UK’s Civil Aviation Authority Signs MOU with Boeing

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing as part of the CAA’s Innovation Sandbox project.

The Sandbox is part of CAA’s newly-formed Innovation Hub and acts in an advisory capacity, separate from the regulatory approval function of the CAA.

Boeing’s work under the MOU will fall primarily into four categories:

- Development and review of a safety case to enable beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) above 400 feet;

- Exploration of minimum requirements for detect and avoid (DAA) solutions as part of a layered safety case;

- Assessment and evaluation of current DAA solutions against these requirements; and

- Development of a proposed set of operational procedures to support BVLOS operations.

Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt, said, “We share the goal of promoting innovation and emerging technologies. At Boeing NeXt, we are working to lay the foundation for a future mobility ecosystem in which autonomous and piloted vehicles can safely coexist. Test-and-learn projects like those we’ll undertake with CAA are invaluable in that regard.”

Boeing will also perform a series of test flights to evaluate the projects outlined above.

Frédéric Laugère, Innovation Services Lead at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said, “Unlocking the potential for safe, everyday BVLOS operations by unmanned aircraft is a key element of our innovation work. Boeing’s planned input in our regulatory sandbox will look to help address some of the key outstanding issues and will help significantly in driving this work forward. Boeing’s significant experience in all areas of aviation means it is well placed to not only drive forward unmanned flight but also consider how BVLOS operations will impact all areas of aviation.”

The MOU is currently slated to last through 2020.

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