Plan 3Jld 
79 

the VAS Concept of Operations. Products resulting from the ongoing work need to be thoroughly 

assessed to understand how current investments toward VAS integration are aligned with the 

implementation strategy for VAS integration. 
80 

Responses by Dr. Gerald Dillingham 

Enclosure 

Subcommittee on Oversight 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

"Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System: Assessing 

Research and Development Efforts to Ensure Safety" 

February 15, 2013 

Additional Questions for the Record 

The Honorable Dr. Paul Broun 

1. Please explain how agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Defense (DOD) 

coordinate to identify research and development gaps? 

• How do agencies decide who will fund projects to address these gaps? 

UAS stakeholders-including FAA, DHS, and DOD-coordinate research and 

development (R&D) efforts through FAA's Joint Planning and Development Office 

(JPDO).' The JPDO provides the primary framework for coordination of UAS 

integration efforts and works to identify gaps in R&D. In 2012, JPDO published the 

NextGen UAS Research and Development Roadmap-a blueprint that identified 

stakeholders' roles and responsibilities for R&D efforts related to UAS integration 

and addressed challenges that must be addressed to permit routine UAS operations 

in a NextGen environment. 

While each agency has different missions and provides its own funding for UASrelated projects, JPDO helps to leverage R&D to avoid duplicative efforts. 

Furthermore, our previous work has shown that agencies benefit from having one 

organization coordinate multi-agency efforts.2 

2. How often does the UAS Executive Committee meet to coordinate efforts? 

• How many times has it met in the last year? 

The UAS Executive Committee (Committee) meets quarterly. However, in 2012, the 

Committee was able to hold only three formal meetings due to scheduling conflicts, 

according to FAA officials. Those meetings were held on January 19, May 8, and 

August 28. In addition to the formal meetings, the Committee members also held 

several informal teleconferences to discuss UAS issues. 

'JPDO was created to plan for and coordinate a transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation 

System (NextGen)-a new satellite-based air traffic management system that will replace the current 

radar-based system. Given its unique role in managing partnerships among federal agencies for 

NextGen, the Office of Management and Budget tasked JPDO to coordinate UAS efforts. 

2GAO, Managing for Results: Key Considerations for Implementing Interagency Collaborative 

Mechanisms, GAO-12-1022 (Washington, D.C.: September 27,2012). 

Page 2 
81 

3. Are there any federal agencies or organizations that are not satisfactorily 

fulfilling their role in addressing UAS safety concerns? 

All agencies that are involved with safely integrating UAS into the national airspace 

system are satisfactorily participating and fulfilling their role in addressing UAS 

safety concerns, according to JPDO officials; however, as I noted in my statement, 

coordination could be improved.3 Tasked by the Congress, FAA is the lead agency 

for UAS integration and its main responsibility in this area is for the safe integration 

of UAS.4 As a result, coordinating with stakeholders to ensure safety has always 

been a top priority for the agency. With that said, challenges have arisen. For 

example, FAA officials told us that while all agencies meet their participating 

requirements, FAA has received conflicting input and reconciling various viewpoints 

can be difficult. 

4. Are there any organizations or agencies that should be involved that 

currently are not? 

At this point, all agencies and organizations that should be involved in the safe 

integration of UAS into the national air space are participating. However, as I said in 

my written statement, collaboration among agencies could be improved. For 

example, FAA's focus has been on safety, since that is its primary mission. Thus, 

other agencies could take the lead to coordinate on other issues, such as privacy, 

for instance. FAA officials have suggested that DHS or DOJ might be better 

positioned to address UAS privacy issues because privacy concerns generally stem 

from the operational uses of UAS for surveillance and law enforcement purposes.5 

5. Please explain the relationship between the FAA and DHS as it pertains to 

safety and security. 

• Understanding that you cannot speak for DHS, what is your 

understanding of what DHS is doing in this regard? 

• What is the FAA responsible for? What is the DHS responsible for? How 

does this differ? How are decisions like this made? 

• How involved has the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 

been in the process? 

