CERTIFICATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM 

1. General. — No person shall operate an unmanned aircraft system in India unless such unmanned aircraft system conforms to a type certificate or is exempted from the requirement of a type certificate under these rules. 

2. Certification standards.–– The Central Government may, on the recommendation of the Quality Council of India, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify the standards for obtaining a type certificate for unmanned aircraft systems and such standards may promote the use of the following— 

(a) made-in-India technologies, designs, components and unmanned aircraft systems; and

(b) Indian regional navigation satellite system, namely, Navigation with Indian Constellation. 

3. Type certification.–– The Director General or any entity authorised by the Director General in this behalf, may, on the recommendation of the Quality Council of India or an authorised testing entity, issue a type certificate for any particular type of unmanned aircraft system. 

4. Application and procedure for issuance of type certificate.– (1) Any person, who intends to obtain a type certificate, shall make an application in Form D-1 on the digital sky platform along with the fee as specified in rule 46 and the following–

(a) particulars of the applicant; 

(b) details and required documents in respect of the prototype unmanned aircraft system as specified therein; and 

(c) the prototype unmanned aircraft system shall be physically handed over to the authorised testing entity specified therein. 

(2) The Quality Council of India or the authorised testing entity shall examine the proposal and submit the test report along with its recommendations to the Director General within sixty days from the date of receipt of the application. 

(3) On the basis of test report along with the recommendations received under sub-rule (2), and on being satisfied, the Director General shall issue to the applicant a type certificate for the specific type of unmanned aircraft system within fifteen days of receiving such test report. 

5. Acceptance of approvals given by foreign regulators.–– On the basis of the approval granted to any type of unmanned aircraft system by such of the Contracting States, as may be specified by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette, the Director General may issue type certification to that type of unmanned aircraft system.  

6. Imports.–– Import of unmanned aircraft systems shall be regulated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade or any other entity authorised by the Central Government. 

7. Mandatory safety features. – 

(1) The Central Government may, in future, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify safety features to be installed on an unmanned aircraft system by persons owning it, which may include among others, the following safety features, namely:––

(a) ‘No Permission – No Takeoff’ hardware and firmware;

(b) Real-time tracking beacon that communicates the unmanned aircraft system’s location, altitude, speed and unique identification number; and

(c) Geo-fencing capability.

(2) Every person who owns an unmanned aircraft system shall adopt safety features notified under sub-rule (1) within such period, not less than six months from the date of publication of such notification, as the Central Government may specify.

8. Exemptions from obtaining type certificate in certain cases.— 

(1) No type certificate shall be required for manufacturing or importing an unmanned aircraft system.

(2) No type certificate shall be required for operating the following, namely:––

(a) a model remotely piloted aircraft system; and

(b) a nano unmanned aircraft system.