Unmanned Aerial Systems: Efforts Made toward Integration into the National Airspace Continue, but Many Actions Still Required
Published: 2014-12-10T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: UASs are aircraft 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. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 put greater emphasis on the need to integrate UASs into the national airspace by requiring that FAA establish requirements governing them. FAA has developed a three-phased approach in its 5-year Roadmap to facilitate incremental steps toward seamless integration. However, in the absence of regulations, unauthorized UAS operations have, in some instances, compromised safety.
This testimony discusses 1) progress toward meeting UAS requirements from the 2012 Act, 2) key efforts underway on research and development, and 3) how other countries have progressed in developing UAS use for commercial purposes.
This testimony is based on GAO's prior work and an ongoing study examining issues related to UAS integration into the national airspace system for civil and public UAS operations.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made progress toward implementing the requirements defined in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the 2012 Act). As of December 2014, FAA had completed 9 of the 17 requirements in the 2012 Act. However, key requirements, such as the final rule for small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations, remain incomplete. FAA officials have indicated that they are hoping to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking soon, with a timeline for issuing the final rule in late 2016 or early 2017. FAA has established the test sites as required in the Act, sites that will provide data on safety and operations to support UAS integration. However, some test site operators are uncertain about what research should be done at the site, and believe incentives are needed for industry to use the test sites. As of December 4, 2014, FAA granted seven commercial exemptions to the filmmaking industry allowing small UAS operations in the airspace. However, over 140 applications for exemptions were waiting to be reviewed for other commercial operations such as electric power line monitoring and precision agriculture.
Previously, GAO reported that several federal agencies and private sector stakeholders have research and development efforts under way focusing on technologies to allow safe and routine UAS operations. During GAO's ongoing work, FAA has cited many accomplishments in research and development in the past fiscal year in areas such as detect and avoid, and command and control. Other federal agencies also have extensive research and development efforts supporting safe UAS integration, such as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) project to provide research that will reduce technical barriers associated with UAS integration. Academic and private sector companies have researched multiple areas related to UAS integration.
GAO's ongoing work found that other countries have progressed with UAS integration and allow limited commercial use. A 2014 MITRE study found that Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada have progressed further than the United States with regulations that support commercial UAS operations. For example, as of December 2014, Australia had issued 180 UAS operating certificates to businesses in industries including aerial surveying and photography. In addition, Canada recently issued new regulations exempting commercial operations of small UASs weighing 25 kilograms (55 lbs.) or less from receiving special approval.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: I appreciate the opportunity to testify on the Federal Aviation  Administration’s (FAA) efforts to integrate unmanned aerial systems  (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). The United States has  been on a path toward UAS integration for years. The agency’s  rulemaking efforts related to UAS began in 2008, when FAA established a  committee to develop rules for the operation of small UASs.
FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-95, §§ 331 – 335, 126 Stat.  11 (2012). research and development, and 3) how other countries have progressed  toward UAS integration into their airspace for commercial purposes.
My statement is based on our prior products on UAS issued since 2012,  selected updates on this work, as well as preliminary observations of our  ongoing study of UAS integration into the NAS underway for this  committee and others. Detailed information on our scope and  methodology can be found in those products. For this testimony we  updated our prior work on the status of FAA’s efforts to meet UAS  requirements in the 2012 Act, by reviewing FAA documents, applicable  laws, regulations, and program guidance. For our ongoing work, we  reviewed FAA’s Comprehensive Plan and Roadmap for UAS  integration. To identify the key efforts and opportunities associated with  the FAA’s obtaining research, development, and operations data to  support UAS integration, we reviewed documents from each of the six  test sites where FAA has recently allowed UAS operations and spoke  with officials from three of the test sites. To identify how other countries  have progressed toward UAS integration for civil and commercial  purposes, we spoke with the International Civil Aviation Organization  (ICAO) and other stakeholders familiar with the UAS activities currently  occurring in other countries. We also conducted semi-structured  interviews with FAA officials and a wide range of stakeholders, including  representatives of federal agencies such as Department of Defense  (DOD), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), test site  officials, research organizations, academics, and industry experts. We  also reviewed relevant empirical literature and media reports to obtain  information and perspectives on current developments and future  challenges, and spoke with representatives from Canada’s aviation  authority to understand their regulations related to UAS and associated  activities. We obtained agency views on preliminary work and made  changes as appropriate. The work this statement was based on was  performed 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.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: In November 2013, FAA released the Roadmap that describes its three- phased approach—Accommodation, Integration, and Evolution— to  facilitate incremental steps toward its goal of seamlessly integrating UAS  flight in the national airspace. Under this approach, FAA’s initial focus will  be on safely allowing for the expanded operation of UASs by selectively  accommodating some UAS use. In the integration phase, FAA plans to  shift its emphasis toward integrating more UAS use once technology can  support safe operations. Finally, in the evolution phase, FAA plans to  focus on revising its regulations, policy, and standards based on the  evolving needs of the airspace.
