US President Donald Trump on Friday signed three executive orders to enhance drone security and promote future air technologies. Expect to see electric air taxis and supersonic commercial aircraft to get us cross country in four hours.
The orders allow drones to operate beyond the visual line of sight of their operators. It is an important step to enabling widespread commercial drone deliveries.
They also aim to reduce America’s dependence on Chinese drone manufacturers and advance the testing of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The Task Force Goals
Trump will launch a federal task force to strengthen US control over its airspace and assist these efforts. The task force will expand protections around sensitive sites, increase the government’s ability to detect drones in real time, and provide support to state and local law enforcement.
“Drones are a disruptive technology. They have an amazing potential for both good and ill,” senior NSA adviser Seb Gorka said. “We will increase the enforcement of current laws to deter two types of individuals: evildoers and idiots — the clueless and the careless.”
The orders direct the FAA to expedite a new rule restricting drone flights over sensitive sites and work with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to better enforce laws on illegal drone use.
Criminals with Drones
According to Reuters, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said that, Trump further aims to address the “growing threat of criminal terrorists and foreign misuse of drones in US airspace.”
There are serious concerns about foreign terrorist cartels with drones used to smuggle drugs.
The war in Ukraine has heightened realistic concerns about drones being used in military warfare as weapons and spy equipment.
Supersonic Flights and Flying Cars
One of Trump’s orders directs the FAA to eliminate the 1973 speed restriction that prohibits flights over Mach 1 and replace it with a noise standard.
New technology in supersonic aircraft can allow the planes to fly faster than the speed of sound without a disruptive sonic boom being heard on the ground, but the regulations still ban those flights over land.
“The reality is that Americans should be able to fly from New York to LA in under four hours,” Kratsios said. “Advances in aerospace engineering, material science and noise reduction now make overland supersonic flight not just possible, but safe, sustainable and commercially viable.”
Several companies are also developing flying cars for use as taxis and delivering cargo. They are likely still at least a couple of years away from being ready, but orders are designed to remove regulatory barriers to their development, the AP reports.
“Flying cars are not just for ‘The Jetsons.’ They’re also for the American people,” Kratsios said.
The Threat of Chinese Drones
There are growing concerns about Chinese-made drones, and the orders seek to secure US dominance in drones.
Several states already have restrictions on Chinese drones.
The orders also tighten rules on wireless transmission tech, which would disrupt the ability of Chinese drones to transmit data back to Beijing.
The measures stop short of ordering a full ban on Chinese-made drones from companies like DJI or Autel. However, one of them calls on the Federal Acquisition Security Council to “publish a Covered Foreign Entity List…identifying companies that pose supply chain risks.” So, DJI and Autel could end up on that list.
The orders expand the use of drones outside the field of vision. Hundreds of waivers have been granted to companies like Amazon to use drones further away.
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