The European RPAS Steering Group (ERSG) was called into life by the European Commission (EC) in mid-2012. It is co-chaired by Directorate General Enterprise & Industry and Directorate General Mobility & Transport of the European Commission.
The members of the ERSG are: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), EUROCONTROL, SESAR Joint Undertaking, European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), Joint authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS), European Defence Agency (EDA), European Cockpit Association (ECA), Association of European Research Establishments in Aeronautics (EREA), EUROCAE, European Aerospace & Defence Industries Association (ASD), Prof. Alfredo Roma, and UVS International. The ERSG has as objective to foster the development of civil RPAS by planning and coordinating all the activities necessary to achieve the safe and incremental insertion of civil RPAS into European air traffic by 2016 (harmonized rules for RPAS < 150 kg & common rules for RPAS > 150 kg).
The fruit of the ERSG’s initial work is the European RPAS Roadmap.
The European RPAS Roadmap, which was commissioned by the EC, is a comprehensive, yearly updatable, roadmap defining milestones, the distribution of tasks among the relevant stakeholders, and the timing for the incremental integration of RPAS into the European air traffic management system starting in 2016. It will be officially handed over by the ERSG to the European Commission (DG Enterprise & Industry + DG Mobility & Transport), in front of the press, during a short ceremony at the Paris Air Show on 20 June 2013. Representatives of all the ERSG member organizations will be present. The roadmap will be remitted jointly by a representative of both ASD & UVS International, the two associations federating the European RPAS industrial entities (manufacturers & operators). Attendance at this ceremony is on invitation by the EC only.
The European RPAS Roadmap will be a major milestone for the European & international RPAS community.
After the remittance ceremony on 20 June 2013, the electronic version of the European RPAS Roadmap will be posted under the “European Matters” tab in the main menu bar on www.uvs-info.com.