Analysis of the FAA's Small UAS Regulations for Airports Security Support UAS Operations

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are finding new applications in various industries, including airport operations. One of the most recent examples of this type of application is the Security Support UAS, which serves as a supporting technology for airport security. Their ability to conduct surveillance autonomously at a higher rate of speed in regions inaccessible to vehicles makes them a perfect instrument for supporting numerous airport security activities such as perimeter patrol, security alert response, and threat tracking. Despite the benefits, present regulations restrict the usage of this technology in airports. This study aims to determine how well equipped the regulatory framework is to support safe UAS flights at US airports. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Small Unmanned Aerial System Rule, generally referred to as Part 107, was analyzed qualitatively to examine the current regulatory environment. Although Part 107 is intended to regulate low-risk small UAS flights, findings indicate that requests for waivers to Part 107 that include appropriate risk mitigation can enable more complex UAS operations. The FAA has made tremendous strides in adapting current regulations to meet the operational requirements of numerous emergent UAS applications through its waiver procedure. On the other hand, more permanent solutions are required to enable scalable operations.