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Drone Authority

Commercial systems desk · 11 mission lanes

Build the equipment around the work.

Choose the client mission, assemble the smallest complete system, prove the handoff, then upgrade only when paid demand creates a requirement.

No invented bundlesOfficial sources visibleAffiliate links labeledVerified July 26, 2026

Mission selector

Choose what the client is buying.

Selected mission

Public safety and search

Start with a written concept of operations, trained crews, a visible-light aircraft, communications, and evidence handling. Add thermal, docks, or BVLOS only for validated mission needs.

A fleet without policy, training, command integration, and records is not a public-safety program.

Buyer

Police, fire, EMS, emergency management, and mutual-aid teams

Accepted output

Command-ready awareness, search coverage, evidence, and a trained repeatable program

Open the full mission guide

Minimum viable system

Own the full handoff, not only the aircraft.

Check an item only when the system meets its field acceptance test. Owning the object is not the same as being ready to sell the work.

System readiness

0/4

Stored for this visit only. Verify requirements on every assignment.

Aircraft
Agency-approved visible-light aircraft system

Scene context, search documentation, and controlled training

Why it earns a place

A manageable baseline fleet lets the agency standardize pilots, batteries, firmware, logs, and evidence before adding payload complexity.

Ready when

Procurement approval, support plan, current aircraft record, trained crews, and an agency-owned operating profile.

Safety
Incident communications and crew kit

Connect the remote pilot, observer, air boss, incident commander, and ground teams

Why it earns a place

Search value depends on air-ground coordination, shared location language, and a clear abort path.

Ready when

Assigned channels, plain-language handoff, crew roles, lost-comms action, and airspace deconfliction.

Data
Evidence and records workflow

Preserve source media, flight logs, access, retention, and public-record handling

Why it earns a place

Live awareness and evidentiary media have different custody, privacy, security, and retention needs.

Ready when

Policy owner, access controls, transfer method, retention schedule, audit trail, and deletion process.

Safety
Scenario training and proficiency record

Turn equipment familiarity into repeatable incident performance

Why it earns a place

Pilots need search patterns, sensor use, communications, emergencies, evidence transfer, and after-action practice.

Ready when

Initial qualification, recurrent scenarios, role-specific proficiency, and documented remedial training.

Field pack

Small items that keep the mission intact

Agency radio and headset

Maintain incident and air-ground communication around aircraft noise.

Every job

High-visibility remote pilot station

Make the crew and launch area obvious inside an active scene.

Every job

Scene lighting that preserves night vision

Support equipment handling without creating avoidable visual impairment.

Mission-specific

Evidence transfer and offline map kit

Keep mission and custody workflows working without normal connectivity.

Backup

Procurement method

Four gates before the cart

This page recommends capabilities and systems, not a universal shopping cart. Exact aircraft, payload, software, security, and approval requirements remain assignment-specific.

  1. 01

    Name the accepted output

    An orthomosaic, listing gallery, thermal dataset, search record, and cinema take are different products. Write the handoff before choosing hardware.

  2. 02

    Build the minimum system

    Cover aircraft, payload, power, field control, software, source custody, QA, and delivery. A drone by itself is not a working stack.

  3. 03

    Prove it on a sample

    Run the complete workflow and test the output in the client's destination system before promising compatibility, accuracy, or turnaround.

  4. 04

    Upgrade against demand

    Add RTK, thermal, LiDAR, zoom, FPV, or a larger aircraft only when a funded assignment creates a requirement the baseline cannot meet.

Continue the working path

Equipment becomes useful inside a legal, priced, testable service.

Use the mission guide to learn the deliverable, the software desk to choose the production stack, the requirements checker to identify approvals, and the profit calculator to include processing, subscriptions, travel, insurance, and equipment reserve.

Source policy

Capability claims need an owner.

Regulatory cautions link to FAA, EPA, USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other primary or official material. Product buttons route through Drone Authority's existing tracked catalog; Amazon links may earn a commission, while manufacturer options remain available when they are the useful source. Compatibility, prices, support, and rules can change.

Verify current FAA requirements