343R Authorisations of drone use for defence purposes

(1) An authorised person may authorise the use of unmanned aircraft systems for the purpose of defence—

(a) testing,

(b) evaluation,

(c) training, and

(d) capability development.

(2) For the purposes of this section, an “authorised person” means—

(a) a member of the Armed Forces who has been deemed authorised by the Secretary of State, or

(b) a civilian employee of the Ministry of Defence who has been deemed authorised by the Secretary of State.

(3) An authorisation under subsection (1) must—

(a) be in writing, except in urgent cases in which it may be given verbally and later confirmed in writing as soon as reasonably practicable, and

(b) not have effect for a period exceeding six months.