As I noted in my written statement, FAA is responsible for the safety aspects and 

DHS is generally responsible for the security aspects of integrating UAS into the 

national airspace. To accomplish its' responsibilities, DHS's efforts-through TSAinclude identifying and mitigating the security risks, threats, and vulnerabilities 

3See GAO, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Continued Coordination, Operational Data, and 

Petformance Standards Needed to Guide Research and Development, GAO-13-346T (Washington, 

D.C.: February 15, 2013). 

4See, e.g., section 332 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-95, 126 Stat. 

11. 

5GAO, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Measuring Progress and Addressing Potential Privacy Concerns 

Would Facilitate Integration into the National Airspace System, GAO-12-981 (Washington, D.C.: 

September 14, 2012). 

Page 3 
82 

related to non-military UAS. TSA has been performing work related to UAS security 

since 2004. GAO has previously recommended that TSA examine the security 

implications of future, non-military UAS operations in the national airspace system 

and take any actions deemed appropriate.6,? 

Security remains a significant issue that could be exacerbated with an increase in 

the number of UAS. TSA's practices might be sufficient in the current UAS 

environment of limited operations taking place under closely controlled conditions, 

but these controlled conditions will evolve as FAA and others continue to work 

toward allowing routine UAS operations in the national airspace system. 

6. RTCA's Special Committee 203 has been working on Minimum Aviation 

System Performance Standards (MASPS) and Minimum Operational 

Performance Standards (MOPS) for unmanned aircraft. How critical are these 

processes in advising us what research and development work is needed? 

• When are these standards likely to be finalized? 

The development of standards, such as MASPS and MOPS, is a critical step in 

supporting R&D efforts to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace system, but 

it remains unclear when the standards will be finalized. Setting standards, identifying 

certification criteria and procedures for sense and avoid systems, as well as 

protocols to be used for the certification of command, control, and communication 

systems will guide R&D efforts and identify and measure progress toward goals. It is 

unclear when standards will be finalized because of the complexities of the issues to 

be addressed and because the lack of operational and safety data have hindered 

the standards development process. 

7. Many who follow this issue argue that a "one-size-fits-all" approach to 

regulation will not be effective given the wide range of systems. 

• What is your recommendation for categorizing the systems? By size 

(i.e. weight)? Payload? Capabilities? Mission? Complexity? 

• How does this impact R&D investments? Do you see a greater need for 

R&D on smaller or larger systems? 

• What is your understanding of the status of a final rule regarding the 

certification and operation of small (i.e., ultralight, low-speed, short-life) 

UAS? 

• What sort of training or certification will be required of civilian UAS 

operators? 

o Would certification be universal or system-specific? 

o What training opportunities currently exist for want-to-be civilian 

UAS operators? 

6While TSA agreed that security of UAS is important, the agency believes that existing procedures 

are sufficient and does not intend to implement GAO's recommendation. 

7 GAO, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Federal Actions Needed to Ensure Safety and Expand Their 

Potential Uses within the National Airspace System, GAO-08-511 (Washington, D.C.: May 15, 2008). 

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o Will proof of training be required to purchase a UAS? Would there 

be penalties (e.g. fines, revocation of license) for operating a UAS 

without proper credentials? 

o Will current air traffic controllers require any new or supplemental 

training to familiarize themselves with UAS operations? 

For our reporting purposes, GAO has used two broad categories of "small" and 

"large" to categorize UAS. A "small" UAS is less than 55 pounds; a "large" UAS is 55 

pounds or more.s It will be up to FAA and other agencies, such as DHS, to 

determine how to categorize UAS for various regulatory and operational purposes. 

Alternatively we also heard from a NASA official that NASA's UAS Integration in the 

National Airspace System (NAS) Project is currently evaluating UAS categorization 

by size, payload, capabilities, mission, and complexity in coordination with FAA and 

expect to release a report in fiscal year 2016. 

Investment in R&D and the identification of any R&D gaps is necessary to support 

the safe and routine integration of UAS into the national airspace regardless of size 

or categorization. For example, according to a NASA official, NASA does not see 

differences in the sense-and-avoid R&D needs between small or large UAS. 

