ASSESSMENT OF AN UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM’S AIRWORTHINESS FOR CERTIFICATION

This article shows that there is a need to carry out the certification process of the system of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) as an element conditioning the safety of their operation. The published statistics related to the operation of this type of technical objects were presented and analysed stating that one of the causes of incidents and accidents involving the unmanned aircraft mostly includes failure of components of the unmanned aircraft systems. Considering the lack of definitive formulated legislation and procedures in this area, it gains particular importance. Bearing in mind the review nature of this article, it also introduces basic information on the certification of unmanned aircraft systems, according to standardisation agreements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Furthermore, this article presents the characteristics of unmanned aircraft systems, especially for this class of devices, in case of their failure there is no ultimate level of safety guarantee, which is the human factor – operator action.