For Immediate Release: Apr. 27, 2018 
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
 

 
ARLINGTON, Va. – Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), issued the following statement on the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provisions in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 (HR 4), which passed in the House of Representatives today by a vote of 393 to 13:
 
"We are pleased that the House of Representatives passed the FAA bill, which will help expand the commercialization of UAS technology and ensure that UAS are integrated into the national airspace in a manner that is safe for all aircraft – both manned and unmanned.
 
“The bill includes UAS initiatives that build upon existing industry-government collaboration and expand commercial operations. In particular, the bill calls for rulemaking around a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system, which will help ensure the safe and efficient use of the national airspace. It also has provisions for rulemaking concerning carriage of property, a necessary step for allowing UAS package deliveries.
 
“We applaud the bill’s commitment to UAS research, particularly its extension of the FAA UAS test site program. Research conducted at these test sites on sense-and-avoid technologies and beyond-line-of-sight operations will help to spur greater innovation and find solutions to make UAS fly higher and farther, more safely and efficiently.”
 
An AUVSI economic report forecast that the expansion of UAS technology will create more than 100,000 jobs and generate more than $82 billion for the U.S. economy in the first decade following full integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace.

Click here for attachment (AUVSI Review of Adopted Amendments for Unmanned Aircraft Systems HR 4, FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018).
 

About AUVSI
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) — the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics — represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. For more information, visit AUVSI.org.