Regulatory Roundup: U.S. Federal Legislators Push for UAS Integration

Breaking down key drone, UAS, and AAM regulations from the past month.

Friday, April 14, 2023 at 03:24 PM ET

Verified

With each passing month, modern aviation technology is getting more attention from federal and state lawmakers. [Credit: Pixabay]

Key Takeaways:

U.S. federal lawmakers are actively proposing legislation to advance drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) integration, focusing on reauthorizing UAS test sites, supporting R&D, and establishing a coordinated national strategy.
At the state level, U.S. regulations vary, with some states like Florida and Tennessee banning government use of foreign-made drones (e.g., DJI), leading to operational challenges, while others like Iowa and Missouri are enacting laws to restrict drone surveillance.
Internationally, countries such as the Philippines and New Zealand are updating their aviation frameworks to integrate drones and enhance safety, and Ireland has approved initial commercial drone delivery operations.

See a mistake? Contact us.

As federal officials, state lawmakers, and agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration tackle the massive aviation industry, they now must also contend with regulating an entirely new sphere of companies, technologies, safety protocols, and more.

A new era of aviation—which encompasses drones, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), advanced air mobility (AAM), electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), and other new ways to fly— is coming. Now, around the country, federal and state lawmakers are trying to figure out how to manage it.