Opportunities, Challenges and Requirements for Use of Blockchain in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operating Below 400ft Above Ground Level for Commercial Use

The number of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) has been growing over the past few years and will continue to grow at a faster pace in the near future. UAS faces many challenges in certification, airspace management, operations, supply chain, and maintenance. Blockchain, defined as a distributed ledger technology for the enterprise that features immutability, traceability, automation, data privacy, and security, can help address some of these challenges. However, blockchain also has certain drawbacks and, additionally, it is still not fully mature. Hence it is essential to study how blockchain can help UAS. This Aerospace Information Report (AIR) presents the current opportunities, challenges of UAS operating at or below 400 ft Above Ground Level (AGL) altitude for commercial use and how blockchain can help meet these challenges. It also provides requirements for developing a blockchain solution for UAS along with the need for the standardization of blockchain enabled processes.