Remotely Piloted Aircraft System

About RPAS and its requirements in Indian aviation scenario

1. By
Dr. Rishi Kumar Sinha
SM (ATC)
Remotely Piloted Aircraft System
3/13/2021

2. 3/13/2021
Objective
History of RPA

Advantages and Disadvantages of RPA

RPAS and its components

General and Operational Requirements to operate RPAS

Process of submission of RPA FPL

ATC Preparedness to RPAS

 Future Challenges for RPAS

3. 3/13/2021
 The earliest attempt at a powered unmanned aerial
vehicle was A. M. Low’s “Aerial Target” in 1916.

 After World War-I, including the first scale RPV,
developed by Enthusiast Reginald Denny in 1935.

 The birth of U.S. UAV”s began in 1959 when United
States Air Force officers, concerned about losing pilots
over hostile territory.

 In 1964, U.S. Navy initiated America’s highly classified
UAVs into their first combat missions of the Vietnam War.
Birth of RPA’s

4. 3/13/2021
 Agriculture

Transport

Forest and Wildlife

Security

Mining

Oil and Gas

Tourism
Security surveillance;


Use of RPA Operation

5.  Immoral

 Civilian causalities

 Can be hacked or given viruses

 Too small for transportation of materials

 Low resistance to weather

 Cannot refuel in flight

 If contact is lost with the ground station, the vehicle
may be lost.

 Many people may not like due infringement upon
sovereignty.

3/13/2021
Disadvantages

6. Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) is a key Aeronautical Systems Design House
involved in the design and development of the state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and
Aeronautical Systems and technologies to meet the requirements of the Indian Armed forces.
3/13/2021

7. 3/13/2021

8. 3/13/2021
Classification of Aircrafts
Ex

9. 3/13/2021
Autonomous a/c an unmanned aircraft
that does not allow pilot intervention in the
management of the flight.
Modal a/c defined by purpose as an RPA
used for sport or recreation.
Non-flying
Flying
Drones Referred as UAV (Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle). It stands for Dynamic Remotely
Operated Navigation Equipment. Its flight is either
controlled autonomously by computers or under
remote control of a pilot on the ground.
RPA An unmanned aircraft which
is piloted from a remote pilot
station operated with no pilot on
board excluding model and toy
aircraft.

10. 3/13/2021

An aircraft and its associated elements, which are operated with no pilot on board is
called as Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). There are three subsets of Unmanned
Aircraft,

a)Remotely Piloted Aircraft ,
b)Autonomous Aircraft and
c)Model Aircraft.





Drone is a layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA).
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

11. 3/13/2021
The RPAS (It is subset of UAS ) consists of three main components:

 The Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA),
 The Remote Pilot Station (RPS) and the
 Command and Control Link (C2).

Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)

The RPA has a similar physical structure as an airplane, except
for the cockpit, can have different shapes and sizes, ranging from a small
craft that fits in your hand to a normal passenger jet such as the B737 or
A320. They also have different flight endurance, performances and
capabilities.

Remote Pilot Station (RPS):

The RPS is the component of the RPAS which is located outside
of the aircraft and is used by a remote pilot to monitor and fly the RPA. It
may be located inside or outside of a building, and be stationary or mobile
(installed in a vehicle/ship/aircraft).


Remote Pilot Aircraft Systems (RPAS)

12. 3/13/2021
Command and Control (C2) Data Link:

The C2 link is critical point of the RPAS system link between
the RPS and the RPA for the purpose of managing the flight. It may
operate in visual line of sight (VLOS), direct radio line-of-sight
(RLOS) or beyond radio line-of-sight (BRLOS).

13. 3/13/2021
Visual line-of-sight
(VLOS) operation:
An operation in
which the remote
pilot or RPA
observer maintains
direct unaided visual
contact with the
remotely piloted
aircraft.
Radio line-of-sight
(RLOS) operation:
Refers to the
situation in which
the transmitter(s)
and receiver(s) are
within mutual radio
link coverage and
thus able to
communicate
directly.