FAA has efforts under way supporting a rulemaking for the operation of small UAS, 

but it is unlikely that FAA will meet the August 2014 deadline for the final rule on 

small UAS required by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The 

agency's rulemaking efforts date back more than 5 years, when it established the 

small UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee in 2008. FAA officials told us in January 

2013 that FAA is still internally reviewing and finalizing the language of its draft 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the regulation of small UASB FAA has 

not determined when it might issue the NPRM. 

The training and certification requirements of civilian UAS operators have not yet 

been fully determined, though, according to FAA officials, training is required to 

operate a UAS in the NAS and penalties exist for operations without proper 

certification. FAA is in the process offormalizing aircrew certification and medical 

requirements, which could mirror requirements for operators of manned aircraft, as 

appropriate. For small UAS operators, FAA's rulemaking will likely establish what, if 

any, certification standards are needed for UAS operators. 

Regarding air traffic controller training, FAA officials told us that as with all new 

technologies (e.g. NextGen systems) the Air Traffic workforce will require updated 

training on system capabilities, new procedures or work processes, as well as new 

standards or performance characteristics as they relate to UAS operations. 

8UAS are typically described in terms of weight, endurance, purpose of use, and altitude of operation. 

We have distinguished between small and large UAS because a number of rules and requirements 

apply specifically to aircraft that weigh less than 55 pounds. 

9An NPRM, which is published in the Federal Register allows interested persons an opportunity to 

comment on the rulemaking process by providing written data, views, or arguments and gives the 

public an opportunity to provide infonmation to agencies on the potential effects of a rule or to suggest 

altematives for agencies to consider. 

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8. Dr. Dillingham, you testified that "ensuring uninterrupted command and 

control for both small and large UAS remains a key obstacle for safe and 

routine integration into the national airspace." Your testimony also states that 

"UAS currently use unprotected radio spectrum and, like any other wireless 

technology, remain vulnerable to unintentional or intentional interference. This 

remains a key security and safety vulnerability ..... 

• Who is responsible for ensuring that command and control and 

navigational links are secure, reliable, and robust"? 

FAA is responsible for ensuring that both command and control and navigational 

links are safe for UAS use. To accomplish this, FAA is working with RTCA SC 203 to 

develop MASPS and MOPS in the areas of operational and navigational 

performance; command and control communications; and sense and avoid 

capabilities. 

9. There are a lot of misconceptions and associated fears with regard to UAS. 

What can be done to change that? 

Mitigating misconceptions and fears associated with UAS will require public 

education and outreach. A main concern for the public regarding UAS is the privacy 

issue. Specifically, we have previously reported that concerns-by members of 

Congress, a civil liberties organization, and others-include the potential for 

increased amounts of government surveillance using technologies placed on UAS 

as well as the collection and use of such data.lO While JPDO and FAA haven't done 

work in these areas, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International 

(AUVSI) and local UAS users, such as local law enforcement agencies, have started 

reaching out to the public through the media and community events. For example, 

AUVSI has recently published an industry code of conduct, which discusses privacy 

issues, safety, and professionalism. Some local law enforcement agencies have 

started reaching out to the public through the media and community events. For 

example, local law enforcement agencies have invited local media to a UAS 

demonstration with a question and answer period and held community acceptance 

panels when new technologies are deployed. 

The possibility that the rate of technology advancements has outpaced regulations 

has exacerbated privacy fears regarding the use of UAS. For example, FAA has 

indicated that it will address privacy concerns in its' rule on small UAS and has yet to 

issue an NPRM soliciting comments regarding privacy concerns about the operation 

of small UAS. Through the rulemaking process, FAA will be able to solicit input 

through public comments and use that public input to craft its rules affecting privacy 

issues. Technology outpaCing regulations is not a problem unique to UAS; similar 

privacy concerns have arisen over Smartphones and global positioning devices. 

Finally, while the Supreme Court has not addressed privacy issues related to 

governmental UAS surveillance, the Court has upheld several instances involving 

10GAO-12-981. 

