Consultation on the C2 Link Policy Concept for SAIL 1 to 3

Overview

Consultation closed: C2 Link Policy Concept for SAIL I to III operations

This consultation has now closed.

The CAA has published its response to the consultation on the C2 Link Policy Concept for SAIL I to III operations.

The response document summarises the feedback received and explains how this will inform the next steps in developing our approach to C2 links for UAS operations under the UK SORA framework.

Read the consultation response (CAP3248)

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is seeking views on a policy concept for the Command and Control (C2) Links used by Specific category Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) at SAIL I to III under the UK SORA process.

This consultation is part of our work under the Future Air Traffic Management and Air Navigation Services programme and supports our commitment to enabling safe and scalable BVLOS operations in the UK. The document outlines our early thinking on how existing telecoms and aviation standards could be applied to C2 links and proposes a set of measures to support compliance with Operational Safety Objectives (OSOs) within UK SORA.

Why your views matter

This is a technical and specialist consultation intended primarily for UAS operators, network providers, equipment manufacturers, and safety and risk assessment specialists.

We are seeking your views on a number of proposals, including:

• The use of existing telecoms standards and service levels to meet C2 link requirements

• Adoption of the JARUS Required C2 Link Performance (RLP) framework

• Suitability of different radio technologies for operations assessed as SAIL I, II or III

• How C2 link performance aligns with OSO6 and OSO13 requirements in UK SORA

The consultation also includes partial use cases to help illustrate how different C2 link architectures may fit a range of operational contexts.

If you have any questions about this consultation or would like to engage with the team directly, you can contact us at airspacemodernisationdelivery@caa.co.uk