Currently, FAA authorizes all UAS operations in the NAS—military, public  (academic institutions and, federal, state, and local governments  including law enforcement organizations), and civil (commercial). Federal,  state, and local government agencies must apply for Certificates of   while civil operators must apply for  Waiver or Authorization (COA),special airworthiness certificates in the experimental category. Civil  operators may also apply for an exemption, under section 333 of the 2012  Act, Special Rules for Certain Unmanned Aircraft Systems. This requires  the Secretary of Transportation to determine if certain UAS may operate  safely in the NAS prior to the completion of UAS rulemakings. This also  gives the Secretary the authority to determine whether to allow certain  UAS aircraft to operate in the NAS without an airworthiness certification.
As we previously reported, research and development continue in areas  related to a UAS’s ability to detect and avoid other aircraft, as well as in  command and control technologies and related performance and safety  standards that would support greater UAS use in the national airspace.  Some of this research is being conducted by DOD and NASA. Until this  research matures most UAS operations will remain within visual line of  sight of the UAS operator.
Foreign countries are experiencing an increase in UAS use, and some  have begun to allow commercial entities to fly UASs under limited  circumstances. According to industry stakeholders, easier access to  these countries airspace has drawn the attention of some U.S. companies  that wish to test their UASs without needing to adhere to FAA’s  administrative requirements for flying UASs at one of the domestically  located test sites, or obtaining an FAA COA.
section_title: FAA Has Made Progress Meeting Statutory UAS Requirements, but Commercial Operation Is Limited
paragraphs: As we most recently reported in February 2014, the 2012 Act contained  provisions designed to accelerate the integration of UAS into the NAS.  These provisions outlined 17 date specific requirements and set  deadlines for FAA to achieve safe UAS integration by September 2015  (See app. 1). While FAA has completed several of these requirements,  some key ones, including the publication of the final small UAS rule,  remain incomplete. As of December 2014, FAA had completed nine of the  requirements, was in the process of addressing four, and had not yet  made progress on four others. Some stakeholders told us in interviews  that FAA’s accomplishments to date are significant and were needed, but  these stakeholders noted that the most important provisions of the 2012  Act have been significantly delayed or are unlikely to be achieved by the  mandated dates. Both the FAA and UAS industry stakeholders have  emphasized the importance of finalizing UAS regulations as unauthorized  UAS operations in the national airspace continue to increase and present  a safety risk to commercial and general aviation activities.
subsections: section_title: Development of the Small UAS Rule
paragraphs: Before publication of a final rule governing small UAS, FAA must first  issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). As we previously  reported, the small UAS rule is expected to establish operating and  performance standards for a UAS weighing less than 55 pounds,  operating under 400 feet, and within line of sight. FAA officials told us in  November 2014 that FAA is hoping to issue the NPRM by the end of  2014 or early 2015. According to FAA, its goal is to issue the final rule  16 months after the NPRM. If this goal is met, the final rule would be  issued in late 2016 or early 2017, about two years beyond the  requirement of the congressional mandate. However, during the course of  our ongoing work, FAA told us that it is expecting to receive tens of  thousands of comments on the NPRM. The time needed to respond to  such a large number of comments could further extend the time to issue a  final rule. FAA officials told us that it has taken a number of steps to  develop a framework to efficiently process the comments it expects to  receive. Specifically, they said that FAA has a team of employees  assigned to lead the effort with contractor support to track and categorize  the comments as soon as they are received. According to FAA officials,  the challenge of addressing comments could be somewhat mitigated if  industry groups consolidated comments, thus reducing the total number  of comments that FAA must be addressed while preserving content.