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government aerial surveillance from manned aircraft. At this time, it is uncertain how 

such cases would be applied to governmental UAS surveillance. 

10. Is current funding sufficient to meet the Congressional mandate for full 

integration of UAS by 2015? Is the current timetable reasonable? 

None of the UAS stakeholders we spoke with identified funding as a key challenge 

for safely integrating UAS into the national airspace system. However, full UAS 

integration by 2015 will be challenging for FAA. As we stated in our September 2012 

report, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 set an aggressive timeframe 

for FAA to safely integrate UAS because many of the Act's requirements entail 

significant work on the part of FAA and its stakeholders. This work involves 

developing detailed steps for achieving safe and routine access to the national 

airspace system, including defining the characteristics of safe integration, identifying 

needed R&D to achieve integration, and identifying the information needed to issue 

regulations, among other tasks. 

11. Is it important for the FAA to regularly update its report titled "NextGen 

UAS Research, Development and Demonstration Roadmap?" How often would 

you recommend this roadmap be updated? Do you believe this document is 

sufficient to coordinate R&D investments? 

FAA's R&D road map provides a framework for interagency and private sector 

coordination on UAS R&D efforts, but the document lacks mechanisms and metrics 

that allow for regular monitoring to assess progress, as we recommended in 

September 2012. Including these metrics and regularly updating stakeholders on 

their progress will help build stakeholder confidence in FAA's UAS integration 

efforts.11 Determining the frequency with which the Roadmap-or any other tracking 

document-will be updated should be done in consultation with stakeholders and 

focus on what would be necessary including, for example, identifying metrics and 

completion dates, to keep the Congress and stakeholders informed of progress and 

any related challenges. According to JPDO-which led the development of the 

roadmap for FAA-there initially were plans to upgrade the roadmap because JPDO 

realized that including performance metrics and completion dates would be needed 

to track progress. However, as of March 2013, JPDO has no formal plans to update 

the roadmap. 

l1While FAA concurred with our recommendation, because these documents were not publically 

available as of January 2013, it remains unclear whether they include mechanisms for monitoring 

progress. 

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Appendix II 

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR THE RECORD
88 

REQUESTED MATERIAL FOR THE RECORD SUBMITTED DR. EDGAR WAGGONER

Material requested for the record on page 43, line 968, by Chairman Broun 

during the February 15, 2013, UAS hearing. 

Unmanned Aircraft System Integration in the National Airspace System Project 

February 2013 

Project Goal: Capitalizing on NASA's unique capabilities, the project will utilize 

integrated system level tests in a relevant environment to eliminate or reduce critical 

technical barriers of integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National 

Airspace System. NASA is performing research in the Aeronautics Research 

Mission Directorate (ARMD) that provides an opportunity to transition concepts, 

technologies, algorithms, and knowledge to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

and other stakeholders to assist in derming the requirements, regulations, and issues 

for routine UAS NAS access. 

Funding for NASA's UAS in the NAS Project: 

FY12 Actual- $30.0M 

FY13 Plan - $30.5M (Subject to fmal appropriation) 

Descriptions ofUAS in the NAS Project Activities: 

Separation Assurance (SA) I Sense & Avoid (SAA) Interoperability 

• Requirements: Assess UAS Interoperability in Air Traffic Control (ATC) 

Environments 

• Research Objectives: 1) Assess the interoperability ofUAS sense-and-avoid 

systems with the ATC environment, and 2) Assess the effects ofUAS 

mission and performance characteristics, communications latencies and 

changes to separation roles and responsibilities on NAS operations. This 

research will help inform NAS UAS integration efforts and FAA regulatory 

and guidance proposals related to NAS operational procedures andlor 

proposed rulemaking. 

• Approaches: NASA will analyze capacity, efficiency and safety impacts of 

SAA-equipped UAS in the ATC environment to validate the requirements for 

SAA and SAISAA interoperability through analysis, simulation and flight 

tests. This research will likely result in recommendations to the FAA for 

development of further guidance and rulemaking. 

