AtkinsRalis, a global engineering services and nuclear company, has been appointed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as its first approved assessor of commercial drones, putting the company at the forefront of safely enabling the expansion of drone services throughout the UK.AtkinsRalis technical experts will assess the flightworthiness of drone designs across various sectors including cargo, medical deliveries, surveying and media evaluating whether commercial operators and designers comply with the CAAs new technical requirements for design, manufacturing and flying characteristics.These assessments will form the basis for AtkinsRalis recommendations to the CAA, which will then issue the appropriate authorisation or certificate to successful applicants.James Richmond, AtkinsRalis Head of Advanced Air Mobility, said:From expediting deliveries of live-saving medical supplies to more efficient monitoring of our critical national infrastructure, drones are set to deliver significant benefits across multiple industries.
This pace of change will hinge on constructive partnerships between industry and regulators, ensuring these aircraft integrate safely into airspace while encouraging innovation.Our decades of aerospace certification experience, combined with our Future of Flight teams deep understanding of the evolving aviation ecosystem, uniquely positions us to support this dynamic industry through assessments that maintain public confidence while unlocking new opportunities.Sophie OSullivan, Director of Future of Flight at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said:UK SORA is the UKs version of a drone risk assessment process that has been developed internationally with consensus from multiple aviation authorities.
It represents a significant step forward in how the UK approaches drone certification.As we enable the safe expansion of the UKs commercial drone market to support economic growth, Recognised Assessment Entities like AtkinsRalis will play an important role in providing technical expertise to ensure drone operators and designers are compliant.As of March 2025, the CAA reported there were more than 470,000 active registered drone users in the UK.As a Recognised Assessment Entity for Flightworthiness [RAE(F)] for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), AtkinsRalis will provide two critical services: assessing drone flightworthiness for commercial operators applying through the UK Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) process, and evaluating manufacturers drone designs under Safety Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL) Mark policies.This appointment builds on AtkinsRalis extensive experience in advanced aviation projects and developing innovative solutions for the future of flight in the UK.
This includes leading the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium, which is pioneering eVTOLs in the UK, and CAELUS, the UKs first drone distribution network for medical supplies throughout Scotland.The RAE(F) role focuses solely on the technical assessment of drone flightworthiness and does not include assessment of a companys commercial and operational competencies.
The CAA retains responsibility for evaluating and authorising the operational aspects of commercial drone use in the UK.According to the CAA, operators seeking authorisation in the specific category may need to engage an RAE(F) to assess the flightworthiness of their unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as part of their application process.
Additionally, UAS designers should work with an RAE(F) when pursuing a SAIL Mark certification for their drone designs.Source: AtkinsRalis