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The draft EUROCAE document ED-348: Guidelines for the use of multi-GNSS solutions for UAS – Medium Risk is now open for comments.
Between 2019 and 2022, EUROCAE group SG-6 developed guidelines for low risk operations Sail I and Sail II (ED-301) to support the use of GNSS and show compliance with previously established safety objectives (SORA OSO#13).
SORA OSO#13 is also applicable to higher SAIL operations with a different level of assurance, which may take the form of a service level agreement (SLA) with external GNSS service providers. This changes the approach with respect to low-risk operations, so a new standard will be defined instead of evolving ED-301.
“When discussing the use of GNSS in UAS operations, the assessment cannot be limited to GNSS as an external service only, but should consider other critical aspects such as system architecture, vulnerabilities, performance analysis, receiver design or integration, among other elements,” SG-6 posted on the EUROCAE website.
Because the requirements for medium-risk operations are more demanding than for low-risk operations, the scope of the ED-348 document not only covers compliance with OSO#13 requirements — where GNSS is considered an external service to support UAS operations — but also considers other relevant SORA OSOs where GNSS plays a relevant role.
Based on this information, the guidelines cover the following OSOs in regard to GNSS support SAIL III operations:
- OSO#05: UAS is designed considering system safety and reliability.
- OSO#08: Operational procedures are defined, validated and adhered to.
- OSO#13: External services supporting UAS operations are adequate to the operation.
- OSO#23: Environmental conditions for safe operations are defined, measurable and adhered to.
- OSO#24: UAS is designed and qualified to operate under adverse environmental conditions.
Interested parties are invited to review the proposed draft on the EUROCAE Workspace and complete the comment form. Non-members of EUROCAE can register and click on “Access only to Open Consultation”). Early replies are encouraged; the deadline for comments is Feb. 2, 2026.
The non-profit European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) is based in Lucerne, Switzerland, and serves as a European forum focusing on electronic equipment for air transport.