During our ongoing work, one industry stakeholder has expressed  concern that the small UAS rule may not resolve issues that are important  for some commercial operations. This stakeholder expects the proposed  rule to authorize operations of small UASs only within visual line of sight  of the remote operator and to require the remote operator to have  continuous command and control throughout the flight. According to this  stakeholder, requiring UAS operators to fly only within their view would  prohibit many commercial operations, including large-scale crop  monitoring and delivery applications. Furthermore, they formally  requested that FAA establish a new small UAS Aviation Rulemaking  Committee (ARC) with the primary objective to propose safety regulations  and standards for autonomous UAS operations and operations beyond  visual line of sight. According to FAA, the existing UAS ARC recently  formed a workgroup to study operations beyond visual line of sight in the  national airspace and to specifically look at the near- and long-term  issues for this technology.
section_title: Planning for Integration
paragraphs: In November 2013, FAA completed the required 5-year Roadmap, as well  as, the Comprehensive Plan for the introduction of civil UAS into the NAS.  The Roadmap was to be updated annually and the second edition of the  Roadmap was scheduled to be published in November 2014. Although  FAA has met the congressional mandate in the 2012 Act to issue a  Comprehensive Plan and Roadmap to safely accelerate integration of  civil UAS into the NAS, that plan does not contain details on how it is to  be implemented, and it is therefore uncertain how UASs will be safely  integrated and what resources this integration will require. The UAS ARC  emphasized the need for FAA to develop an implementation plan that  would identify the means, necessary resources, and schedule to safely  and expeditiously integrate civil UAS into the NAS. According to the UAS  ARC the activities needed to safely integrate UAS include:  identifying gaps in current UAS technologies, regulations, standards,  policies, or procedures; developing new technologies, regulations, standards, policies, and  identifying early enabling activities to advance routine UAS operations  in the NAS integration, and developing guidance material, training,  and certification of aircraft, enabling technologies, and airmen (pilots).
section_title: Establishment of Test Sites
paragraphs: FAA has met two requirements in the 2012 Act related to the test sites by  setting them up and making a project operational at one location. In our  2014 testimony, we reported that in December 2013, 16 months past the  deadline, FAA selected six UAS test ranges. Each of these test sites  became operational, during our ongoing work, between April and August  2014, operating under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with  FAA. These test sites are affiliated with public entities, such as a  university, and were chosen, according to FAA during our ongoing work,  based on a number of factors including geography, climate, airspace use,  and a proposed research portfolio that was part of the application. Each  test site operator manages the test site in a way that will give access to  other parties interested in using the site. According to FAA, its role is to  ensure each operator sets up a safe testing environment and to provide  oversight that guarantees each site operates under strict safety  standards. FAA views the test sites as a location for industry to safely  access the airspace. FAA told us, during our ongoing work that they  expect data obtained from the users of the test ranges will contribute to  the continued development of standards for the safe and routine  integration of UAS.
In order to fly under a COA the commercial entity leases its UAS to the public entity for  operation. the research and development supporting integration. According to FAA,  it cannot direct the test sites to address specific research and  development issues, nor specify what data to provide FAA, other than  data required by the COA. FAA officials told us that some laws may  prevent the agency from directing specific test site activities without  providing compensation. As a result, according to some of the test site  operators we spoke to as part of our ongoing work, there is uncertainty  about what research and development should be conducted to support  the integration process. However, FAA states it does provide support  through weekly conference calls and direct access for test sites to FAA’s  UAS office. This level of support requires time and resources from the  FAA, but the staff believes test sites are a benefit to the integration  process and worth this investment. In order to maximize the value of the  six test ranges, FAA is working with MITRE Corporation (MITRE), DOD,  and the test sites to define what safety, reliability, and performance data  are needed and develop a framework, including procedures, for obtaining  and analyzing the data. However, FAA has not yet established a time  frame for developing this framework.
