Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to create a regulatory regime for large drones flying in the UK operated by (a) the Ministry of Defence, (b) other Government agencies and (c) other operators.
Answered by James Heappey
The Military Aviation Authority (MAA) is responsible for the regulation of all military Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) (which are divided into categories); the relevant Regulatory Articles (RAs) can be found on www.gov.uk and mandate that all RPAS contained on the UK Military Aircraft Register must be operated in a manner that minimizes the risk and hazards to other airspace users, ground crew and persons over which RPAS are flown.
As the operation of larger RPAS in the Certified Category presents Risk to Life similar to that of crewed aviation, these RPAS are subject to the same regulatory regime as crewed aviation.
The MAA is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (who are responsible for the regulation of non-military RPAS) to ensure coherency and further develop policy and regulation that will meet the requirements of future RPAS/Unmanned Air System (UAS) operations in the UK to ensure that large RPAS/UAS are safe to operate and operated safely.
Further information on Categorization can be found in Regulatory Article (RA) 1600 - Remotely Piloted Air Systems. The RAs specific to RPAS can be found within the RA 1600 Series and RA 2000 Series.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned flights of SkyGuardian are in 2021 in the UK; what routes those planned flights will be using; how long those planned flights will be operating for each day; and when those planned flights will (a) begin and (b) end.
Answered by James Heappey
SkyGuardian will always operate in controlled airspace in agreement with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and National Air Traffic Services (NATS), just like any other aircraft within UK airspace.
It will fly only in approved areas and it will not be flying at low altitude over any population centres.
The CAA will publish an airspace coordination notice covering all the above aspects in due course.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of Protector military drone flights on local people in and around the area covered by the Airspace Change Proposal initiated for RAF Waddington.
Answered by James Heappey
In developing its Air Change Proposal for the area around RAF Waddington, the MOD is following the CAP1616 process as mandated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with respect to any air space changes within the UK.
The CAP1616 process prescribes the information required by the CAA, including any potential impact on affected areas, and how stakeholder and public consultations are to take place.
The MOD expects to carry out a full consultation with communities within any potentially affected areas later this year. This will provide an opportunity for the public to understand any potential impact and offer their views on the proposal.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has contacted local authorities and residents in the vicinity of RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Waddington to inform them about the planned arrival of SkyGuardian and its operations.
Answered by James Heappey
Details on the SkyGuardian demonstrations are already being shared nationally through the RAF and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) websites and via social media outlets. Both stations will engage with local authorities and residents through existing community engagement channels and social media prior to the arrival of the SkyGuardian aircraft.