NATO STANAG 4671 is the NATO Standardized Agreement 4671 which is the UAV SYSTEM Airworthiness REQUIREMENTS . It is intended to allow military Unmanned aerial vehicles to operate in other NATO members airspace. Page 1 of edition 1 states: Edition 1 was promulgated in September 2009. Edition 2 was promulgated in February 2017. Draft edition 3 was being commented on in Sept 2014, calling attention to slow progress and highlighting concerns. Edition 3 was promulgated in Apr 2019.
Background
The task to initiate this standard resulted from a NATO meeting of the Flight In Non-Segregated Airspace Working Group, September 2004. There were no known international military standards for unmanned airworthiness. To prepare for the possible acquisition of a NATO-owned unmanned aerial vehicle, the level of airworthiness was essential so that industry could meet the alliance requirement. At the March 2005 FINAS meeting, France offered their national standard developed by Direction Générale de L'armement to be an initial basis for a NATO standard. The DGA document was titled “UAV System Airworthiness Requirements” a designation that France asked to be applied in NATO. This DGA standard was structured on the basis of EASA Certification Specification 23, CS-23 Normal, Utility, Aerobatic and Commuter Aeroplanes. The offer was accepted and the FINAS Chairman established a UAV System Airworthiness Requirements Specialist Team to lead the production of document to establish guidelines for NATO UAV airworthiness. The French agreed to lead the ST. The initial mandate of the ST was to recommend NATO-wide guidelines for UAV airworthiness to allow the cross-border operation of unmanned aerial vehicles in non-segregated airspace.
Scope
It covers fixed-wing military UAVs from 150 kg to 20,000 kg, that do NOT need "for normal operation the presence of a pilot that directly controls the UAV using a control box " It covers all aspects of the UAV system including communication links and control centre. It covers, e.g. ground handling characteristics, landing gear, UAV external 'position' lights, Command and controldata link loss strategy, Emergency recovery capability,.
UAV safety requirements
Sense and avoid
Page 7 states "It is recognized that ‘sense and avoid’ is a key enabling issue for UAV operations. The derivation and definition of ‘sense and avoid’ requirements is primarily an operational issue and hence outside the scope of USAR. However, once these requirements have been clarified, any system designed and installed to achieve these objectives is an item of installed equipment within a UAV System and hence falls under the airworthiness requirements of USAR."
Ratifying countries
Ratifying countries are listed in the front of AEP-4671, Ed. B Ver. 1, found on the NATO Standardization Officeweb site. National reservations are also listed.
