Drones (or UAS/RPAS) are becoming ever more prevalent in our airways as we discover new ways in which they can facilitate our day-to-day lives. Specific Category drones can perform medium risk operations (SAIL III/SAIL IV), including operations in urban areas, such as the delivery of parcels, or aerial inspections of facilities. of or any kind of operations in built-up areas. In certain circumstances, some Specific Category drones can operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the pilot.
These kinds of flight operations are deemed to be of an ‘increased risk’ as opposed to those of Open Category drones, which occupy C0-C4 of the European classification. The Specific Category includes, but isn’t limited to, C5 and C6, which are the defined classes that allow operations in standard scenarios STS1 (VLOS over populated environments) and STS2 (BLVOS – beyond the visual line of sight).
While there are different compliance tests required to test the correct functionality of Specific Category UAS, the increased risk attributed to their activities means that drone operators must also complete a flight authorization process.
YOUR PARTNER FOR DRONE OPERATION RISK ASSESSMENTS: SORA & SC-LUAS
At the operational level, we offer expert support for conducting SORA risk assessments. This service includes determination of the Specific Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL) of the operation, as well as the verification of all the tests needed to demonstrate the robustness of the drone and the effectiveness of the provided mitigations. We also prepare and provide the Means of Compliance (MoC) required for the operator to pass the EASA design verification process in order to obtain SC-LUAS (Special Condition for Light Unmanned Aircraft Systems) certification.
VALIDATION TESTING & CE Marking FOR SPECIFIC CATEGORY UAS
For CE marking, our teams of UAS experts are at hand to support you in every step of the regulatory process. We are a Notified Body for certifying UAS under EU 2019/945, and we can perform every single validation test required from our global network of fully-accredited laboratories and flight facilities.
SPECIFIC CATEGORY UAS TESTING: IN-LAB & IN-FLIGHT
Our experts have a long track record in testing aerospace electrics, electronics, mechanics, acoustics and cybersecurity, and test UAS from state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities.
 INDOOR (LABORATORY) TESTING |
 OUTDOOR (FLIGHT) TESTING |
| Geo-Caging (In Lab Conditions) – Specific to C6 | Geo-Caging (In Flight Conditions) – Specific to C6 |
| Programmable Trajectory (In Lab Conditions) – Specific to C6 | Programmable Trajectory (In Flight Conditions) – Specific to C6 |
| Flight Termination System (In Lab Conditions) | Flight Termination System (In Flight Conditions) |
| MTOM | Maximum Speed |
| Maximum Dimension Characteristic | Maximum Attainable Height |
| Mechanical Strength (In Lab Conditions) | Safety Controllable |
| UA Tethering System | Mechanical Strength (In Flight Conditions) |
| Impact at Terminal Velocity (In Lab Conditions) | Impact at Terminal Velocity (In Flight Conditions) |
| Minimise Injury to People (In Lab Conditions) | Minimise Injury to People (In Flight Conditions) |
| Command and Control (C2) (In Lab Conditions) | Command and Control Monitoring (C2) (In Flight Conditions) |
| Sound Power | Battery Low-Level |
| Electrical Power | Lighting (In Flight Conditions) |
| Lighting (In Lab Conditions) | Follow-Me Mode |
| Flight Termination System (In Lab Conditions) | Low Speed Mode |
| Unique Physical Serial Number (In Lab Conditions) | Auto, Control Modes Conditions |
| Direct Remote Identification (In Lab Conditions) | Direct Remote Identification (In Flight Conditions) |
| Network Remote Identification (In Lab Conditions) | Network Remote Identification (In Flight Conditions) |
| Geo-Awareness and Airspaces Limitation Function (In Lab Conditions) | Geo-Awareness and Airspaces Limitation Function (In Flight Conditions) |
| Manufacturer’s Instructions | |
| Information Notice |
REMOTE TESTING SOLUTIONS TO KEEP YOU IN THE LOOP
By partnering with Applus+ Laboratories you will benefit from our remote testing solutions, designed to keep everyone up to speed in real-time, wherever they are. Any relevant collaborator in the project can monitor and even participate in the testing and gathering of results, depending on their assigned role.