Amendment to the EMC & RE Directives for unmanned aircraft (drones)

The new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Regulation 2018/1139 includes an amendment to the EMC and Radio Equipment Directives.

Manned aircraft continue to fall outside the scope of EMCD and RED. The EASA regulations now clarify the position with regard to unmanned aircraft (also known as drones).

Unmanned aircraft which operate on aeronautical frequencies will now be excluded from EMCD & RED once it has been certified by EASA, however they will still be subject to essential requirements relating to EMC and radio spectrum compliance.

The equipment used to control unmanned aircraft continues to fall under RED as well as the EASA Regulations.