During our ongoing work, test site operators have told us that there needs  to be incentives to encourage greater UAS operations at the test sites.  FAA is, however, working on providing additional flexibility to the test sites  to encourage greater use by industry. Specifically, FAA is willing to train  designated airworthiness representatives for each test site. These  individuals could then approve UASs for a special airworthiness certificate  in the experimental category for operation at the specific test site. Test  site operators told us that industry has been reluctant to operate at the  test sites because under the current COA process, a UAS operator has to  lease its UAS to the test site, thus potentially exposing proprietary  technology. With a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental  category, the UAS operator would not have to lease their UAS to the test  site, therefore protecting any proprietary technology. According to FAA  and some test site operators, another flexibility they are working on is a  broad area COA that would allow easier access to the test site’s airspace  for research and development. Such a COA would allow the test sites to  conduct the airworthiness certification, typically performed by FAA, and  then allow access to the test site’s airspace.
section_title: Granting Exemptions for Limited Commercial UAS Operations
paragraphs: FAA has started to use the authority granted under section 333 of the  2012 Act to allow small UASs access to the national airspace for  commercial purposes, after exempting them from obtaining an  airworthiness certification. While FAA continues to develop a regulatory  framework for integrating small UASs into the NAS these exemptions can  help bridge the gap between the current state and full integration.  According to FAA, this framework could provide UAS operators that wish  to pursue safe and legal entry into the NAS a competitive advantage in  the UAS marketplace, thus discouraging illegal operations and improving  safety. During our ongoing work, FAA has granted seven section 333  exemptions for the filmmaking industry as of December 4, 2014. FAA  officials told us that there were more than 140 applications waiting to be  reviewed for other industries, for uses such as precision agriculture and  electric power line monitoring, and more continue to arrive. (See figure 1  for examples of commercial UAS operations.)
While these exemptions do allow access to the NAS, FAA must review  and approve each application and this process takes time, which can  affect how quickly the NAS is accessible to any given commercial  applicant. According to FAA, the section 333 review process is labor  intensive for its headquarters staff because most certifications typically  occur in FAA field offices; however, since exemptions under section 333  are exceptions to existing regulations, this type of review typically occurs  at headquarters. FAA officials stated that to help mitigate these issues, it  is grouping and reviewing similar types of applications together and  working to streamline the review process.
section_title: Additional Challenges for FAA Integration
paragraphs: While FAA is making efforts to improve and accelerate progress toward  UAS integration, additional challenges remain, including in the areas of  authority, resources, and potential leadership changes. As we reported in  February 2014, the establishment of the UAS Integration office was a  positive development because FAA assigned an Executive Manager and  combined UAS-related personnel and activities from the agency’s  Aviation Safety Organization and Air Traffic Organization. However, some  industry stakeholders we have interviewed for our ongoing work have  expressed concerns about the adequacy of authority and resources that  are available to the office. A UAS rulemaking working group, comprised  of both government and industry officials, recently recommended that the  UAS Integration Office be placed at a higher level within FAA in order to  have the necessary authority and access to other FAA lines of business  and offices. In addition, according to FAA officials, the Executive  Manager’s position may soon be vacant. Our previous work has found  that complex organizational transformations involving technology,  systems, and retraining key personnel—such as NextGen another FAA  major initiative—require substantial leadership commitment over a  sustained period. We also found that leaders must be empowered to  make critical decisions and held accountable for results.
section_title: FAA and Others Have Made Some Progress in Carrying Out Research and Development in Support of UAS Integration
paragraphs: Several federal agencies and private sector stakeholders have research  and development efforts under way to develop technologies that are  designed to allow safe and routine UAS operations. As we have  previously reported, agency officials and industry experts told us that  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. On the federal  side, the primary agencies involved with UAS integration are those also  working on research and development, namely, FAA, NASA, and DOD.
