Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as "drones“, are aircraft operated without a human pilot onboard, controlled either remotely via radio equipment or autonomously through pre-programmed systems. The term "UAV" broadly encompasses all types of unmanned aircraft, which can be technically categorized into: unmanned fixed-wing aircraft, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, unmanned airships, unmanned helicopters, multi-rotor drones, and parafoil-wing drones, among others.
Compared to manned aircraft, UAVs offer several advantages, including compact size, lower cost, ease of use, reduced operational environment requirements, and enhanced survivability in combat scenarios. Given their strategic significance in future aerial warfare, major military powers worldwide are intensifying efforts to develop advanced UAV technologies.
In November 2013, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued the Interim Regulations on the Management of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System Pilots, delegating authority to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China (AOPA) to oversee civil UAV-related matters. According to these regulations, UAV operations in mainland China are classified into 11 categories based on aircraft size and flight airspace. Only UAVs weighing over 116 kilograms and airships with a volume exceeding 4,600 cubic meters operating in integrated airspace fall under CAAC management. All other operations, including the increasingly popular micro aerial photography drones, are managed by industry associations or are the responsibility of the operators themselves.