Safety issues of the Portuguese Military Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the safety issues of the Portuguese Military Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), namely the human error, integration into regulated common national airspace (considering the rules of air) and the airworthiness certification aspects. The Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional (AAN) safety requirements for the RPAS airworthiness certification and operation authorization processes are presented. This paper also brings out the safety assessment methodology by addressing its application to the Antex-X02 RPAS, a platform under development by the Portuguese Air Force Academy. The result of the safety assessment has contributed to obtain a Permit to Fly, a clearance issued by the AAN.