AUVSI recently launched XPONENTIAL in Europe, hosted by leading trade fair organizer Messe Düsseldorf. To kick off the programming, I joined with UAV Dach (European Association for Unmanned Aviation) Chairman Dr. Gerald Wissel to moderate a keynote panel discussion with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Certification Director Rachel Daeschler and U.S. aviation safety expert Captain Lee Moak.

My top takeaway from the informative discussion is our industry has made significant progress educating leaders worldwide about the value of uncrewed systems and their transformative impact on the way we move people, transport goods and engage in national security. As we look ahead to a future of more widespread operations, we must adopt a global approach to addressing regulatory challenges and seizing new market opportunities.

Our industry’s primary challenge remains the lack of enabling regulations, but there is an opportunity to harmonize regulatory frameworks and reach more markets.

The technology we saw on display at XPONENTIAL Europe, and that we learn about every day from the AUVSI community, is saving lives—but outdated regulations remain the key point of friction. Our technologies are racing forward faster than regulatory environments are keeping up. To reach the vision of a full integration, where drones and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft operate in the same airspace with commercial and general aviation, there is a need to break out of a siloed approach and address air traffic modernization, enabling regulations and type certifications simultaneously.

Looking to the EU, EASA’s Rachel Daeschler shared the agency’s strong commitment to helping the drone sector develop and expand, because they see the potential for many social benefits. She shared that this year, the agency’s main objective on UAS is to unlock the next step in broad operations by conducting a review of existing regulations are working well and identifying areas for improvement. EASA welcomes input from industry in this effort and their standards processes.

The agency has already adopted a global outlook, having signed several collaboration agreements with non-European countries and is seeking to work with other aviation authorities to create harmonized regulations that benefit the industry.

EASA has been actively engaged with the FAA and with civil aviation authorities in Canada and Brazil to compare air worthiness frameworks for low and medium risk UAS. The end goal is compatibility and comparable safety levels that enable aircraft manufacturers to export in many regions without burdensome, additional verifications.

AUVSI’S APPROACH 

In the U.S., XPONENTIAL has been the leading annual event for uncrewed systems, autonomous tech, and robotics for decades. It was incredibly energizing to be part of the launch of the European staging with Messe Düsseldorf.

After attending the trade show and conference in the U.S. and opening the Europe programming, Düsseldorf Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller remarked that XPONENTIAL is more than an event—it is a movement shaping the future of mobility.

At AUVSI, we prioritize movement over motion. Our mission is to move to points of friction that exist in this industry, whether that’s in technology or policy, and work to solve problems.

We are actively working toward regulations that enhance aviation safety and unlock scalability in high-value areas, including drone delivery, inspection, agriculture and public safety missions. We have been highly engaged in advocacy at the federal level for some time and in recent years, we’ve become one of the most engaged advocacy organizations at the state, tribal and local levels. With rapid shifts in the global landscape, we are also forming meaningful partnerships with leading organizations and influencing discussions from Germany to Taiwan. 

I’m grateful for our community’s collective commitment to safely and securely integrating uncrewed vehicles into our future. Thank you for being part of this global movement.

Michael Robbins is president and CEO at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the world’s largest trade association for uncrewed systems, autonomy and robotics, in both the commercial and defense sectors. He joined AUVSI in 2020 and previously served as chief advocacy officer and an executive vice president.