This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline, thanks to generous funding support from the European UnionÕs Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. This comprehensive book presents a unique and in depth overview of the regulatory frameworks governing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) across 11 European jurisdictions. It emphasises the complex and evolving nature of aviation law as it is applied to UAS technology and demonstrates the need for a more cohesive legal framework in this sector.

This comprehensive book presents a unique and in depth overview of the regulatory frameworks governing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) across 11 European jurisdictions. It emphasises the complex and evolving nature of aviation law as it is applied to UAS technology and demonstrates the need for a more cohesive legal framework in this sector. Civil Regulation of Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Europe focuses on EU, international and domestic law, with leading experts providing an examination of how EU regulations shape national frameworks and the applicability of international law to UAS. Detailed case studies from across Europe highlight current regulatory approaches and future legal challenges, advocating for adaptive legislation to keep pace with technological advancements in autonomous UAS technology. This book is indispensable to scholars and legal practitioners in European law, aviation law, and technology law. Policymakers and regulatory bodies will also find this a crucial guide for integrating global practices into their domestic legislation. Additionally, industry stakeholders in the aerospace and UAS sectors will greatly benefit from its practical insights.

This open access book disseminates some of the results of the European H2020 AiRT Project (Technology transfer of RPAs for the creative industry). In particular, it presents findings related to mitigating safety and security concerns when civil drones are piloted by the service sector (mainly, the creative industry). European policies regarding drones generally focus on outdoor drones, but they are also used indoors. Moreover, a number of European countries have fragmented regulations on drone use, and as a result, European institutions are attempting address these issues. This work is based on a detailed study of the European policies, a comparative analysis of the regulation in various European countries, an analysis of the drone sector in Europe, and primary data from members of the creative industry. The authors created focus groups in Spain, the UK and Belgium in order to discuss with the creative industry the concerns on safety and security when using civil drones for their work. Based on these results, the book offers advice to the European industry, as well as new insights for academics and policymakers.

This book examines rights issues in relation to visual privacy in the use of civilian drones. Here, visual privacy is described as the freedom from a combination of unwanted activities directed towards an individual, such as observing, recording, and publishing of personal visual information without an individual’s consent. The book answers the question of whether visual observation of an individual with the help of the camera systems onboard a civilian drone is lawful in light of EU law. It also discusses the legality of the subsequent recordings and publications. The issues are considered in terms of the European Convention of Human Rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union and EU General Data Protection Regulation. The book will be a valuable resource for researchers, academics and policy-makers working in the areas of technology, privacy and human rights law.

The increasing civilian use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) is not yet associated with a comprehensive regulatory framework, however new rules are rapidly emerging which aim to address this shortfall. This insightful book offers a thorough examination of the most up-to-date developments, and considers potential ways to address the various concerns surrounding the use of UASs in relation to safety, security, privacy and liability.

UAS Integration into Civil Airspace Explores current Unmanned Air Systems policies with a view to developing a common airspace access and integration strategy UAS Integration into Civil Airspace: Policy, Regulations and Strategy examines the current state of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) airspace access and integration around the world, focusing on the efforts that have produced a regulatory response to the demand for access. This analysis discusses the proposed architectures for a common strategic and analytical thread that may serve as templates for the entire community, as well as for regulators and policymakers who must balance the needs and demands of UAS users with the general public’s right to safe skies and privacy. An understanding of the market forces and business cases that are fuelling the development of the technology is also covered with a focus on the economics of the industry. The book presents a strategy for airspace access and integration that will facilitate humanitarian, environmental, social and security uses of unmanned aircraft systems on a global scale. Key features: Discusses existing and evolving policies and regulations from nations around the world for operating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in civil airspace Examines the current status of technological developments such as UTM and U-space and explores the technological potential in the years to come Presents a comprehensive airspace integration strategy that balances the many conflicting interests in the UAS world, with due regard for safety, utility and affordability UAS Integration into Civil Airspace: Policy, Regulations and Strategy is essential reading for all professionals involved in UAS industry, as well as students in mechanical engineering and law.

This book discusses various legal aspects of automated and autonomous transport. The regulation of automated and autonomous transport encompasses legislation on automated cars, ships, vessels, and drones. Questions surrounding this novel area of the law, which has attracted major worldwide interest and publicity, are likely to dominate our societies and everyday life in the years ahead. One major challenge addressed in this book is remedying the regulatory fragmentation that can be observed around the globe concerning legislation on automated and autonomous transportation systems. Written and edited by respected experts in the field, including academics and practitioners alike, this book seeks to fill an important gap in the literature. Given its focus and scope, the book will be of considerable interest to practitioners, academics, and policymakers, judges, students and secondary audiences, including engineers, sociologists, naval architects, all those involved in the automated industry, and people working in AI.

Although many believe that unmanned aerial vehicles or drones are a recent invention, unmanned flight has a rich history that goes all the way back to ancient times. The first systems that can be specified under the modern definition of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones include reconnaissance drones developed and deployed during the Cold War period. Today, such systems have evolved and can have different designs. In the last twenty years, many drones with different aerodynamic characteristics, flight endurance, methods and places of launch and acceptance, and even more diverse purposes have been developed. The achievements of modern science, technique, and technology, especially in the field of microelectronics and control systems, have made it possible to design and manufacture drones that are capable of performing controllable flight in a wide range of altitudes, speeds, and distances while performing complex and diverse tasks with almost the same efficiency as well as manned aircraft. This book provides a comprehensive overview of drone technology and applications with chapters on the detection and classification of drones, issues related to electric unmanned aerial vehicles, integrating drones into educational curricula, and the uses of different types of drones in various situations, among other topics.

This book presents, in a comprehensive way, current unmanned aviation regulation, airworthiness certification, special aircraft categories, pilot certification, federal aviation requirements, operation rules, airspace classes and regulation development models. It discusses unmanned aircraft systems levels of safety derived mathematically based on the corresponding levels for manned aviation. It provides an overview of the history and current status of UAS airworthiness and operational regulation worldwide. Existing regulations have been developed considering the need for a complete regulatory framework for UAS. It focuses on UAS safety assessment and functional requirements, achieved in terms of defining an “Equivalent Level of Safety”, or ELOS, with that of manned aviation, specifying what the ELOS requirement entails for UAS regulations. To accomplish this, the safety performance of manned aviation is first evaluated, followed by a novel model to derive reliability requirements for achieving target levels of safety (TLS) for ground impact and mid-air collision accidents.It discusses elements of a viable roadmap leading to UAS integration in to the NAS. For this second edition of the book almost all chapters include major updates and corrections. There is also a new appendix chapter.