As part of CASA’s review of drone regulations, this discussion paper has been released to engage the community and aviation industry on the issues and concerns which have been raised either directly with CASA, or indirectly through a number of forums.

The fifth Chief of Air Force Occasional Paper examines the key issues associated with contemporary armed unmanned aircraft. Such aircraft are programmed for acquisition in the 2016 Defence White Paper. The paper was written both to inform the debate on the utility of such capabilities and address concerns some may have.

There has been rapid growth in the availability and use of small-scale drones in recent years, driven by the private benefits available to the drone operator. For a recreational operator the motivation may be enjoyment, but for the commercial operator there is the ability to gather information at lower cost and lower risk than previously...

Australia’s drone industry is booming. The number of certified commercial operators has risen dramatically in recent years, and the increasing capability and usability of drone technology has seen a huge rise in the number of businesses and consumers purchasing and using drones.