2021 US Code
Title 49 - Transportation
Subtitle VII - Aviation Programs
Part A - Air Commerce and Safety
Subpart iii - Safety
Chapter 448 - Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Sec. 44803 - Unmanned aircraft test ranges

(1) designate airspace for safely testing the integration of unmanned flight operations in the national airspace system;

(2) develop operational standards and air traffic requirements for unmanned flight operations at test ranges;

(3) coordinate with, and leverage the resources of, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense;

(4) address both civil and public unmanned aircraft systems;

(5) ensure that the program is coordinated with relevant aspects of the Next Generation Air Transportation System;

(6) provide for verification of the safety of unmanned aircraft systems and related navigation procedures as it relates to continued development of standards for integration into the national airspace system;

(7) engage test range operators, as necessary and within available resources, in projects for research, development, testing, and evaluation of unmanned aircraft systems to facilitate the Federal Aviation Administration's development of standards for the safe integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system, which may include solutions for—

(8) coordinate periodically with all test range operators to ensure test range operators know which data should be collected, what procedures should be followed, and what research would advance efforts to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system;

(9) streamline to the extent practicable the approval process for test ranges when processing unmanned aircraft certificates of waiver or authorization for operations at the test sites;

(10) require each test range operator to protect proprietary technology, sensitive data, or sensitive research of any civil or private entity when using that test range without the need to obtain an experimental or special airworthiness certificate; ¹

(11) allow test range operators to receive Federal funding, other than from the Federal Aviation Administration, including in-kind contributions, from test range participants in the furtherance of research, development, and testing objectives.

(1) review the operations of unmanned aircraft systems conducted at the test range, including—

(2) submit to the Administrator, in such form and manner as specified by the Administrator, the results of the review, including recommendations to further enable private research and development operations at the test ranges that contribute to the Federal Aviation Administration's safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system, on a quarterly basis until the program terminates.