This is interesting...

The U.S. Congress has mandated the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into civil airspace by 2015.
At Rockwell Collins, we see this as an exciting development and the "next big thing" in aviation. We realize there are issues that need to be addressed, such as flight safety and privacy, but we believe technology and good public policy will provide solutions.
Continued U.S. leadership and market growth will come from greater access to airspace. The opportunity to use UASs for a multitude of applications such as law enforcement, weather monitoring, disaster recovery, and cargo delivery will benefit the general public, the government, our industry and the global economy.


I would consider this slightly significant. But don't get too excited (or concerned). This is coming from congress, so it is almost certainly ill-considered, unfunded, and impractical.



The only way ways around see-and-avoid...



1) Mandate hideously expensive (also non-existent and non-certified) see-and-avoid sensing technology for UAVs. This won't happen because it would hurt the darling UAV industry that everyone loves so much. It would actually force them to pay their own price of admission rather than forcing everyone else to pay it for them.



2) Mandate an advanced (also very expensive and non-existant) super-TCAS for all aircraft. The UAV crowd would prefer this, but AOPA, ATA, NBAA, etc would scream bloody murder. ADS-B won't cut it, it's an airspace management system, not see and avoid. Current TCAS is not reliable enough, it's just another layer of defense not the end-all-be-all. This would force out old-school ASEL and anything without an electrical system due to cost (I can't imagine a robust super-TCAS for less than $50-80K per copy).



3) Integrate a complex patchwork of restricted airspace into the current system to clear out the bug-smashers in favor of UAS. AOPA, NBAA, etc will scream bloody murder. This is the only thing which is technologically feasible by 2015.