At a recent House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee hearing, industry experts emphasized the urgent need for streamlined regulations and increased research and development (R&D) to propel the advancement of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the U.S. The Commercial Drone Alliance’s Executive Director and Escalate PR client, Lisa Ellman, highlighted the significant challenges posed by existing regulatory frameworks, hindering innovation and slowing down R&D efforts. With China’s dominance in the UAS sector raising national security concerns, the hearing aimed to explore ways to boost American R&D and manufacturing, ensuring the nation’s competitiveness and security in the evolving landscape of UAS technology.
For example, Ellman notes that a company designing a UAS weighing 55 pounds or more “must currently wait years to begin conducting R&D on its own property due to lengthy approval processes. While innovative programs like BEYOND and test sites try to offer alternative pathways, these programs are also often plagued by lengthy regulatory approval processing times. 