ISO/TC 20/SC 16 - Unmanned aircraft systems

This document comprehensively examines information grounded in International Standards applicable to uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) traffic management (UTM) systems and the operational frameworks for UTM systems across various countries. It systematically catalogues the current entities involved in UTM systems, including the actors, services, functions and data. Additionally, it delineates the safety, security and quality specifications for these services, focusing on data management and referring, where appropriate, to standards developed by other standard development organizations (SDOs).

This document defines terms relating to uncrewed aircraft systems that are widely used in science and technology.

This document specifies safety and quality requirements for detection and avoidance (DAA) systems used between uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and other objects including aircraft. This document includes the requirements for radars and optical sensors used for DAA and is derived to meet the requirements for UAS operations involving DAA set out in ISO 21384-3.

This document provides a report on tests that were performed to ensure the "safety and quality" requirements of detection and avoidance (DAA) systems used between UASs and other objects, including aircraft. This document describes test methods and the results of related experiments, which successfully meet the requirements of a DAA system architecture with radar and optical sensors.

This document specifies methods for recording the time history of instantaneous sound pressure in several positions around rotor powered unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) of less than 150 kg in accordance with ISO 21895[9]. The UAS can be either electrically powered or fuel-powered. It is not applicable to the tilt-rotor or tilt-wing UAS. It does not account for the UAS noise certification or regulation This document can also be applied to measure the sound pressure from a UAS with either multiple rotors or a single rotor. This document specifies: a) recommendations and requirements for three different test facilities for the noise measurements of various categories of multirotor-powered UAS: — requirements and recommendations of UAS noise tests in anechoic chambers (Clause 7); — requirements and recommendations of UAS noise tests in anechoic wind tunnels (Clause 8); — requirements and recommendations of UAS noise tests in outdoor environments (Clause 9); b) requirements and recommendations for the configuration of noise measurement for multirotor-powered UAS in hover, vertical take-off and landing, and horizontal cruise; c) recommendations for the test configuration and procedures to minimize the influence of meteorological effects.

This document mainly specifies elements of information exchange between unmanned aircraft system (UAS) traffic management (UTM) service providers (USP) and different users to support relevant UTM services between them, while the protocol requirements and the transmission requirements at the operational level are not included. This document excludes the interface between USP and USP and the interface between USP and providers of operation support services.

This document specifies the test conditions and methods to be used for the vibration testing of unmanned aircraft system (UAS, including unmanned aircraft and ground station) which applies to level II through V according to ISO 21895.

This document specifies the evaluation and test method for sharp injury to human body caused by rotor blades of civil small and light unmanned aircraft (UA), including injury scale, requirements, content, tests, results, etc. This document is applicable to evaluating and testing the sharp injury to human body caused by rotor blades of civil small and light UA (with maximum take-off mass between 0,25 kg to 4 kg, which are between the levels II and III as categorized by ISO 21895), including multicopter UA, unmanned helicopters and other rotor UA.

This document specifies the test requirements and methods for verifying the specified flight performance items of civil fixed-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This document is applicable to the category of civil small and light fixed-wing UAS, which applies to maximum take-off mass (MTOM) level I through V according to ISO 21895.

This document specifies test method to determine the operation ability of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at low-air-pressure conditions. This document is applicable to the category of civil small and light UAS, which applies to maximum take-off mass (MTOM) level II through V according to ISO 21895.

This document specifies the requirements for safe commercial unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations, including the external safety-critical service providing command and control (C2) link.

This document describes the procedures for training personnel who will be involved in the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This document defines: a) knowledge, skill, attitude and qualification criteria that are needed for UAS pilots and training organizations that provide training to UAS remote pilots and other personnel involved in UAS operations; b) training curriculum and contents for specific learning courses; c) qualification and confirmation criteria for the training organizations; d) general procedures for providing training of UAS personnel; the requirements for a specific course as described in Annex A can be more restrictive in some cases.

This document specifies the procedures for testing flight stability of a multi-copter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and is applicable to multi-copter type UAS that can take-off and land vertically. A commercial multi-copter UAS weighing over 250 g to less than 150 kg is discussed in this document. Further, this document is applicable to military and civilian multi-copter UAS. However, quantitatively specific stability criteria for the test are not specified in this document.

This document specifies the composition, functional and performance requirements for a payload interface of civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), with the maximum take-off mass of 0,25 kg to 25 kg which relates to level II through IV according to ISO 21895. This document is applicable to the design and manufacture of physically independent payload interfaces which connect an external payload to an unmanned aircraft (UA).

This document provides a method for evaluating the resonance vibration frequency of the multi-copter unmanned aircraft (UA). This document specifies a method of designing the UA so as to avoid the resonance generated by the coincidence of the natural frequency of the UA body and the rotational frequency of the rotor. This document is applicable to multi-copter UA weighing less than 150 kg.

This document specifies the composition, functional and performance requirements of flight controls for civil multicopter unmanned aircrafts (UAs) with the maximum take-off mass (MTOM) less than or equal to 25 kg corresponding to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at levels I, II, III and IV as graded in ISO 21895 which does not include fully autonomous flights. The flight control system in this document consists of flight control unit, navigation unit, fault diagnosis and management unit, flight planning, flight recorder, etc. This document is applicable to the design and manufacture of other UA flight control systems or subsystems.

