Remote ID (RID) refers to a drone’s transmission of its location and certain identification data in a standardized, public, and non-encrypted format. This feature – sort of a digital license plate for drones –empowers regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, and airspace managers to accurately monitor and track drone activity.

Remote ID regulations are already in effect in several countries and are in various stages of adoption or consideration by more. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States is implementing the Remote ID rule, which requires manufacturers to produce Remote ID-capable drones by December 2022.  This rule mandates remote identification for certain size categories of drones, ensuring the disclosure of critical information such as location, and altitude of the drone and its control station or take-off location. This regulatory framework plays a vital role in strengthening pilot accountability and ensuring safer skies for all airspace users.

“Why do we need it? Remote ID lays the foundation of the safety and security groundwork needed for more complex drone operations. Remote ID also helps the FAA, law enforcement, and other federal agencies locate the control station when a drone appears to be flying in an unsafe manner or where it is not allowed to fly.”                      (FAA, UAS Remote Identification)

Remote ID capabilities support the long-range detection, identification and tracking of drones. This allows for early detection of unauthorized or illegal drone flights or operations, enabling timely response measures to mitigate potential risks, as allowed by evolving regulations. In addition, to enhance the effectiveness of counter-UAS solutions, Remote ID data could be seamlessly merged and enriched with other drone-related information. This integration provides a comprehensive situational awareness picture, enabling C-UAS operators to make informed decisions. By embedding the Remote ID data layer across various configurations, and networked systems of sensors, real-time display, API integration, and analysis and replay capabilities become available for authorized C-UAS users.

C-UAS and Remote ID – Integration but not Dependency

Counter-drone technologies can now integrate Remote ID information, monitor drone operations (location, altitude), and, if in violation of drone regulations, identify the unauthorized or non-compliant drone. While recognizing that Remote ID is an important feature for a C-UAS system – as it will be able to read, receive, and use the Remote ID information broadcast from the drone, it is important to emphasize that C-UASs not be dependent on it. Bad actors may still disobey, disable and/or distort Remote ID etc. –this is why C-UAS needs to understand and respond based on other information and methods as well. By being able to determine the type of drone, and accurately determine the drone position, including take-off and pilot position in real-time, a counter-drone system can help security officials deal with the unauthorized or non-compliant drone flight. RF cyber technology used for detection, tracking and identification provides accurate detection and can be fully integrated, if permitted and needed, with cyber-takeover mitigation for an end-to-end solution. RF cyber-detection can determine not only the drone position but also its take-off position, and possibly track the remote controller.

By incorporating Remote ID capabilities, we can enhance threat coverage, ensure compliance with global standards, and enrich situational awareness for more effective counter-UAS response. The FAA’s Remote ID rule sets a significant precedent, underlining the importance of standardized identification and tracking mechanisms. Through these advancements, we pave the way for a safer and more harmonious integration of drones into our airspace.

My previous blog post was intended to help clarify some of the industry confusion around the term “remote ID ready” following the announcement of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) final rule on Remote ID. The FAA worked diligently with many industry partners and the public to create that final rule, which is a positive first step, but there are limitations:

• Timing – drone manufacturers must integrate a remote ID broadcast by September 16, 2022. And all drone owners must meet operating requirements by September 16, 2023. This roughly 18–30-month period is relatively long, especially considering how fast drone technology, UAS traffic management (UTM) systems and the overall drone/counter-drone ecosystem are evolving.
• Drone Model Exemptions – quite a few sUAS models are exempt from the final rule. For instance, lightweight drones (sUASs below 0.55 lbs., such as the DJI Mavic Mini) are not included. Many drones will broadcast their identity and location, but quite a few will not. Security teams will not be able to rely upon the final rule to accurately understand the actual drone threat they face.
• Identity Masking – although the exact protocol through which the remote identification will be broadcast has not been set or approved by the FAA yet, it has been determined that the protocol will be open and non-proprietary (the physical layer will most likely be Wi-Fi or Bluetooth). Non-proprietary protocols are prone to identity masking or cloning methods, meaning a malicious drone operator could make his/her drone broadcast the ID of your authorized drone! Imagine the police showing you digital “evidence” that your drone was connected to drug smuggling across an international border, or that it caused a costly delay at a packed baseball game. This is a serious limitation of the final Remote ID rule.
• Malicious Actors – many of the risks posed by drones are due to carelessness, but a significant percentage of the threats comes from malicious actors. Contraband smuggling into prisons, or potential terror attacks, are not perpetrated by people who want to be detected, located or identified. They will try to use older drones, lighter drones or DIY drones without a remote ID transmitter.
• The Rest of the World – regulators across the globe have contemplated, issued and even enforced regulations like the Remote ID rule. But in many regions, such regulations will not be in place for years. And C-sUAS or drone technology that is dependent on the U.S. Remote ID rule may not be effective elsewhere.

D-Fend has developed multiple mechanisms to locate and identify drones, recognizing that this is a real requirement that cannot depend on regulators or the goodwill of drone operators. As noted in my previous post, one stage of our six-part drone incident lifecycle is entitled “Identify the Drone” and EnforceAir is proven to detect, identify and mitigate multiple drones simultaneously.

Already today we can identify drones from many manufacturers, regardless of their weight, date of manufacturing, or the country they fly in. The remote ID rule is an important step, but C-sUAS solutions must be independent of this regulation.

When customers ask whether D-Fend Solutions supports remote ID, we can say that officially we will almost immediately after the technical and regulatory details are set.  But our customers currently benefit from the data the remote ID regulation is meant to produce, and much more.

The best way to phrase it – D-Fend Solutions is more than ready for the Remote ID era. We are already helping our customers access much more than the data that the rule will generate, data that is vital to C-sUAS customers.

A Confusing Conversation

There have been many industry discussions recently about remote ID for small, unmanned aerial systems (sUASs), following the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) final rule on Remote ID.

Some of this dialogue has unfortunately been confusing, because similar terms are being used to describe very different concepts. For example: D-Fend Solutions was often asked in the past whether we could positively identify drones in range of EnforceAir, our flagship counter-drone, radio frequency-based, cyber-takeover solution.

The ability to detect, locate and identify drones is an obvious requirement for a takeover system, so the customer can determine if detected drones are authorized and then mitigate rogue drones. One stage of our six-part drone incident lifecycle is entitled “Identify the Drone” and EnforceAir has proved it can detect, identify and mitigate multiple drones simultaneously.

While this customer need has stayed the same, the term being used by our customers has changed. Following the final rule passage, now everyone is asking whether D-Fend Solutions supports Remote ID.

D-Fend Does…

As recently pointed out by people in the market, there is no way for anyone to officially support the Remote ID rule, because there are currently placeholders for future mechanisms that must be approved by the regulator. This will affect how a manufacturer complies with the performance requirements for a Standard Remote ID Drone (“means of compliance”).

But D-Fend Solutions’ C-sUAS already provides what is needed, namely the ability to detect, locate and identify drones in the area from afar. The Remote ID rule stipulates that drones – many, but not all – will be required to transmit details on their identity and location via an open, non-proprietary communication channel. D-Fend Solutions currently goes way beyond what would be available once the rule is finally in effect. Additionally, the data transmitted by the drone under the Remote ID rule will likely be added to the many layers of information D-Fend creates within our system. Saying “D-Fend Solutions is Remote ID ready” is a short way to describe all of the above. But there’s more…

My next blog post will look at five limitations of the final rule, as well as how EnforceAir will help our customers stay protected despite these issues.