FAA uses multiple mechanisms—such as cooperative research and  development agreements (CRDA), federally funded research and  development centers (FFRDC), and OTAs (discussed earlier in this  statement)—to support its research and development efforts. In support  of UAS integration, FAA has signed a number of CRDAs with academic  and corporate partners. For example, FAA has CRDAs with CNN and  BNSF Railway to test industry-specific applications for news coverage  and railroad inspection and maintenance, respectively. Other CRDAs  have been signed with groups to provide operational and technical  assessments, modeling, demonstrations, and simulations. Another  mechanism used by FAA to generate research and development for UAS  integration are FFRDCs. For example, MITRE Corporation’s Center for  Advanced Aviation System Development is an FFRDC supporting FAA  and the UAS integration process. Specifically, MITRE has ongoing  research and development supporting air traffic management for UAS  detection and avoidance systems, as well as other technologies.
FAA has cited many accomplishments in research and development in  the past fiscal year, as we were conducting our ongoing work. According  to FAA, it has made progress in areas related to detect and avoid  technologies supporting ongoing work by RTCA Special Committee   Other areas of focus and progress by FAA include command and  228.control, as well as operations and approval. According to FAA, progress  for command and control was marked by identifying challenges for UAS  operations using ground-to-ground communications. FAA also indicated,  during our ongoing work, that it conducted simulations of the effects of  UAS operations on air traffic management. Furthermore, in support of  research and development efforts in the future, FAA solicited for bids for  the development of a Center of Excellence. The Center of Excellence is  expected to support academic UAS research and development for many  areas including detect and avoid, and command and control technologies.  FAA expects to announce the winner during fiscal year 2015.
We have previously reported that NASA and DOD have extensive  research and development efforts supporting integration into the NAS.NASA has a $150-million project focused on UAS integration into the  NAS. NASA officials stated that the current goal of this program is to  conduct research that reduces technical barriers associated with UAS  integration into the NAS, including conducting simulations and flight  testing to test communications requirements and aircraft separation,  among other issues. DOD has research and development efforts primarily  focused on airspace operations related to detect and avoid systems.  However, DOD also contributes to research and development focused on  certification, training, and operation of UAS.
We reported in 2012 that outside the federal government, several  academic and private sector companies are conducting research in  support of advancing UAS integration. Research by both groups focuses on various areas such as detect and avoid technologies, sensors,  and UAS materials. For example, several private sector companies have  developed technologies for visual sensing and radar sensing. Academic  institutions have conducted extensive research into the use of various  technologies to help the maneuverability of UASs.
section_title: Other Countries Have Progressed in UAS Integration to Allow Some Level of Commercial Use
paragraphs: A number of countries allow commercial UAS operations under some  restrictions. A 2014 study, conducted by MITRE for FAA, revealed that  Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, and Canada have progressed further  than the United States with regulations supporting integration. In fact,  Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada have regulations in place  allowing some small UAS operations for commercial purposes.  According to this study, these countries’ progress in allowing commercial  access in the airspace may be attributed to differences in the complexity  of their aviation environment.
Our preliminary observations indicate that Japan, Australia, United  Kingdom, and Canada also allow more commercial UAS operations than  the United States. According to the MITRE study, the types of commercial  operations allowed vary by country. For example, as of December 2014,  Australia had issued over 180 UAS operating certificates to businesses  engaged in aerial surveying, photography, and other lines of business.  Furthermore, the agriculture industry in Japan has used UAS to apply  fertilizer and pesticide for over 10 years. Several European countries  have granted operating licenses to more than 1,000 operators to use  UASs for safety inspections of infrastructure, such as rail tracks, or to  support the agriculture industry. While UAS commercial operations can  occur in other countries, there are restrictions controlling their use. For  example, the MITRE study showed that several of the countries it  examined require some type of certification and approval to occur before  operations. Also, restrictions may require operations to remain within line  of sight and below a certain altitude. In Australia, according to the MITRE  study, commercial operations can occur only with UASs weighing less  than 4.4 pounds. However, the rules governing UASs are not consistent  worldwide, and while some countries, such as Canada, are easing  restrictions on UAS operations, other countries, such as India, are  increasing UAS restrictions.