14. 3/13/2021
Beyond Radio line-of-sight (BRLOS) operation : includes all
satellite systems and possibly any system where an RPS
communicates with one or more ground stations via a terrestrial
network which cannot complete transmissions in a timeframe
comparable to that of an RLOS system.

15. 3/13/2021
The following components may be part of the RPAS:

 ATC communications and surveillance equipment.

 SSR transponder (Mode ‘C’ or ‘S’) or ADS-B OUT
equipment;

 navigation equipment;

 launch and recovery equipment;

 flight control computer (FCC), flight management system
(FMS) and autopilot;

 system health monitoring equipment;

 flight termination system.
Other Components of RPAS

16. 3/13/2021
i) Nano : ≤ 250 gm.
ii) Micro : > 250 gm ≤ 2 kg.
iii) Small : > 2 kg ≤ 25 kg.
iv) Medium : > 25 kg ≤ 150 kg.
v) Large : > 150 kg.


Categories of RPAS
Civil RPA is categorized in accordance with Maximum
All-Up-Weight (including payload)
Payload: All components of equipment on board the Unmanned Aircraft that
are not needed for the flight or its control. It is usually counted outside
of the weight of the UAV itself.

17. 3/13/2021
Quiz Time
A. RPAS has how many components.

1.2
2.3
3.4
4.No component
B. UAV is subset of RPA………..True/False
C. Small RPA category is > 2Kg ≤ 45 Kg…….True/False
D. Full form of VLOS is….

18. 3/13/2021
 RPA operation shall be restricted to Indian territorial
airspace

 No RPA shall be operated:

a)beyond 500 m from coastline into the sea; and

b) within 25 km from International Border.

Remote Pilot Station shall be located on ground and
shall not be onboard any moving or stationary vehicle,
ship or aircraft.

Height of operation of RPA shall be restricted to below
400 ft AGL.

General Requirements

19. 3/13/2021
RPA operation shall be conducted within Visual Line
of Sight (VLOS) of the remote pilot, only in VMC.

RPAS operation shall be conducted only during
daylight; i.e. between sunrise and sunset.

 Launch and recovery sites for RPAS operation shall
be under the full control of the RPAS operator.
Continue….

20. 3/13/2021
No RPA shall be operated:

 Within a distance of 5 km from the perimeter of airports
at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and
Hyderabad;

 Within a distance of 3 km from the perimeter of any
civil, private or defence airports.

 Above the applicable Obstacle Limitation Surfaces
(OLS) and PANS-OPS surfaces.

 Within permanent or temporary Prohibited, Restricted
and Danger Areas.
Operating Requirements

21. 3/13/2021
Within 3 km from perimeter of military installations and
facilities.

 Within 5 km radius from Vijay Chowk in Delhi.

 Within 2 km from perimeter of strategic locations/ vital
installations notified by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA);

 Within 3 km from radius of State Secretariat Complex
in State Capitals; and Over eco-sensitive zones around
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

Continue….

22. 3/13/2021
General Operating Procedures
All RPA shall obtain Unique Identification Number (UIN)
from DGCA except

 RPA in Nano category fly upto 50 feet.

 RPA owned or operated by NTRO, ARC and Central
Intelligence Agencies,

All RPA shall obtain Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit
(UAOP) from DGCA except

 Nano RPA operating below 50 feet and Micro RPA
below 200 feet

 RPA owned or operated by NTRO, ARC and Central
Intelligence Agencies,.

23. 3/13/2021
 All RPA operators shall inform the concerned local
police office except for Nano RPA operating below 50
ft AGL,

 Except for Remote Pilots intending to operate Nano
or Micro RPAs all remote pilots shall have attained

 18 years of age,
 passed 10th class exam in English,
 undergone ground and practical training

 Following shall be fully aware of responsibilities for
all aspects of flight safety during such operations
 Owner,
 Operator and
 Remote Pilot of Nano and Micro RPAs operating
in uncontrolled airspace
.

