	Background

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. 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. 1). 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. 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. FAA views the test sites as a location for industry to safely  access the airspace. 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. Granting Exemptions for Limited Commercial UAS Operations

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. 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. FAA and Others Have Made Some Progress in Carrying Out Research and Development in Support of UAS Integration

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. FAA has cited many accomplishments in research and development in  the past fiscal year, as we were conducting our ongoing work. 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. Other Countries Have Progressed in UAS Integration to Allow Some Level of Commercial Use

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. 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. These regulations require that  UAS operations apply for and receive a Special Flight Operations  Certificate (SFOC). Canada issued new  rules for UAS operations on November 27, 2014. Appendix I: Selected Requirements and Status for UAS Integration under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, as of December 2014

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. Publish in the Federal Register the Final Rule on small 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. 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.

What GAO Found

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.