Every drone over 250g to broadcast its position under new rules
The aviation regulator wants police and airports to identify any drone with a cheap receiver, after a year in which rogue aircraft closed three airports
Every drone heavier than 250 grams will have to broadcast its position and operator identity continuously under rules proposed by the aviation regulator this week.
The proposal follows a year in which unauthorised drones closed three airports for a combined 41 hours and were implicated in at least two incidents at power stations.
Councils would also gain the power to close corridors of airspace within minutes, a power that today sits with the regulator and can take weeks to use.
Manufacturers broadly support the broadcasting requirement, which most new consumer models already meet. Delivery and inspection firms argue that letting every council close airspace would make routine operations impossible to plan.