24. 3/13/2021
All RPAs except Nano shall be equipped with the
following serviceable components/ equipment:

a)GNSS for horizontal and vertical position fixing

b) Autonomous Flight Termination System or Return
Home (RH) option

c) Flashing anti-collision strobe lights

d) RFID and GSM SIM Card

e) NPNT compliance for application-based real time
tracking

f) Fire resistant identification plate inscribed with UIN

g) Flight controller with flight data logging capability

25. 3/13/2021
There should be two way communication with
Remote Pilot and ATS unit.

 Remote Pilots shall prefix RPA call-sign with the
word UNMANNED during voice communications
between ATC and the Remote Pilot Station.

 Except for flights of Nano and Micro, RPA operators
are required to file flight plan at least 24 hours before
estimated time of departure and obtain

 ATC briefing,
 MET briefing
 ATC clearance from the nearest ATC Unit,
 ADC and
 FIC

26. 3/13/2021
 The UAOP shall be issued by DGCA within 7 working
days

 Validity of the UAOP shall be for a period of five years
from the date of issue.

 The UAOP shall be non-transferrable.

 No person shall act as a remote pilot for more than one
RPA operation at a time.

 RPA shall not discharge or drop substances unless
specially cleared and mentioned in UAOP.

 RPA shall not transport any hazardous material such as
explosives or animal or human payload.

27. 3/13/2021
Submission and Processing of FPL
 Flight Plans shall be filed in ICAO model flight plan format.

 UIN of the RPA shall be used as aircraft identification

The nationality mark for Unmanned acft. registered in India
is U followed by alpha-numeric characters i.e. between 0 to 9
or A to Z e.g. UB67DFC

 The following additional information should be included in
the flight plan (item 18) :

a) Category of RPAS (Nano/Micro/Small/Medium/Large)

b) Type of Operation (VLOS / BVLOS / BRLOS)

c) Name of Operator and UAOP number

d) Contact number of Remote Pilot

28. 3/13/2021
e) Purpose of Flight

f) Payload information

g) Autonomous Flight Termination / Return Home
capability
h) Geo-fencing capability

i) Detect and Avoid capability

Geo-fencing: uses GPS or radio frequency identification to define geographical
boundaries. Ex -A sporting event can use geo-fencing to create a temporary no-
fly zone that prevents drones from crossing a defined perimeter.
Return-home: is a configuration that would allow an RPAS to autonomously
return to the launch position or instead to an alternative location.
Detect and avoid (DAA): The capability to see, sense or detect conflicting traffic
or other hazards and take the appropriate action to comply with the applicable
rules of flight.

Continued….

29. 3/13/2021
 The RPA operator shall follow following aspects for safe
operation of RPA

a) Launch and recovery of RPA;

b) Collision Avoidance with other manned aircraft,
unmanned aircraft and obstacles;

c) Noise abatement;

d) Mitigation of hazard to persons or property;

e) Local airspace restrictions;

f) Right-of-way;

30. 3/13/2021

g) Compliance to NPNT requirements;

h) Carriage of Payload;

i) Protection of privacy of persons;

j) Submission of Flight Plan;

k) Communication with ATC; and

l) RPA emergency including loss of C2 link and
safe recovery of RPA in case RPA system failure

In the event of cancellation of flight operation, the applicant
should intimate on Digital Sky platform.


NPNT or 'No Permission – No Take-off” is a software program that enables
every RPA (except Nano) to obtain valid permissions through digital sky
platform before operating in India, it is an integral part of legal drone flight in
India.

