Remotely Piloted Aircraft

Currently, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) cannot fly outside certain restricted areas in the United States. As such, RPAs cannot participate in domestic catastrophic events due to restrictive Federal Aviation Administration regulations. This paper determines the feasibility of integration, identifies roadblocks, and suggests ways for the government to integrate RPAs to effectively participate in domestic disaster relief efforts. The RPA capabilities of unarmed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; incident assessment; and search and rescue with loiter times over 24 hours and the ability to provide real-time data to supported units with low overall risk would add to an already robust air response. The applications of such capabilities are endless: border patrol, counterterrorism, counterdrug operations, and disaster relief efforts. RPAs could provide dedicated and persistent incident awareness and assessment in emergency responses.