Human Systems Interaction 

• Requirements: Develop Ground Control Station (GCS) and Displays 

• Research Objectives: 1) Develop a research test-bed and database to provide 

data and proof of concept for GCS operations in the NAS, and 2) Coordinate 

with the FAA and standards organizations to develop draft human factors 

guidelines for GCS operation in the NAS. This research will help inform 

NAS UAS integration activities and FAA regulatory and guidance proposals 
89 

related to NAS operational procedures and/or proposed rulemaking. 

• Approaches: NASA will explore information display prototypes in the GCS 

through requirements analysis and simulation. Measured response and visual 

requirements for landing will be part-task and full-task simulated and the 

results fed back in to the prototype development. Further validation will 

occur through integrated simulations and eventually through integrated flight 

tests. This research will likely result in recommendations to the FAA for 

development of further guidance and rulemaking. 

Communications 

• Requirements: Assess Command Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) 

and ATC communications to promote safe and efficient operation ofUAS in 

theNAS. 

• Research Objectives: 1) Develop data and rationale to obtain appropriate 

frequency spectrum allocations; 2) Develop and validate candidate UAS 

CNPC system/subsystem test equipment which complies with UAS 

international/national frequency regulations, ICAO Standards and 

Recommended Practices, and F AAlRTCA Minimum Operational 

Performance StandardslMinimum Aviation System Performance Standards 

for UAS; 3) Perform analysis and propose CNPC security recommendations 

for public and civil UAS operations; and 4) Perform analysis to support 

recommendations for integration of CNPC and ATC communications. 

• Approaches: NASA will: perform analysis to support NationallInternational 

efforts within ICAO and lTU-R Working Party 5B to obtain terrestrial and 

satellite based spectrum for UAS CNPC systems, in preparation for World 

Radio Conferences 2012 and 2015; design, develop, and test a prototype 

communication system to validate proposed RTCA SC-203 CNPC 

performance standards and to recommend necessary modifications to these 

standards as a result of laboratory and flight testing in a relevant 

environment; perform analysis, develop, and test necessary mitigation 

techniques to risks and vulnerabilities of the CNPC system to assure risks and 

vulnerabilities are mitigated; and develop high fidelity communication 

system models and perform NAS-wide simulations of the CNPC system to 

assure communication system scalability and to minimize impact on aircraft 

traffic control communication, system delays, capacity, safety, and security. 

This research will help inform NAS UAS integration efforts and likely result 

in recommendations to the FAA for development of further guidance and 

rulemaking, as well as to ICAO and RTCA work groups for future standards 

development activities. 

Certification 

• Requirements: Develop a body of information to inform FAA's UAS 

airworthiness requirements and data to support FAA's' development of 

. certification standards and regulatory guidance. 

• Research Objectives: 1) Determine a proposed methodology for 

Classification ofUAS and Determination of Airworthiness standards for 

avionics aspects of VAS, and 2) Develop a body of hazard and risk related 
90 

Æ 

data to support FAA's development of regulation. 

• Approaches: NASA will explore alternate classification schemes for UAS 

and to define an approach for determining airworthiness requirements for any 

and all avionics that comprise UAS systems. Additionally, NASA will collect 

and analyze UAS hazard and risk related data to support safety case 

recommendations for certification/regulation development. The results of 

this research and data collection will be shared with the FAA for 

development of further guidance and rulemaking. 

Integrated Test & Evaluation 

• Requirements: Develop and assess a relevant testing environment for UAS 

• Research Objectives: To develop an adaptable, scalable, and schedulabte 

operationally relevant test infrastructure/environment for the integrated, 

simultaneous evaluation of all aspects of U AS integration in the NAS. 

• Approaches: Develop and test a Live Virtual Constructive - Distributed 

Environment (LVC-DE) that incorporates connectivity to mUltiple live UAVs 

with ADS-B, ADS-B ground station and air surveillance radar, ground 

control stations, FAA tech center, simulation systems, other laboratories and 

the requisite connectivity infrastructure. This research will inform overall 

NAS UAS integration efforts and likely result in recommendations to the 

FAA for development offurther guidance and rulemaking.