31. 3/13/2021
Operational Approval through Digital Sky Platform

Digital Sky Platform: It is an online IT platform developed for handling
UIN, UAOP applications, permission to fly RPAs in India, available in
Homepage of DGCA


 Except for flights of Nano RPA and RPA owned or operated by
NTRO, ARC and Central Intelligence Agencies, shall obtain permission
through Digital Sky Platform.

 RPA Operators are required to submit flight plan of intended RPA
flights through Digital Sky Platform. Digital Sky will indicate whether
the proposed flight falls in RED, AMBER or GREEN Zones,

32. 3/13/2021
RED zones: Operation of RPA flights are not allowed
unless exempted by appropriate authority

AMBER Zone: are permitted to operate subject to
eligibility and clearance from appropriate authorities
including ATC, Air Defence authorities and/or local
administration

GREEN Zone: indicates unrestricted access to RPA
flights.

33. 3/13/2021
Quiz Time
A. No RPA shall be operated within …….from international border

1.25 km
2.35 km
3.45 km
4.55 km
B.Height of Operation of RPA shall be restricted to below 500 ft AGL
…..True/False
C.All RPA shall obtain UIN from DGCA except

1.Nano
2.Micro
3.Small
4.Large

D.All RPA operators shall inform the concerned local police except for
Micro RPA……True/False
E. No RPA shall be operated above the OLS and PANS ops
sufaces……..True/False

34. 3/13/2021
Provision of Air Traffic Services
 Unmanned aircraft will be allowed to operate in segregated
airspace clear of the flight paths of manned IFR flights.

 RPAS operating in VLOS will be considered as VFR flights.
Such flights will be operating below 400 ft AGL in uncontrolled
and controlled airspace and below OLS/PANS-OPS surfaces in
the proximity of airports but outside the No Drone Zones (NDZ).

 Flight crew of manned IFR and VFR flights should be aware of
the possibility of RPAS flights below 400 ft AGL.

 RPA operator are required to obtain SSR code from the
nearest ATC centre prior to commencement of flight.

35. 3/13/2021
Operation of RPAS in test Sites
Testing and demonstration of RPAS at test sites with conditions
below:

a)Application for approval for conducting test flights should be
submitted to DGCA at least 30 days in advance.

b) Application for use of airspace around the test sites should
be submitted to Directorate of Airspace Management, AAI at
least 15 days in advance, along with a copy of approval from
DGCA.

c) AAI will issue NOTAM pertaining to the RPAS test flight
operation.

d) Operator to coordinate with controlling authorities of nearby
danger and restricted areas, and local police authorities before
undertaking the test flight.

36. 3/13/2021
RPA Operator shall carry out following safety risk
assessment of the operational procedures and launch and
recovery sites.

a)Hazard identification;

b) Determination of severity and likelihood of hazard
on the operation;

c) Mitigation measures to reduce the risk identified

d) Verification
Safety Risk Assessment by RPA Operator

37. 3/13/2021
ATC preparedness to handle RPAS
 ATC Tasks:

Acceptance and Processing of Flight Plans

Issuance of FIC and ADC Number

Provide ATC and MET Briefing

Issuance of ATC Clearance

Tracking of RPA Movements

38. 3/13/2021
Unmanned Traffic coordination units (UCC) established
in ACC at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore,
Shmashabad, Nagpur, Ahmadabad, Trivandrum, Cochin,
Mangalore, Varanasi and Guwahati.

Should ensure that every RPA FPL has an FIC and
ADC number allocated.

Will responsible to be to clear the error queue
pertaining to RPAS RPL.

Should provide avbl. inf. to RPAS operator reg. all
airspace activities in case of any request.

has a dedicated telephone number for the purpose
of unmanned traffic coordination.

39. 3/13/2021
Quiz Time
A.Approval for conducting test flight should be submitted to
DGCA atleast …in advance

1.25 days
2.30 days
3.45 days
4.60 days

B. RPAS category will be mentioned in item…….of Flight Plan.

1.8
2.10
3.15
4.18

C. RPA operators are required to submit flight plan of RPA flight through…..
D. Remote pilot shall prefix RPA call-sign with the word……..