For our ongoing work, we spoke with representatives of the aviation  authority in Canada (Transport Canada) to better understand UAS use  and recently issued exemptions. In Canada, regulations governing the  use of UAS have been in place since 1996. These regulations require that  UAS operations apply for and receive a Special Flight Operations  Certificate (SFOC). The SFOC process allows Canadian officials to  review and approve UAS operations on a case-by-case basis if the risks  are managed to an acceptable level. This is similar to the COA process  used in the United States. As of September 2014, over 1,000 SFOCs had  been approved for UAS operations this year alone. Canada issued new  rules for UAS operations on November 27, 2014. Specifically, the new  rules create exemptions for commercial use of small UASs weighing 2  kilograms (4.4 pounds) or less and between 2.1 kilograms to 25 kilograms  (4.6 pounds to 55 pounds). UASs in these categories can commercially  operate without a SFOC but must still follow operational restrictions, such  as a height restriction and a requirement to operate within line of sight.  Transport Canada officials told us this arrangement allows them to use  scarce resources to regulate situations of relatively high risk. For  example, if a small UAS is being used for photography in a rural area, this  use may fall under the new criteria of not needing an SFOC, thus  providing relatively easy access for commercial UAS operations.
Finally, our ongoing work has found that FAA interacts with a number of  international bodies in an effort to harmonize UAS integration across  countries. According to FAA officials, the agency’s most significant  contact in Europe has been with the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking for  Unmanned Systems (JARUS). JARUS is a group of experts from the  National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) and the European Aviation Safety  Agency. A key aim of JARUS is to develop recommended certification  specifications and operational provisions, which countries can use during  the approval process of a UAS. In addition, FAA participated in ICAO’s  UAS Study Group, an effort to harmonize standards for UAS. ICAO is the  international body that, among other things, promotes harmonization in  international standards. ICAO plans to release its UAS manual in March  2015, which will contain guidance about UAS integration for the states.  Additional international groups that FAA interacts with in support of UAS  integration include the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization,  European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment, and North Atlantic  Treaty Organization.
Chairman LoBiondo, Ranking Member Larsen, and Members of the  Subcommittee, this completes my prepared statement. I would be  pleased to respond to any questions that you may have at this time.
section_title: Appendix I: Selected Requirements and Status for UAS Integration under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, as of December 2014
paragraphs: Appendix I: Selected Requirements and Status  for UAS Integration under the FAA  Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,  as of December 2014 FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 requirement   Status of action   Enter into agreements with appropriate government  agencies to simplify the process for issuing COA or waivers  for public UAS.
In process – MOA with DOD signed Sept. 2013; MOA  with DOJ signed Mar. 2013; MOA with NASA signed  Mar. 2013; MOA with DOI signed Jan. 2014; MOA  with DOD’s Director of Test & Evaluation signed Mar.  2014; MOA with NOAA still in draft.
Expedite the issuance of COA for public safety entities  Establish a program to integrate UAS into the national  airspace at six test ranges. This program is to terminate 5  years after date of enactment.
Develop an Arctic UAS operation plan and initiate a process  to work with relevant federal 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 of the Act’s requirements for  a comprehensive plan and rulemaking to safely accelerate  the integration of civil UASs into the national airspace or the  Act’s requirement for issuance of guidance regarding the  operation of public UASs including operating a UAS with a  COA or waiver.
Develop a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate  integration of civil UASs into national airspace.
Issue guidance regarding operation of civil UAS to expedite  COA process; provide a 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.
Make operational at least one project at a test range.
Approve and make publically available a 5-year roadmap for  the introduction of civil UAS into national airspace, to be  updated annually.
Submit to Congress a copy of the comprehensive plan.
Publish in the Federal Register the Final Rule on small UAS.   In process  Publish in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed  Rulemaking to implement recommendations of the  comprehensive plan.
Publish in the Federal Register an update to the  Administration’s policy statement on UAS in Docket No.  FAA-2006-25714.
Achieve safe integration of civil UAS into the national  airspace.
In process   FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 requirement   Status of action   Publish in the Federal Register a Final Rule to implement  the recommendations of the comprehensive plan.
Develop and implement operational and certification  requirements for public UAS in national airspace.
section_title: Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: GAO Contact
paragraphs: 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.
section_title: Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: Individuals making key contributions to this testimony include Brandon  Haller, Assistant Director; Melissa Bodeau, Daniel Hoy, Eric Hudson, and  Bonnie Pignatiello Leer.
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