Profili attuali della disciplina giuridica dei mezzi aerei a pilotaggio remoto e il regolamento dell'Ente nazionale dell'aviazione civile italiana (ENAC)

The use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in the military field is widespread, especially in segregated airspace. Technological progress determined the increase of many applications of these aircraft in the civil field, whose use has grown exponentially, mainly for purposes related to security in the widest sense. According to recent studies the civilian use of RPAS exceeded the military one. The phenomenon has assumed unimaginable dimensions only a few years ago, especially with regard to small and medium RPAS. This is confirmed by the great importance that national legislations are reserving to the regulatory framework of these devices in the absence of a specific harmonized contest at European and international level. On 16th December 2013 ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, has presented the regulation on remotely piloted aerial vehicles, pursuant to art. 743 c. nav. It answers to the needs of adaptation of the current regulatory framework in an effort to begin a discipline on national basis in order to uniform both European and world level, supporting the demand of market’s internationalization in this sector constantly growing. Keeping in mind the position expressed by ICAO and EASA on these issues, the paper explains the current Italian Regulation, focusing in particular on the arising insurance profiles.