USAF Airborne Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) Airworthiness and Operational Approval Approach. Version 1.0

: This report describes an airworthiness and operational approval approach and its risks for an Airborne Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) system on a USAF Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The approach follows the existing USAF airworthiness process to provide airworthiness approval of ABSAA-equipped UAS, and the approach is independent of the ABSAA technology. The artifacts developed as part of the Tailored Airworthiness Certification Criteria (TACC) or Modified Airworthiness Certification Criteria (MACC) for a UAS with ABSAA will be sufficient for both airworthiness and operational approval, provided that the artifacts associated with the operational path are mapped to appropriate airworthiness criteria. For operational approval, the ABSAA program should assist RTCA with developing a civil standard for ABSAA, work with the FAA to gain acceptance of the standard including any regulatory or policy changes if needed, and then the platform should follow the existing USAF Communications Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) process to enable Major Command (MAJCOM) operational approval and civil airspace access. Once a civil standard is available and accepted by the FAA, the current USAF CNS/ATM and operational approval processes require no further FAA review if the civil standard covers the desired operations.