Following the lifting of sanctions on Iran, dual-use unmanned air vehicles can now be exported from the European Union, subject to authorisation.
Trade restrictions on Tehran were eased following the nuclear disarmament Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action enforced in January. This had previously prevented the sale of dual-use UAVs – defined at the time as those with an autonomous flight control and navigation capability and those capable of beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) operations – from Europe and the USA.
Simple UAVs that were not specifically designed or modified for military use could previously be supplied from European Union nations, but now dual-use UAVs can also be sold.
This only applies to Europe, however, because certain US sanctions remain effective, Bird & Bird, a law firm specialising in aerospace, tells Flightglobal.
“This effectively precludes their dealing with Iran and thus US-dollar-denominated transactions cannot be completed without US approval,” the firm says.
The EU definition of dual-use was modified at the end of 2015 to include UAVs for BLOS operations that either have an endurance of 30-60min and can operate in winds over 25kt, or UAVs with an endurance of over 1h.
Those with a range of 162nm (300km) also now count as dual-use, while unmanned aircraft with autonomous flight control and navigation capabilities, or which can carry 20 litre of aerosol, are also included.
Additionally, some UAV engines, equipment to convert manned platforms into unmanned aircraft, and a range of systems and software for UAVs, also qualify as dual-use technology, Bird & Bird says.
As for systems originating in the US, civil unmanned aircraft with less than 10% US-origin content by value can be sold to Iran so long as no “specially designated national” – any individual prohibited from dealing with the USA – is involved. The sale of military UAVs to Iran remains prohibited under both European and US law, however.
The same rules apply for commercial passenger aircraft; those with less than 10% US-origin content by value can be sold to Iran without US government authorisation.
Bird & Bird says it expects that the lifting of the sanctions will be welcomed by aircraft manufacturers, and the country is likely to become a “significant user of the new licensing authority”.
Source: Flightglobal