This document specifies test methods for civil electric multi-copter unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This document is intended to be a general standard for testing the overall UAS functionality with the support of subsystems. It is applicable to the category of civil electric multi-copter UAS with maximum take-off mass (MTOM) level I to level V according to ISO 21895. The configuration control and subsystem (e.g. energy system and flight control system tests) test methods are out of the scope of this document. In addition, test methods for operations in snow and icing conditions are not included either, manufacturers have procedures identified to cope with flight in those conditions.

This document provides technical requirements and test methods for small unmanned aircraft electric energy systems (EESs). This document applies to the EES of small unmanned aircrafts (UAs) with the maximum take-off mass (MTOM) less than 25 kg corresponding to unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) at level I, II, III and IV as graded in ISO 21895:2020, and with secondary lithium batteries. This document can apply to new type of batteries to be used in the UA electric energy system in the future.

This document is dedicated to establishing a common understanding of UTM core functions and functional structure. It provides a detailed description of the UTM system layer given in the UTM Framework. This document excludes: — role-sharing among entities constituting UTM, which is left to implementations; — technical methodology of communication or data transaction among core functions; — business model of players engaging in a function of UTM.

This document defines the generic concept and common framework of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) remote identification, which is mainly used to electronically identify an in-flight unmanned aircraft (UA). This document sets the minimum performance standards for direct remote identification. This document does not cover requirements for modules installed in UA or requirements for network remote identification. This document does not cover the identity of other information technology (IT) entities, such as the station of the remote pilot, the workstation of the fleet manager or any other connected entity.

This document specifies the requirements for vertiport operations (e.g. removal of contaminants, noise) and interface with an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft operators and with UAS traffic management (UTM) service providers (SPs). This document is applicable to operations of vertiports belonging to any type, supporting: a) demonstration of compliance with applicable regulations of vertiport operations to aviation authorities or other public authorities, as a possible acceptable means of compliance (AMC), when applicable regulations require such involvement from the authority and when the authority considers this document acceptable; b) attestation of compliance of vertiport operations by qualified entities or other accredited, competent and independent third parties, supporting the safety risk assessment of the UAS operations required by regulations, in particular when high level of assurance robustness is required; c) attestation of compliance of vertiport operations by qualified entities or other accredited, competent and independent third parties even in the absence of any applicable regulation. This document also covers safety of the vertiport operator and quality of data provided by the vertiport operator to other entities (e.g. UAS operators, service providers of aeronautical information, providers of UTM services). Aspects that are not covered by this document are: — requirements for operational procedures of UAS; — requirements for physical characteristics and equipment for vertiports; — requirements for UTM SPs.

This document specifies general and manufacturing requirements for tethered unmanned aircraft systems (tUAS), including heavier-than-air tethered unmanned aircraft (tUA), which are powered by equipment on the ground. The specifications are intended for tUAS where the purpose for the tether is to supply power to the tUA as well as to provide a mechanical restraint. Unmanned aircrafts (UAs) that are not receiving power from and only restrained by the tether are referred to ISO 21384-2; however, there are clauses in this document that apply to the tethering equipment (e.g. winches and cables). This document is applicable to the development, manufacturing, industrial applications and delivery of tUAS.

This document includes compliance monitoring, safety, security, privacy and other organisational requirements for providers in the context of UAS traffic management services.

This document specifies requirements for ensuring the quality and safety of the design and manufacture of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that include unmanned aircraft (UA), remote pilot stations (RPS), datalinks, payloads, and associated support equipment. This document includes information regarding the unmanned aircraft, any associated remote pilot station (RPS)(s), the command and control links (C2 Link), any other required data links (e.g. payload, traffic management information, vehicle identification) and any other system elements as can be required. This document does not cover passenger carrying UAS or technical requirements for the design and manufacturing for UAS components. This document does not include equipment considerations unique to compliance with UA traffic management systems. The document is applicable to the reasonable expected use of a UAS. This document is applicable: a) to UAS designed for use where a State aviation authority has determined a Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) is not required; b) where a C of A is required, to complement technical standards published by the aviation authority for the purposes of building the certification basis; or c) as an alternative means of compliance if acceptable to the aviation authority.

This document specifies the data model that is related to various spatial information for common use between the UAS service provider and the system for operation control, e.g. UTM. This document specifies the names of the items for the data model, while the communication architecture and responsibilities of actors to define the items are not included.

This document defines terms and definitions relating to unmanned aircraft systems that are widely used in science and technology.

This document provides results of a survey on UTM which indicates aggregated data from survey respondents. It does not cover detailed analysis of regions and organizations. UTM is expected to reveal hundreds of commercial applications already in place, as well as social systems as their background conditions. The results can be used to analyze benefits and gaps for possible future standardization topics in consultation with authorities such as ICAO.

This document specifies requirements for the classification and grading of civil unmanned aircraft system (UAS). This document applies to heavier than air aircraft as well as lighter than air aircraft of any possible architecture. This document applies to the industrial conception, development, design, production and delivery of civil UAS. It also applies to modification, repair and maintenance of civil UAS. The characteristics in this document can be used individually or in combination, to meet specific needs of the classification and grading of civil UAS. Risk-based categorization of UAS operations is prerogative of the aviation authorities and it is hence out of scope of this document.

This document describes the procedures for training personnel who will be involved in the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This document defines: a) knowledge, skill, attitude and qualification criteria that are needed for UAS pilots and training organizations that provides training to trainees of UAS remote pilots and other personnel involved in UAS operations; b) training curriculum and contents for specific learning courses; c) qualification and confirmation criteria for the training organizations; d) general procedures for providing training of UAS personnel. The requirements for a specific course as described in the annexes can be more restrictive in some cases.

This document specifies the requirements for safe commercial UAS operations.