Questions & Answers
About UAS
What is an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)?
A UAS is the unmanned aircraft (UA) and all of the associated support equipment, control station, data links, telemetry, communications and navigation equipment, etc., necessary to operate the unmanned aircraft.
The UA is the flying portion of the system, flown by a pilot via a ground control system, or autonomously through use of an on-board computer, communication links and any additional equipment that is necessary for the UA to operate safely. The FAA issues an experimental airworthiness certificate for the entire system, not just the flying portion of the system.
Besides UAS, what other terms are used to identify these types of aircraft?
The FAA uses the terms, Unmanned Aircraft (UA), and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Other commonly used terms are Drones, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Remotely Operated Aircraft (ROA), and Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV).
