Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) safety and security aspects in the regulatory framework

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11367490

Keywords:

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), regulatory framework, Chicago Convention, Safety and security, Collision risks, Unauthorized access, EU regulations, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, UAS technology integration

Abstract

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have become integral to various sectors, offering substantial benefits in efficiency and accessibility. However, their integration into civilian airspace presents significant safety and security challenges. This article examines the regulatory framework governing UAS operations, focusing on measures designed to mitigate risks. Key aspects include airspace management, pilot certification, and technological safeguards such as geofencing and remote identification. The regulatory landscape is analyzed in terms of its ability to address collision risks, unauthorized access, and potential misuse for malicious purposes. The study highlights the balance regulators must achieve between fostering innovation and ensuring public safety and security, proposing enhancements to current policies to better adapt to the rapidly evolving UAS technology.

Author Biographies

  • Anna Konert, Lazarski University

    Legal Counsel; Habilitated doctor of legal sciences; associate professor at Lazarski University, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration at Lazarski University, head of postgraduate studies in aviation law; Director of the Institute of Aviation and Space Law, member of the board of the European Air Law Association, awarded the Rector's Medal for obtaining the title of the Best Graduate of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in 2005, honored with a scholarship from the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists in 2012. She specializes in aviation law since 2005, in 2006-2007 she worked in the legal department of the air carrier Air France in New York.

  • Tomasz Balcerzak, Lazarski University

    Tomasz Balcerzak, PhD. Eng. EASA/FAA Pilot.-Currently: CEO of Wademekum LTD. and Aerospace Technology LTD., Lecturer of Aviation and Space Law and Business Management at Lazarski University, Expert European Commission- Research Executive Agency (REA), Expert of European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency.
    -2013-2016-President of Polish Aviation Club.
    -2014-CEO/General Director of Eurolot Airlines.
    -2011-2014 Chairman of Supervisory Board of WRO LOT handling agent company.
    -2011-2013 COO/Board Member for Operations and Maintenance/Accountable Manager at LOT Polish
    Airlines.
    -2009-2011 CEO/COO in Enter Air- charter airline.
    Previous positions: Quality/Safety/Security Director at Fly Jet business executive airline, Managing Director at FDS- Flight Dispatch Services company, Director of Operations and Accountable Manager at Centralwings airline, lieute nant pilot-crew commander of the 36th Military Special Air Transport Regiment for VIP in Warsaw.
    Graduated from the Air Force Academy, received pilot, lieutenant engineer degree, magistry studies and PhD at Warsaw University, MBA at Warsaw School of Economics. Previously also Lecturer at Silesian Univeristy of Technology-Aviation Faculty and Aviation and Space Law at Institute of International Relations at Warsaw University.
    Extensive experience in the aviation industry and in managing projects of the operating companies. Founder and co-founder of several existing companies in Poland in aviation industry. Author and coauthor over 40 publications. Specializes in transportation, logistics, aviation and space. Hobbies: playing the saxophone.Tomasz Balcerzak, PhD. Eng. EASA/FAA Pilot.-Currently: CEO of Wademekum LTD. and Aerospace Technology LTD., Lecturer of Aviation and Space Law and Business Management at Lazarski University, Expert European Commission- Research Executive Agency (REA), Expert of European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency. -2013-2016-President of Polish Aviation Club. -2014-CEO/General Director of Eurolot Airlines. -2011-2014 Chairman of Supervisory Board of WRO LOT handling agent company. -2011-2013 COO/Board Member for Operations and Maintenance/Accountable Manager at LOT Polish Airlines. -2009-2011 CEO/COO in Enter Air- charter airline. Previous positions: Quality/Safety/Security Director at Fly Jet business executive airline, Managing Director at FDS- Flight Dispatch Services company, Director of Operations and Accountable Manager at Centralwings airline, lieute nant pilot-crew commander of the 36th Military Special Air Transport Regiment for VIP in Warsaw. Graduated from the Air Force Academy, received pilot, lieutenant engineer degree, magistry studies and PhD at Warsaw University, MBA at Warsaw School of Economics. Previously also Lecturer at Silesian Univeristy of Technology-Aviation Faculty and Aviation and Space Law at Institute of International Relations at Warsaw University. Extensive experience in the aviation industry and in managing projects of the operating companies. Founder and co-founder of several existing companies in Poland in aviation industry. Author and coauthor over 50 publications. Specializes in transportation, logistics, aviation and space. Hobbies: playing the saxophone.

  • Agnieszka Kunert-Diallo, Lazarski University

    Doctor of law, he has been working in the legal department of Polskie Linie Lotnicze S.A. for many years and serves as a Compliance Officer. Member of the aviation subcommittee of the State Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (KBWLLP) investigating the crash of the Polish Tu-154 in Smolensk. She is the author of many publications in the field of international aviation law.

References

Homeland Security, National Protection and Programs Directorate, Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis (OCIA), “Cybersecurity risks posed by unmanned aircraft systems”, May 2018, online: https://www.eisac.com/cartella/Asset/00007102/OCIA%20-%20Cybersecurity%20Risks%20Posed%20by%20Unmanned%20Aircraft%20Systems.pdf?parent=115994, accessed on 20/02/2024.

