Defense Ministry simplifies UAV rules during martial law
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has approved changes to four key orders on the use of drones.
As noted in a message on the department's website on Thursday, requirements that were irrelevant during the war have been canceled. A number of their provisions are no longer applicable for the period of martial law and for three months after its termination.
"The norms have been brought into line with the realities of modern warfare. The orders adopted before the full-scale invasion contained rules that were impossible to fulfill due to the high intensity of hostilities, a large number of different types of UAVs, and the rapid change in the technologies for their use. Some of them not only did not correspond to reality, but were also dangerous. For example, there was a requirement to place operators' contact details on drones," the head of the Office of Changes of the Ministry of Defense, Yulia Marushevska, is quoted as saying.
Requirements for flights and maintenance of drones have been simplified. In particular, the rules for flights by unmanned aircraft complexes of the state aviation of Ukraine will not apply to single-use UAVs of all types and classes, as well as UAVs of class I of the "micro" (tactical, weighing up to 2 kg, for example Mavic 3) and "mini" (tactical battlefield, weighing up to 15 kg, such as DJI Matrice 300). Most types of UAVs are not subject to mandatory inclusion in the register of state aircraft.
Personnel operating class I drones do not need to be sent for a mandatory flight medical examination to determine fitness for flight, according to the changes. Admission to operating UAVs is granted by order of the unit commander. The rules for medical support of state aviation flights do not apply to crews of class I UAVs.
More details about the changes can be found in the announcement on the department's website.
As noted, the ministry took these measures in response to requests from the military, which indicated the need to repeal outdated rules, in particular through the Ministry of Defense's deregulation portal.
The update was prepared by the Change Support Office of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in cooperation with the Main Directorate of State Aviation of the Ministry of Defense and the Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.