40. 3/13/2021



Future Challenges….
 The redefinition of airspace or introduction of new classifications of
airspace may be necessary for successful integration of RPAS.

RPAS flying in controlled airspace are not expected to be a major
issue but smaller RPAS are harder to detect and there is less knowledge
of their intended mission available to ATC.

 Recreational users of RPAS lack aviation knowledge.

 Cyber-risks are also high for RPAS operation.

 A seamless integration into air traffic system with an equivalent level
of safety as a manned aircraft must be achieved.

 RPAS capabilities will improve massively in :
 drones flying much higher,
 fuel cells increasing flight time and
 carbon fibre construction causing detection
regulation needs to be prepared for these changes.

41. 3/13/2021
Conditional Exemption to Govt. entities for covid-19
related RPAS operations as per public Notice dated 2/5/2020
Govt. of India lays down a simplified procedure for grant of
conditional Exemption to govt. entities subject to following terms and
conditions:

The conditional exemption shall be limited to RPA (not exceeding
25 Kg) deployed by an Authorized entity for aerial surveillance,
aerial photography and public announcements related to COVID-
19.

The conditional exemption shall be limited to battery operated
rotary wing RPA only. Fixed-wing RPA and autonomous RPA etc. is
strictly prohibited.

The responsibility of safe operation of the RPA shall rest
entirely with the authorized entity.

 Details of every RPA flight shall be uploaded on DGCA’s digital
sky platform within 7 days of undertaking the flight.

42. 3/13/2021

(G0258/20 NOTAMR G0257/20
Q) VIXX/QXXXX/IV/NBO/W/000/999/
A) VABF VECF VIDF VOMF
B) 2005051220 C) 2005312359
D) HJ
E) COVID-19:

1.OPERATION OF REMOTELY PILOTED AIRCRAFT ( NOT EXCEEDING 25 KG) BY
GOVERNMENT AUTHORISED ENTITIES.

2. DAYTIME VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT (VLOS) OPERATION OF ROTARY -WING NANO,
MICRO AND SMALL CATEGORY REMOTELY PILOTED AIRCRAFT (RPA) FOR COVID -
19 RELATED MISSIONS AUTHORISED BEYOND 5 KM FROM PERIMETER OF
AIRPORTS AT BENGALURU, CHENNAI, DELHI, HYDERABAD, KOLKATA AND
MUMBAI AND 3 KM FROM PERIMETER OF OTHER AIRPORTS UPTO 200 FT AGL.

3. PILOTS TO EXERCISE CAUTION.)
NOTAM
GARUD is an acronym for ‘Government Authorisation for Relief Using
Drones is online portal to provide necessary approvals and fast track
conditional exemptions to government agencies for COVID-19 related
drone operations.

43. 3/13/2021
References
1. Unmanned Aircraft Systems

https://www.icao.int/Meetings/UAS/Documents/Circular%20328_en.pdf

2. REMOTELY PILOTED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM (RPAS) CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS
(CONOPS) FOR INTERNATIONAL IFR OPERATIONS
https://www.icao.int/safety/UA/Documents/RPAS%20CONOPS.pdf

3. Manual on Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)
https://skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/4053.pdf

4. DGCA RPAS Guidance Manual
https://diceindia.org.in/wp-content/uploads/Updated-DGCA-RPAS-Guidance-Manual.pdf

5. DGCA CAR over RPAS
https://urbantransportnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Govt.-of-India_Drone-Policy-
2018_Guidelines-for-Operation-of-Civil-Remotely-Piloted-Aircraft.pdf

6. AIP over RPAS
https://diceindia.org.in/wp-content/uploads/AAI-AIPS_2018_164-Procedures-for-Operations-
of-Civil-RPAS.pdf

7. Rule 15A of Aircraft Rules, 1937.

44. 3/13/2021