DAkkS accredits certification of unmanned aircraft systems

In mid-February 2022, Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) became one of the first accreditation bodies in Europe to accredit a certification body for products, processes and services for certifications of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

The accreditation, which was issued in the middle of February, was preceded by an extensive series of assessments, including participation in flight tests and an intensive exchange of technical information with the European Commission, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and the Federal Aviation Office as the notifying body.

Basis in EU regulations

Accreditation in the field of unmanned aircraft systems goes back to Delegated Regulations (EU) No 2019/945 and No 2019/947, which came into force on 1 July 2019 and define the requirements for UAS to minimise the risks posed by their operation. With these regulations, the EU has established uniform provisions governing the placing on the market and operation of unmanned aircraft systems in the so-called “open category” in Europe. Under some circumstances, placing on the market requires the manufacturer/distributor to involve a notified body. This in turn requires accreditation for notification.

Certification in accordance with EU-type examination

The certification accredited by DAkkS relates to Module B as defined in Regulation (EU) No 2019/945, i.e. the so-called EU-type examination, which is limited to the examination of technical design.

Accredited bodies in the database

Interested parties can find conformity assessment bodies with accreditation in the stated area in the database of accredited bodies. To do this, use the filter “Certification body for products, processes and services” in conjunction with a search in the free text search field for the german term “unbemannte Luftfahrzeugsysteme”.