FAA Aims to 'Seamlessly Integrate' Drones Into National Airspace; Industry Report: $82.1B Economic Benefit to U.S.

[Geee]

CNS News:

(CNSNews.com) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is aiming to “seamlessly integrate” unmanned aerial systems (UASs)--AKA drones--into the U.S. national airspace, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

 

The report noted that the economic benefit to the United States from doing so could be as great as $82.1 billion over the next ten years.

 

“The Federal Aviation Administration’s goal is to seamlessly integrate all UAS operations into the national airspace,” the GAO report said, adding that the FAA is “developing regulations to allow routine UAS commercial operations.”

 

"However," said the GAO, "FAA may not issue a final rule for UASs until late 2016 or early 2017."

 

In its report that was published July 16, the GAO cited a 2013 study from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International that sought "to document the economic benefits to the United States (U.S.) once Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are integrated into in the National Airspace System (NAS)."