UK CAA proposes drone regulation changes

• UK CAA publishes policy recommendations in response to the Review of UK UAS Regulations consultation;

• Final proposals include ways to simplify regulation for users, improve knowledge of regulations, and mitigate issues that arise in relation to safety and security issues;

• CAA says the proposals aim to foster growth in the UAS sector;

• The recommendations will be taken to the Department for Transport for ratification.

Introducing UK-specific product markings for class-marked drones, renaming the Open Category's operational subcategories, enabling legacy drones to be used indefinitely, allowing EU class-marked drones to operate in the Open Category, and implementing Direct Remote ID and geo-awareness/geo-fencing for UAS.

These are just some of the proposals outlined by the UK Civil Aviation Authority to transform regulation.

The Authority has today (May 8, 2025) released a catalogue of final policy recommendations in response to the Review of UK UAS Regulations consultation (CAP 2610), published in November 2023.

The recommendations focus on five areas: Simplifying regulations for users; Improving knowledge of UAS recommendations; Ensuring UAS have an effective minimum level of safety, security, and performance; mitigating the likelihood of UAS posing safety and security issues; and a broader look at the sector.

Some of the proposals are summarised below:

• Simplify operational requirements in the A1 and A3 sub-categories;

• Rename operational subcategories to ‘Over’, ‘Near’ and ‘Far’;

• Remove exclusions for ‘Toy’ UAS from registration requirements;

• Require pilots flying UAS weighing 100g or more to take the free online Flyer ID test;

• Implement UAS product safety and security standards;

• Introduce UK-specific product marking for class-marked UAS, ie replacing the C0 label with UK0 and so forth;

• Allow EU class-marked UAS to operate in the Open Category, in the same subcategories as their UK equivalents, prior to January 1, 2028;

• Implement Direct Remote ID for UAS;

• Implement geo-awareness and geo-fencing;

• Require flashing lights for UAS operations in the dark;

• Allow legacy drones to be used indefinitely under existing operational requirements, in most cases.

The CAA says that, collectively, these proposals aim to foster growth within the sector by simplifying and future-proofing the regulatory framework and enabling new and innovative use cases through the implementation of UK class marking.

The watchdog adds that it is proposing to enable operators who have already invested in the UAS sector to continue using their existing devices in most cases.

The final proposals take into account feedback from the consultation, which received 3,477 responses from across the sector, including recreational and commercial operators, UAS manufacturers, and service providers.

Following the document's publication, the UK CAA will publish its formal opinion and submit it to the Department for Transport (DfT).

If the DfT takes forward the proposals, regulation changes will be progressed through a statutory instrument - with a timetable determined by the DfT and then communicated to the UAS sector.

What is proposed?

So, let's explore in more detail what the UK CAA is proposing.

Simplifying regulations

The first set of proposals focuses on simplifying regulations. The proposals are to:

• Allow C1/UK1 class-marked UAS to overfly uninvolved people, harmonising the operational requirements in the A1 subcategory for different types of UAS.

• Allow C0/UK0 and C1/UK1 UAS to fly in the A3 subcategory, to make it easier for users to understand what class of UAS can be used in each subcategory.

• Clarify that UAS operating in the A3 subcategory must fly a minimum of 50m horizontally from uninvolved people, to ensure the safety of uninvolved people.

• Require UAS operating in the A3 subcategory to fly a minimum of 50m horizontally from individual buildings, to ensure regulations are clear and proportionate for UAS operations away from congested areas but near buildings.

• Rename the operational subcategories to ‘Over people' (currently named A1), ‘Near people' (currently named A2), and ‘Far from people' (currently named A3), so that subcategory names are more intuitive and descriptive for UAS users.

• Replace the current exclusions from registration and pilot competency requirements for ‘toy’ UAS operations, with an exclusion for UAS weighing less than 100g, making the criteria for these exclusions more objective and easier to understand.

Improving knowledge of UAS regulations

The second set of recommendations focuses on improving the knowledge of UAS regulations. The CAA is proposing to:

• Develop and publish updated, user-friendly guidance material, making it easier for users to understand how to comply with the regulations.

• Require remote pilots of UAS weighing 100g or more to take the free online Flyer ID test for UAS operations in the Open Category, to ensure pilots of light-weight drones have a foundational understanding of UAS regulations to improve the level of safety for all UAS users.

The table below provides an overview of how the proposed changes would impact registration and pilot competency requirements.

Current requirements

Proposed requirements

The UK CAA recommends that these requirements come into force 3 months after the statutory instrument is laid in Parliament, allowing drone users appropriate time to complete the Flyer ID test.

Effective drone safety, security and performance

The third set of recommendations focuses on ensuring that UAS have an effective minimum level of safety, security and performance. The CAA is proposing to:

• Implement UAS product requirements for UAS intended to be used in the Open Category from January 1, 2026, so that UAS placed on the market are safe and secure by design, to minimise the likelihood and impact of UAS causing harm.

• Use UK-specific class-identification labels on class-marked UAS, replacing the C0 label with UK0 and so forth, to differentiate between compliance in the UK and EU.

