FAA intends to use this approach to facilitate further incremental steps  toward its goal of seamlessly integrating UAS flight into the national  airspace. While these planning documents provide a broad framework for  integration, FAA is still in process of developing an implementation plan  for integrating UASs. An internal FAA report from August 2014 prepared by MITRE Corporation  (MITRE) was intended to assist FAA’s development of the key  components of an implementation plan.among other actions FAA’s implementation plan should:  identify the tasks necessary, responsibilities, resources, and expected  time frames for incremental expansion of UAS operations;  clarify the priorities for aligning internal resources in support of near- term and long-term integration efforts and provide consistent  communication with external stakeholders on the expected progress,  cost, and extent of UAS integration during these time periods; align resources supporting UAS integration including allocation of FAA  personnel and funds used for contracts and to acquire systems and  services in support of integration; and establish the operational, performance, and safety data needed and  also the associated infrastructure for collecting, storing, disseminating,  and analyzing data, actions that could be a component of an  implementation plan. According to FAA, it continues to work with MITRE developing the  foundation for a detailed implementation plan. Issuing a Final Rule for Small UAS Operations

In February 2015, FAA made progress toward the 2012 Act’s requirement  to issue a final rule for the operations of small UASs—those weighing less  than 55 pounds—by issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that could, once finalized, allow greater access to the national airspace.To mitigate risk, the proposed rule would limit small UASs to daylight-only  operations, confined areas of operation, and visual-line-of-sight  operations. In addition, FAA does not provide funding to support the test  sites. FAA’s Designated Test Sites Have Conducted UAS Test Flights and Addressed Challenges

		FAA’s Designated Test Sites Are Operating and Conducting UAS Operations

Since being named in December 2013, the six designated test sites have  become operational, applying for and receiving authorization from FAA to  conduct test flights. In May 2015, FAA approved a “blanket” COA allowing the test sites to  conduct UAS operations at or below 200 feet anywhere in the national  airspace, similar to the authority provided to Section 333 exemptions. Test Sites Faced Challenges during Their First Year

Despite the progress made since they began operating, according to test  site operators, they faced a number of challenges in the first year of  operations:
Guidance on research: According to FAA, because the test sites  receive no federal funding, FAA can neither direct specific research to  be conducted nor direct the test sites to share specific research data,  other than the operations and safety data required by the COA. However, unlike the Other Transaction Agreement in place for  the test sites, according to FAA, many of these agreements have  language specifically addressing the sharing of research and data. In addition, FAA has  participated in the twice-a-year technical interchange meetings with the  test sites. Other Countries Have Established Regulations, and Some Allow More Commercial Operations Than the United States

		Numerous Countries Allow UAS Operations

According to numerous studies and stakeholders we interviewed, many  countries around the world, have been allowing commercial UAS  operations in their airspace for differing purposes. UAS Regulations in Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom Are Similar to Each Other and to Proposed Regulations in This Country

We studied the UAS regulations of Australia, Canada, France, and the  United Kingdom and found that these countries impose similar types of  requirements and restrictions on commercial UAS operations. Table 6 shows how  FAA’s proposed rules compare with the regulations of Australia, Canada,  France, and the United Kingdom. Similarly,  according to a French civil aviation official, France approves on a case- by-case basis, very limited beyond-line-of-sight operations. Specifically, some of the challenges are:
Technology shortfalls and unresolved spectrum issues. In comments, which were provided in an email,  DOT stated that the report addresses many of the challenges of UAS  integration but does not address any environmental concerns and that the  report should state that it did not examine the environmental  considerations of UAS integration. Specifically, we reviewed (1) the  status of FAA’s progress toward safe integration of UAS into the national  airspace, (2) research and development support from FAA’s test sites and  other resources, and (3) how other countries have progressed toward  UAS integration into their airspace for commercial purposes. We reviewed FAA’s Comprehensive Plan and  Roadmap for UAS integration. We selected these  countries based on several factors including the status of regulatory  requirements for commercial UASs, beyond-line-of-site activities, and  whether the country allows non-military UAS to operate in the  airspace. Appendix II: Selected Requirements and Status for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Integration under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, as of December 2014

FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012  requirement   Enter into agreements with appropriate government  agencies to simplify the process for issuing Certificates of  Waiver or Authorization (COA) or waivers for public  unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
Why GAO Did This Study

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. Unauthorized UAS operations have, in some instances, compromised safety. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 directed FAA to take actions to safely integrate UASs into the national airspace. In response, FAA developed a phased approach to facilitate integration and established test sites among other things.
GAO was asked to review FAA's progress in integrating UASs. This report addresses (1) the status of FAA's progress toward safe integration of UASs into the national airspace, (2) research and development support from FAA's test sites and other resources, and (3) how other countries have progressed toward UAS integration into their airspace for commercial purposes. GAO reviewed and analyzed FAA's integration- planning documents; interviewed officials from FAA and UAS industry stakeholders; and met with the civil aviation authorities from Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. These countries were selected based on several factors including whether they have regulatory requirements for commercial UASs, operations beyond the view of the pilot, and whether non-military UAS are allowed to operate in the airspace. In comments on this report, the Department of Transportation noted that GAO did not address environmental considerations of UAS integration; such considerations were outside the scope of this report.

What GAO Found

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has progressed toward its goal of seamlessly integrating unmanned aerial system (UAS) flights into the national airspace. FAA has issued its UAS Comprehensive Plan and UAS Integration Roadmap , which provide broad plans for integration. However, according to FAA, it is working with MITRE to develop a foundation for an implementation plan; FAA then expects to enact a plan by December 2015. While FAA still approves all UAS operations on a case-by-case basis, in recent years it has increased approvals for UAS operations. Specifically, the total number of approvals for UAS operations has increased each year since 2010, and over the past year has included approvals for commercial UAS operations for the first time. In addition, FAA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes regulations for small UASs (less than 55 pounds).
The FAA's six designated test sites have become operational but have had to address various challenges during the process. The designated test sites became operational in 2014, and as of March 2015, over 195 test flights had taken place. These flights provide operations and safety data to FAA in support of UAS integration. In addition, FAA has provided all test sites with a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization allowing small UAS operations below 200 feet anywhere in the United States. However, during the first year of operations, the test sites faced some challenges. Specifically, the test sites sought additional guidance regarding the type of research they should conduct. According to FAA, it cannot direct the test sites, which receive no federal funding, to conduct specific research. However, FAA did provide a list of potential research areas to the test sites to provide some guidance on areas for research. FAA has conducted other UAS research through agreements with MITRE and some universities, and in May 2015 named the location of the UAS Center of Excellence—a partnership among academia, industry, and government conducting additional UAS research. Unlike FAA's agreements with the test sites, many of these arrangements have language specifically addressing the sharing of research and data.
Around the world, countries have been allowing UAS operations in their airspace for purposes such as agricultural applications and aerial surveying. Unlike in the United States, countries GAO examined—Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom—have well-established UAS regulations. Also, Canada and France currently allow more commercial operations than the United States. While the United States has not finalized UAS regulations, the provisions of FAA's proposed rules are similar to those in the countries GAO examined. However, FAA may not issue a final rule for UASs until late 2016 or early 2017, and rules in some of these countries continue to evolve. Meanwhile, unlike under FAA's proposed rule, Canada has created exemptions for commercial use of small UASs in two categories that allow operations without a government-issued certification, and France and Australia are approving limited beyond line-of-sight operations. Similar to the United States, other countries are facing technology shortfalls, such as the ability to detect and avoid other aircraft and obstacles, as well as unresolved issues involving limited spectrum that limit the progress toward full integration of UASs into the airspace in these countries.