According to an industry forecast, the market for government and  commercial use of UAS is expected to grow, with small UAS having the  greatest growth potential. This forecast estimates that the worldwide  UAS market could be potentially worth $89 billion over the next decade. FAA Is Responsible for Leading Coordination Efforts across Agencies and Industry to Achieve UAS Integration

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. FAA has established various mechanisms to facilitate collaboration with  its partner agencies, and private sector entities to safely integrate UAS  (see table 2). FAA has  also involved industry stakeholders and academia through the UAS  Aviation Rulemaking Committee and RTCA SC-203. FAA also has agreements with a range of industry, federal research  entities, universities, and international organizations to conduct research. The office will coordinate all intra-agency collaboration  efforts. While 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. Meeting the 2012 Act’s Requirements Will Continue to Challenge FAA

FAA has several efforts under way to satisfy the 2012 Act’s requirements,  most of which must be achieved between May 2012 and December 2015. FAA has made progress toward these selected  requirements. 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. 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. Standards and Data Needed to Guide UAS Research and Development Efforts for Agencies

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. 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. Since UAS fly based on pre-programmed flight paths  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. Development of UAS Safety, Reliability, and Performance Standards

The development of standards for UAS operations is a key step in the  process of safe integration and supporting research and development  efforts. 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. Congress has  highlighted the importance of UAS integration by establishing statutory  requirements and setting deadlines for FAA.
Why GAO Did This Study

Unmanned aircraft systems are aircraft and associated equipment that do not carry a pilot aboard, but instead operate on pre-programmed routes or are manually controlled by pilot-operated ground stations. Although current domestic uses of UAS are limited to activities such as law enforcement, forensic photography, border security, and scientific data collection, UAS also have a wide range of other potential commercial uses. According to an industry forecast, the market for UAS is expected to grow and could be potentially worth $89 billion over the next decade. Concerned with the pace of UAS integration into the national airspace, Congress established specific requirements and set deadlines for FAA in the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act (the 2012 Act).
This testimony discusses 1) the roles and responsibilities of and coordination among federal agencies and other UAS stakeholders involved in integrating UAS, 2) FAAs progress in complying with the 2012 Acts UAS requirements, and 3) research and development efforts by FAA and other entities to address challenges for safely integrating UAS.
This testimony is based on a 2012 GAO report. In past work, GAO analyzed FAAs efforts to integrate UAS into the national airspace, the role of other federal agencies in achieving safe and routine integration, and research and development issues. GAO also conducted selected interviews with officials from FAA and other federal agencies, industry, and academic stakeholders.

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 forward will 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.