Civil UAV Capability Assessment

[sgmgrumpy]

LA County Sheriff's Office was one of the first to try and incorporate UAV ops into law enforcement, but after the FAA shut em dowm over the LOS/500ft rule or at least it is still running into problems with airspace control. I was wondering if any other departments were running or planning to add a UAV Fixed wing or rotary capable ops cell into their public safety sections either LE or FR.

Civil UAV Capability Assessment

Potential Civil Applications

The suitability of UAVs in “dull, dirty and dangerous” missions, the increasing success of
UAVs in service and demonstration, the increases in payload capability of more recent
Many technology forecasting publications have cited a wide range of applications that
include UAVs taking on new missions, replacing the methods for existing missions and
adding a new dimension to existing missions. Examples of these missions include:
• Border & Costal Patrol and Monitoring
• Homeland Security
• Law Enforcement & Disaster Operations
• Digital Mapping & Planning/Land Management
• Search & Rescue
• Fire Detection and Firefighting Management
• Communications and Broadcast Services
• Precision Agriculture and Fisheries
• Ground Transportation Monitoring and Control
• Satellite Augmentation Systems
• Air Traffic Control Support
• Power Transmission line Monitoring
• Environmental Research & Air Quality Management/Control

Major civil and commercial market barriers include:
• Lack of airspace regulation that covers all types of UAV systems (encompassing
‘sense and avoid’, airspace integration and airworthiness issues)
• Affordability - price and customization issues (e.g. commercial off-the-shelf, open
modular architecture)
• Efforts to establish joint customer requirements
• Liability for civil operation
• Capacity for payload flexibility
• Sensor technology and miniaturization
• Lack of secure non-military frequency for civil operation
• Perceived reliability (e.g. vehicle attrition rate vs. manned aircraft)
• Operator training issues
• Recognition/customer perception
• Technology developments for multi-mission capability
• International barriers for use

Los Angeles Sheriff's UAV Runs Headfirst Into the FAA

“A private citizen can go to the store and buy one of those model airplanes and fly them around. But because we're doing it as a public service, we have to deal with the FAA?” said Sheriff's Cmdr. Sid Heal. Once they “take a deep breath and realize there was no malice intended, it will get back on track.”

NEW! SR20 flying R34 code.
This flight demonstrates an autonomous take off, hovering maneuvers, fast forward flight (25 knots) and autonomous landing

DEMO VIDEO
http://www.rotomotion.com/downloads/SR20_R34_small.mov

Website
http://www.rotomotion.com