• Formally appoint the CAA as the Market Surveillance Authority for UAS under statute, to oversee product requirements in the UK.

Mitigating drone security threats

The UK CAA document also sets out proposals to mitigate the likelihood of drones posing safety and security issues, helping to ensure a safe and secure airspace.

This includes Direct Remote ID and Geo-awareness - with requirements for up until December 31, 2027, and then from January 1, 2028, onwards. The two tables below provide an overview.

For reference, in the tables:

a = Geo-awareness functionality is optional.

b = Exemption applies if the remote pilot has an active membership with an Article 16 authorised model aircraft flying club; UAS meets defined criteria for model aircraft; flight takes place within model aircraft flying site.

c = The operator will be required to install a Direct Remote ID add-on module if the device does not have existing Direct Remote ID functionality

Up to December 31, 2027

From January 1, 2028

The information below breaks down these elements in more detail.

Remote ID

The CAA wants to implement Direct Remote ID product and operational requirements from January 1, 2026.

These requirements would come into force for UK1, UK2, UK3, UK5, and UK6 UAS, unless exempted under a Specific Category Operational Authorisation (OA).

The CAA is also proposing to extend the implementation of Direct Remote ID product and operational requirements from January 1, 2028. The further requirements will come into force for:

• UK0 UAS weighing 100g or more with a camera;

• Model Aircraft (e.g. UK4 UAS) unless exempted;

• Privately built UAS weighing 100g or more with a camera;

• Legacy UAS (i.e. those not within the scope of UK class marking) weighing 100g or more with a camera.

Geo-awareness

The proposals also include the implementation of geo-awareness for UK1, UK2, and UK3 UAS from January 1, 2026. From January 1, 2028, geo-awareness will also be required for UK0 UAS with cameras weighing 100g or more.

The CAA says that this will help to prevent UAS entering restricted airspace without appropriate permission.

Under the proposals, geo-awareness requirements for UK5 and UK6 UAS would continue to be optional, while UK4 UAS, legacy UAS, and privately-built UAS would remain out of scope.

Geofencing

The UK CAA wants to continue to work with the government, industry, and operators to progress towards geofencing and a full Hybrid Remote ID solution (i.e. Network and Direct Remote ID) over a longer time period.

The Authority says that this will support the enforcement of UAS regulations, deter unlawful operations, and will have a low impact to lawful UAS operators, and that this phased approach provides the time needed to implement geofencing and Hybrid Remote ID effectively.

Active Flashing Light

The CAA also wants to amend the regulation to require nighttime UAS operations to have an active flashing light, ensuring these UAS are visible in the dark.

Broader support for the drone sector

The UK CAA's final set of recommendations focus on broader support for the sector.

One of the key proposals is to allow legacy drones to be used indefinitely under existing operational requirements, in most cases, rather than having them bound by additional restrictions come January 1, 2026 - as set out by current regulation. This essentially increases the Transitional Period.

The Authority proposes to:

• Allow most UAS users to continue operating their existing UAS in the same operational subcategories as today, in most cases. The CAA says that this approach will deliver further simplification of requirements, whilst ensuring UAS users are not exposed to additional costs or inconvenience.

• Allow the use of legacy drones in the A2 subcategory indefinitely - where the drone weighs less than 2kg, is operated at a minimum horizontal distance of 50m from people, and the remote pilot has an A2 CofC.

• Change the rules so that legacy drones weighing between 250g and 499g will no longer be allowed to fly in the A1 subcategory with an A2 CofC. But they can fly in the A2 subcategory - with a minimum horizontal distance of 50m from uninvolved people, and an A2 CofC required - or in the A3 subcategory.

• Allow EU class-marked UAS to operate in the Open Category, in the same subcategories as their UK equivalents, prior to January 1, 2028. This aims to support UAS users to conduct operations in the Open Category before UK class-marked UAS become widely available. The UK CAA says that, in practice, this would enable C1 UAS weighing up to 900g to operate in the Over People (A1) sub-category, and for C2 UAS weighing up to 4kg to operate in the Near People (A2) sub-category.

• Introduce more flexible conformity assessment requirements for manufacturers, enabling self-declaration in a wider range of scenarios.

UK CAA statement

Within the document, the UK CAA says this about the proposals:

'Collectively, these proposals will future-proof the regulatory framework for UAS, by making regulations more suitable for end users, providing stronger safety and security mitigations, and helping the UAS sector to transition to new regulations.

'Our policy recommendations aim to foster growth within the UAS sector by simplifying the regulatory framework and enabling new and innovative use cases through the implementation of UK class marking.

'The proposed regulatory changes are designed to provide industry and operators with a smooth transition to the new framework, minimising disruption while ensuring that safety and security benefits are realised without delay.

'We are committed to reducing unnecessary red tape, and are therefore proposing to enable operators who have already invested in the UAS sector to continue using their existing devices in most cases.

'Our approach aims to create a world-leading regulatory environment for UAS that balances safety and security needs with supporting the sector to flourish.'