M. Huttunen, “Civil unmanned aircraft systems and security: The European approach”, Journal of Transportation Security, September 2019, p.1.

D. F. Katz, J. Pringle, G. J. Guillot, “Cybersecurity for drones: don’t fly blind”, Lexology, November 2019.

The Economist, “Technology Quarterly: Taking Flight”, 2017, online: www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2017-06-08/civilian-drones, accessed on 20/02/2024.

E. Vattapparamban, I. Güvenç, A. I. Yurekli, K. Akkaya and S. Uluağaç, "Drones for smart cities: Issues in cybersecurity, privacy, and public safety," 2016 International Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing Conference (IWCMC), Paphos, 2016, pp. 216-221.

R. Altawy, Amr. M. Youssef, “Security, privacy, and safety aspects of civilian drones: a survey”, ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems, November 2016, pp. 1-25.

H. Sedjelmaci, S. M. Senouci and M. Messous, "How to detect cyber-attacks in unmanned aerial vehicles network?", 2016 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Washington, DC, 2016, pp. 1-6.

B.I. Scott (ed.), “The law of unmanned aircraft systems. An introduction to the current and future regulation under national, regional and international law”, Kluwer Law International BV, The Netherlands, 2016.

R. Doss, S. Piramuthu, W. Zhou, “Future Network Systems and Security: 5th International Conference, FNSS 2019, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, November 27–29, 2019, Proceedings”.

C. Rani, H. Modares, R. Sriram, D. Mikulski, F. Lewis, “Security of unmanned aerial vehicle systems against cyber-physical attacks”, The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation: Applications, Methodology, Technology, 2015.

M. Geoff, E. Steuter, “Drone Nation: The Political Economy of America's New Way of War”, 2016, p. 63.

M.H. Au, S.M. Yiu, J. Li, X. Luo, C. Wang, A. Castiglione, K. Kluczniak, “Network and System Security: 12th International Conference, NSS 2018, Hong Kong, China, August 27-29, 2018, Proceedings”.

Yu-Min, T. Teck-Boon Tan, “Smart Cities: A New Age of Digital Insecurity, Survival”, Volume 60, 2018, pp. 91-106.

D. Barnhizer, D. Barnhizer, “The Artificial Intelligence Contagion: Can Democracy Withstand the Imminent Transformation of Work, Wealth and the Social Order?”, 2019.

Skybrary, see definition of “unlawful interference”, 2020, online: https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Unlawful_Interference, accessed on 21/05/2024.

R. Abeyrante, “The Beijing Convention of 2010 on the suppression of unlawful acts relating to international civil aviation – an interpretative study”, Journal of Transportation Security, 2011, Volume 4 (2), p.132.

Beijing Protocol 2010, Supplementary to the convention for the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft, online: https://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/Docs/beijing_protocol_multi.pdfaccessed on 21/02/2024.

ICAO, Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed at Chicago on 7 December 1944, ICAO Doc. 7300/9 (2006), online: https://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/7300_cons.pdf, accessed on 21/02/2024. The Chicago Convention came into force on 4 April 1947.

ICAO, Twelfth Air Navigation Conference, online: ICAO https://www.icao.int/Meetings/anconf12/pages/default.aspx, accessed on 21/02/2024.

ICAO, Annex 17 to the Convention on Civil Aviation, Security: Safeguarding International Civil Aviation Against Acts of Unlawful Interference, 10th edition, Amendment 16, 2018.

ICAO, Assembly Resolution, Addressing Cybersecurity in Civil Aviation, Appendix A39-ICAO Doc. WP/17 EX/5 30/5/16, 2016.

M. Pyzynski, “Current approach to secure the civil aviation industry against cyber threats”, Prawo a nowoczesność. Wyzwania – problemy – nadzieje, Warsaw 2019, pp. 219-229.

ICAO, “Aviation Cybersecurity Strategy”, October 2019, online: https://www.icao.int/cybersecurity/Documents/AVIATION%20CYBERSECURITY%20STRATEGY.EN.pdf, accessed on 21/02/2024.

See ICAO, “Assembly Resolutions in Force”, Doc 101140, online: https://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/10140_en.pdf, accessed on 21/02/2024.

F. Coman-Kund, “European Union Agencies as Global Actors: A Legal Study of the European Aviation Safety Agency, Frontex and Europol”, London and New York: Routledge Tylor & Francis Group, 2018, pp. 120-123.

EASA, “High Level Meeting: Cybersecurity in Civil Aviation”, 2016.

ESCP, “Strategy for cybersecurity in aviation”, 2019, online: https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Cybersecurity%20St, accessed on 24/02/2024.

EASA, “High Level Conference Cybersecurity in Civil Aviation Krakow Declaration”, 2017, online: https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/DECLARATION-Krakow-Cybersecurity.pdf, accessed on 23/02/2024.

EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and amending Regulations (EC) No 2111/2005, (EC) No 1008/2008, (EU) No 996/2010, (EU) No 376/2014 and Directives 2014/30/EU and 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 552/2004 and (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91.

