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                Certification for Advanced Operations Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
    

    
    
        
          What is Airworthiness?

Every day, the FAA works to assure that our National Airspace System (NAS) is the safest and most efficient in the world. In order to achieve this, all aircraft flying in our NAS must be reliable, controllable, and safe – no matter how small or large, or whether the crew is onboard the aircraft or piloting it remotely. Aircraft type certification helps ensure that aircraft designs meet these objectives.

Airworthiness Criteria for Special Classes of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

The FAA is publishing proposed airworthiness criteria that will be used to issue type certificates for UAS as special classes of aircraft. The type certification of UAS is a key enabler for more complex operations, including package delivery.

Each notice identifies the individual applicant's proposed UAS design and contains the airworthiness criteria for type certification proposed by the FAA. The airworthiness criteria are developed to provide a level of safety equivalent to that provided by existing airworthiness standards applicable to other categories of aircraft but that are not appropriate for this special class of UAS.

Regulatory Basis for this UAS Certification

The FAAs recently published a policy clarification to use the "special class" category under §21.17(b) to issue type certificates for certain UAS. The FAA has developed a "durability and reliability" (D&R) process to establish criteria as an element of the proposed certification basis for these aircraft. This special class process establishes a defined path to type certification of UAS, and is the first of its kind developed worldwide. Through the D&R process, applicants demonstrate that their UAS are reliable, controllable, and safe, and provide the FAA basic assurance that the aircraft will operate as intended.

UAS Airworthiness Criteria Federal Register Notices

Federal Register post date: February 8, 2023

Docket No. FAA-2022-1763 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Wing Aviation LLC Hummingbird Unmanned AircraftFederal Register post date: October 5, 2022

Docket No. FAA-2022-0533 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Insitu Inc. ScanEagle3 Unmanned AircraftFederal Register post date: March 28, 2022

Docket No. FAA-2020-1089 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Percepto Robotics, Ltd. Percepto System 2.4 Unmanned Aircraft
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1090 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Flytrex, Inc. FTX-M600P Unmanned Aircraft
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1092 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Airobotics Inc. OPTIMUS 1-EX Unmanned AircraftFederal Register post date: March 17, 2022

Docket No. FAA-2020-1083 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the 3DRobotics Government Services 3DR-GS H520-G Unmanned Aircraft
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1087 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Wingcopter GmbH 198 US Unmanned Aircraft
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1088 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the TELEGRID Technologies, Inc. TELEGRID DE2020 Unmanned Aircraft
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1091 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Flirtey Inc. Flirtey F4.5 Unmanned AircraftFederal Register post date: February 25, 2022

Docket No. FAA-2020-1084 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Zipline International Inc. Zip UAS Sparrow Unmanned Aircraft
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1085 – Airworthiness Criteria: Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Matternet, Inc. M2 Unmanned AircraftFederal Register post date: January 27, 2022

Docket No. FAA-2020-1086 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Amazon Logistics, Inc. MK27-2 Unmanned AircraftFederal Register post date: November 20, 2020

Docket No. FAA-2020-1083 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the 3DRobotics Government Services 3DR-GS H520-G
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1084 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Zipline International Inc. Zip UAS Sparrow
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1085 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Matternet, Inc. M2
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1086 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Amazon Logistics, Inc. MK27
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1087 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Wingcopter GmbH 198 US
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1088 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the TELEGRID Technologies, Inc. DE2020
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1089 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Percepto Robotics, Ltd. Percepto System 2.4
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1090 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Flytrex, Inc. FTX-M600P
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1091 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Flirtey Inc. Flirtey F4.5
	Docket No. FAA-2020-1092 – Special Class Airworthiness Criteria for the Airobotics Inc. OPTIMUS 1-EX
      
        

          Last updated: Wednesday, February 8, 2023 U.S. Department of Transportation

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