Drone Regulations
16. Do specific rules regulate UAS manufacturers?
Bahamas
There are no specific rules regulating RPA manufacturers in The Bahamas.
Bolivia
This is not yet detailed in the regulation project.
Brazil
Yes. Subpart E of the Brazilian regulation RBAC-E 94 lists all necessary regulations manufacturers should follow to obtain ANAC’s approval. ANATEL is in charge of radiofrequency regulations in Brazil and also rules the specific characteristics which manufacturer’s should follow for UAS operation in Brazil.
Canada
No. Transport Canada does maintain a list of compliant UAS that meet a small UAV design standard. Use of these compliant UAS can result in an expedited application process for SFOC’s.
Colombia
No there are not yet.
Costa Rica
There are not specific rules for manufacturers.
El Salvador
There are not specific rules for manufacturers.
Germany
No.
Guatemala
There is not an express regulation on this matter.
India
The CAR provides the minimum standards for manufacturing of small and above categories of UAS which must be followed by all manufacturers. Apart from the indigenous manufacturers, entities importing parts and assembling UAS in India (assembler) are also considered as manufacturer and have to comply with the minimum standards for manufacturing prescribed under the CAR.
Israel
Pursuant to Section 52 of the Air Navigation Law, the manufacturing of aircraft, aviation equipment or aircraft parts (including UAS that are construed as “aircraft” under the said Law) for the purpose of selling them, is subject to the procurement of a manufacturing licence, and the manufacturing activity may only be performed in accordance with the express terms and conditions of the licence. The specific prerequisites for obtaining a manufacturing licence are set forth in Section 53 of the Air Navigation Law.
In addition, pursuant to the Registration Regulations, an Israeli business that engages in the sale or manufacture of aircraft must likewise possess a “dealer’s registration certificate”, in order to operate its aircraft in Israel (see: response to question 11 above).
However, according to Sections 33(a) and 33(d) to the Draft Regulations (Small Drones), the Registration Regulations and Section 52 of the Air Navigation Law shall not apply on small drones.
Italy
Yes, any manufacturer willing to engage in the serial production of drones must apply ENAC to obtain the so called “certificato di progetto” (i.e. design certificate), which is issued by ENAC upon positive assessment of specific safety and operational requirements. In order to obtain a design certificate the manufacturer must: (i) hold a suitable productive organization of means and personnel; (ii) provide ENAC with a complete drone configuration; (iii) have carried out all the necessary tests and analysis to ascertain specific conditions and limitations related to the safety of drones; (iv) prepare relevant flight manual and maintenance manual for subsequent use by the operator. The design certificate issued by ENAC includes the following information: (i) details of the manufacturer; (ii) drone configuration; (iii) scenarios of permitted flight operations, including relevant conditions and/or limitations; (iv) related technical documents.
Any single drone produced by a manufacturer must be accompanied by a statement of conformity issued by the manufacturer itself, attesting compliance of the single product with the configuration laid down in the relevant design certificate.
Kenya
Currently, there are no rules regulating UAS manufacture in Kenya. However, upon promulgation of the Draft Regulations, any person who will intend to manufacture assemble, test or sell a UAS or a component thereof will be required to apply for a permit from the KCAA.[19]
[19] Regulation 8 of the Draft Civil Aviation (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Regulations,2019
Mexico
Mandatory rules number “CO AV23/10 R4” establish that Mexican RPAS manufacturers must register and notify the DGAC and/or the Ministry of Communications and Transportation of RPAS sold with a take-off weight exceeding 250 grams.
Nicaragua
There is not an express regulation on this matter.
Norway
There are no specific rules governing the legal position of UAS manufacturers. General rules on manufacturing and distribution of products will apply, hereunder the Product Control Act and the Product Liability Act (both based on similar EU directives).
Pakistan
No
Panama
No, there are no specific rules for the manufacturers within Panamanian regulations.
Philippines
Presently, the PCAR does not provide for specific rules for the regulation of UAS manufacturers in general.
Portugal
N/A.
Puerto Rico
There is no current state legislation in Puerto Rico covering UAS manufacturers.
Romania
No.
South Africa
Yes. With regards to UAS which have been manufactured to be sold or re-sold within South Africa, there are certain requirements that a UAS seller must meet before the sale of a UAS may be affected. A seller of a UAS must, by way of a packaging label, or in the case of the resale thereof, by way of written notification, notify a buyer of the certain specific provisions of the CARs which stipulate the relevant requirements and restrictions which apply regarding the operation and use of a UAS.
Spain
Since the EU Regulation 2019/945 came into force, all manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers, agents and distributors involved in introducing the drones into the market must comply with the requirements provided in said regulation which goes from the MTOW, sound power level or voltage, to CE marking or EU conformity.
The Regulation deeply develops the requirements for manufacturers and the rest of stakeholders but just for those drones which will fall under the OPEN category, creating the requirements that the operators must comply by-design transferring the bulk of the compliance efforts on said manufacturers and just leaving to the operators some minimum requirements. However, for those drones dedicated to SPECIFIC and CERTIFIED category of operations, the regulation obliges to certify the design, production and maintenance of said drones.
Switzerland
No, UAS manufacturers are currently not specifically regulated. However, specific rules may apply in relation to the procurement of state drones. Moreover, the design may be evaluated by the FOCA during an authorization process for a special permit (see Question 8 above).
However, as of June 2020, the detailed rules on manufacture and design of UAS as per the New EU Drone Regulations will apply (see Miscellaneous and Most Recent Changes below).
Turkey
No, there are no specific rules regulating UAS manufacturers although the minimum technical and equipment requirements for different classes of UAS’s are listed in Article 7 of the Directive.
United Kingdom
Not aviation specific as far as we are aware.
United States of America
On a federal level, there are no regulations specifically directed at the manufacture of UAS.