EASA, The European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS) 2018-2022, 2017, online: https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/EASA%20MB%20Decision%2008-2017%20Annex%201%20EPAS%202018-2022.pdf, accessed on 22/02/2024.

J. Anton, “Cybersecurity; an EASA perspective on developments and challenges”, online: https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/workgroups/Documents/Paperless_Conference_2017/Day1/1100-1130_Cybersecurity_EASA.pdf, accessed on 23/02/2024.

J. Rasmussen, EASA, “Conclusions of High Level Cybersecurity Conference”, 2020, online: https://www.easa.europa.eu/newsroom-and-events/events/2020-high-level-cybersecurity-conference, accessed on 19/05/2024.

United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), “Securing Wireless Networks”, 2016, online: www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST05-003, accessed on 19/05/2024.

T. Hamilton, D. Ochmanek, “Operating Low-Cost, Reusable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Contested Environments” published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, USA 2020.

M. Ostrihansky, M. Sakowska-Baryła, M.Szmigiero,The law of drones, Unmanned aircraft in European Union law, Warszawa 2021.

The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace [online], February 2003, http://www.hsdl.org/?view&- did=1040, accessed on 25/04/2024.

B. Pacek, R. Hoffman, Działania sił zbrojnych w cyberprzestrzeni, Warszawa 2013.

E. Nowak, M. Nowak, Zarys teorii bezpieczeństwa narodowego, Warszawa 2011.

P. Sienkiewicz, H. Świeboda, Sieci teleinformatyczne jako instrument państwa – zjawisko walki informacyjnej, in: Bezpieczeństwo teleinformatyczne państwa.

E. Lichocki, Model systemu zarządzania kryzysowego w warunkach zagrożeń cyberterrorystycznych dla bezpieczeństwa informacyjnego Sił Zbrojnych RP, Wydział Bezpieczeństwa Narodowego Akademii Obrony Narodowej, Warszawa 2009.

Aleksandrowicz T., Strategie bezpieczeństwa w cyberprzestrzeni. Cyberwojny, w: Sieciocentryczne bezpieczeństwo. Wojna, pokój i terroryzm w epoce informacji, K. Liedel, P. Piasecka, T. Aleksandrowicz (red.), Warszawa 2014, Difin.

Konert A., Bezzałogowe statki powietrzne. Nowa era w prawie lotniczym. Zagadnienia cywilnoprawne, C.H. Beck, Warszawa 2020.

Konert A., Kasprzyk P., Drone Law. Future of Aviation Law?, Peter Lang, 2023.

Konert A., Kotliński M., “How come I cannot fly with the drone over the White House?” - Criminal and Civil Liability of the Drone Operator in Poland, Ius Novum nr 4/2018.

Konert A., Kotliński M., Polish regulations on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Transprtation Research Procedia Volume 35, 2018.

Konert A., Odpowiedzialność operatora bezzałogowego statku powietrznego za opóźnienie lub odwołanie lotu , Ius Novum 1/2021.

Konert A., Przetwarzanie danych osobowych przez operatorów bezzałogowych statków powietrznych, Ius Novum 2/2021.

Osiecki M., Fortońska A., Książek-Janik E., Criminal liability for unlawful usage of unmanned aircraft vehicles in selected countries of the world. 2023 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), 903-910.

Osiecki M., Fortońska, A., Berus, M. et al. Drone as a Target of Terrorist Attack and a Weapon Against Terrorism – Analysis in the Light of International Law. J Intell Robot Syst 106, 6 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-022-01712-2.

Osiecki M., International Legal Aspects of Aerial Terrorism. Methods of Law Enforcement in Aviation, Peter Lang Publishing (2002) Berlin, pp. 86-93.

Kostur K., Żmigrodzka M., Balcerzak T. (2020), Bezzałogowe statki powietrzne w ochronie przeciwpożarowej, Unmanned aerial vehicles in fire protection, REVISTA EUROPEA DE DERECHO DE LA NAVEGACIÓN MARÍTIMA YAERONÁUTICA, ISSN (versión electrónica).

Pyzynski M., Balcerzak T. (2020), Cybersecurity of the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), REVISTA EUROPEA DE DERECHO DE LA NAVEGACIÓN MARÍTIMA YAERONÁUTICA, ISSN (versión electrónica): 2386-8902, ISSN (versión impresa): 1130-2127 Depósito legal: Z-3235-99 Malaga.

Balcerzak T., Kostur-Balcerzak K., Żmigrodzka M., (2019), Cybersecurity in civil aviation, Bezpieczeństwo w międzynarodowym i krajowym prawie lotniczym i kosmicznym, ISBN: 978-83-7996-752-0.

Żmigrodzka M. (2022) Opportunities and Threats to Services using Unmanned Aerial Systems, Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, eISSN2395-6518.

Published

2024-05-28

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2024): Scientific Journal of Safety and Logistics

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Scientific Journal of Safety and Logistics

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) safety and security aspects in the regulatory framework. (2024). Scientific Journal of Safety and Logistics, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11367490

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1-10 of 14

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.