5.3. UAS Requirements

The following is a list of minimal requirements for a vehicle to be permitted flight at competition. Teams that arrive at the competition failing to meet the vehicle requirements will not be permitted to fly, until the vehicle is modified to meet all requirements.

5.3.1. Autonomy

UAS should operate with some level of autonomy with the ability for manual safety pilot takeoff at any time.

5.3.2. UAS Weight

The maximum all up flying weight of the UAS should be 45 LBs or lower. This will be verified during safety inspections. The UAS must also be capable of heavier-than-air fligth and be free flying without any ground encumbrances like tethers.

5.3.3. FAA Compliance

The UAS used at competition must be registered using the FAADroneZone, the certificate must be presented at safety inspection and at the flight line, and an external surface of the vehicle must be labeled with the registration number.

The UAS must also comply with FAA Remote Identification for Drone Pilots (Remote ID). At a minimum, the Remote ID broadcast must include a unique ID for the vehicle and the vehicle position.

The Safety Pilot must complete The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and present the certificate of completion at safety inspection and at the flight line.

5.3.4. Single Design and Backup Instances

Exactly one design can be used throughout the competition. Teams are locked into a specific design upon submission of the Proof of Flight Readiness Video. The team may use backup instances of that design during development. The team must use exactly one instance during the Mission Demonstration.

5.3.5. Ground Based Equipment

No antenna masts, balloons, or other objects taller than 15ft will be permitted. No ground based imaging sensors can be used as a replacement for the UAS's imaging payload.

The safety functionality must be operated using onsite systems with no dependency on any system not under the team’s full control. For example, safety critical functionality cannot have a dependency on the public internet or public cloud providers. Safety critical functionality includes, but is not limited to, return to land and flight termination, manual piloting by the Safety Pilot, commanding the autopilot by the GCS Operator, and failsafe for the air drop.

5.3.6. Fuel and Battery Restrictions

All UAS must be battery electrically powered (non-fuel based). Exotic batteries will not be allowed. Any option deemed by the organizers as high risk will be denied. All batteries must be brightly colored for easy identification in a crash, and it is preferred if they are wrapped in bright colored tape. Batteries must also be located on the UAS so that they can be easily removed/added without any vehicle deconstructions (e.g. batteries cannot be embedded into the UAS airframe).

More information detailed in Battery/Fuel Guidelines.

5.3.7. Obstacle Avoidance

The ability to avoid obstacles is a core capability for uncrewed systems. Due to the operation of multiple UAS within the same airspace, teams must prepare their systems to avoid other teams' UAS. Up to two UAS will be operating in the airspace at the same time. Both teams will be given a radio to conduct communications between each other to minimize the chance of collision. The operations at the competition will not actively put teams in a situation that causes UAS to be on a known collision path.

5.3.8. Return to Home and Flight Termination Failsafes

The UAS must have either autonomous return to home (RTH) or return to land (RTL), and autonomous flight termination. Either the Safety Pilot or the GCS Operator must be able to activate both. See Safety Inspection for a detailed description of all required failsafes.

5.3.9. No Foreign Objet Debris (FOD)

No pieces may depart from the aircraft while in flight, except for the components involved in air drop while attempting that task. Foreign object debris (FOD), like nuts and bolts, must be cleared from the operating area before mission flight time stops.

5.3.10. No Personnel Near Prop Arc When Powered

Personnel must be clear of the propeller arc whenever the motors have the ability to receive power. For example, if the batteries powering the electric motor are connected, personnel are not allowed to be near the prop arc. Software based disarm is not sufficient. Propeller power must be disconnected in order to physically work on the UAS. Teams violating this safety rule may be disqualified.

5.3.11. Weather and Environmental Factors

The vehicle must be able to operate in any winds experienced at the airfield. Average wind speeds in California, MD in June is ~8 mph, and the record high is 24.2 mph. Vehicles must be able to operate in temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Teams will not have to operate during precipitation, but they must be prepared to quickly secure their equipment from sudden precipitation. Fog conditions are acceptable if there is at least 2 miles of visibility.

5.3.12. Allowed RF Communications

All Radio Frequency (RF) communications must comply with FCC regulations. Any bands allowed by FCC regulations may be used at competition. Judges use 462 MHz for handheld radios.

The judges will not provide any RF spectrum management. This means that any device can be used in any of the allowed bands at any time. This includes both the flight line and the pits. Teams are encouraged to use hardwired connections when possible. Where possible, teams should use encryption, directional antennas, and RF filters. Each team should expect other teams to be using similar equipment (e.g. same autopilot), and teams must ensure they don’t allow invalid connections (e.g. connecting to another team’s autopilot). Where possible, teams should use frequency hopping or dynamic channel selection. The judges reserve the right to institute RF management if necessary, but teams may not rely on such.

Teams found intentionally jamming or interfering with another team’s communications will be considered cheating.

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