The Korean Agency for Technology & Standards (KATS) of the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy said that it announced the world’s first national standard on drones on December 30.
The national standard has the title of KSW9000: Classification & Terms of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. It provides the definition of terms regarding 52 types of drones, such as large unmanned aircraft and remotely controlled drones, along with six categories of classification based on operating altitudes, maximum takeoff weights, kinetic energy, etc.
According to the standard, drones can be classified into five categories based on their maximum takeoff weights, ranging from 2 kg or less to more than 600 kg. In addition, those with a dead weight of 150 kg or less are dubbed unmanned powered aerial vehicles, those with a dead weight of more than 150 kg and up to 600 kg are called midsize unmanned aircraft and the others are classified as large unmanned aircraft. The current Aviation Act does not cover the second and third categories.
The classification based on operating altitudes divides drones into four groups, ranging from 150 m to 50 km. According to the Aviation Act, a drone cannot fly at an operating altitude exceeding 150 m. The kinetic energy-based classification has the four categories as well, depending on the magnitude of impact in the case of drone crash on the ground.
Source: Business Korea