Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Continued Coordination, Operational Data, and Performance Standards Needed to Guide Research and Development

Citation
Government Accountability Office, Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Continued Coordination, Operational Data, and Performance Standards Needed to Guide Research and Development (GAO-13-346T) (Feb. 15, 2013) (full-text).

Overview
According to an industry forecast, the market for unmanned aircraft systems (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 the Federal Aviation Administration (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) FAA's progress in complying with the 2012 Act's UAS requirements, and (3) research and development efforts by the 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 the FAA's 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.