As drone operations expand into more complex environments, ensuring safety becomes paramount—especially for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and urban operations. Two technical measures stand out in enhancing operational safety and enabling regulatory compliance: parachute systems and Flight Termination Systems (FTS).

These systems play a key role in risk mitigation strategies under the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) methodology. In particular, their design and performance are assessed against EASA’s Means of Compliance (MoC) 2511 and MoC 2512, making them critical for obtaining operational authorizations.

Why Parachutes and FTS Matter

When operating over people, in populated areas, or at higher altitudes, the consequences of a system failure or flyaway are significantly higher. Parachutes and FTS are designed to reduce the severity of ground impact or prevent uncontrolled flight by:

• Reducing the kinetic energy at impact (parachutes)

• Halting flight before exiting the operational volume (FTS)

• Enhancing compliance with SORA Operational Safety Objectives (OSOs), particularly those related to containment, impact reduction, and emergency handling

These systems are often used in combination to address the overall risk profile of the mission.

MoC 2511: Parachute Systems

MoC 2511 outlines the compliance criteria for parachute systems used as a mitigation measure under SORA. Key aspects include:

• Deployment reliability: The system must be capable of autonomous deployment in case of emergency or be activated manually/remotely with low latency.

• Kinetic energy limitation: The parachute must limit the impact energy below thresholds established for operations over people or critical infrastructure.

• System testing: MoC 2511 requires documented testing under various scenarios to demonstrate reliability, including multiple deployments.

• Maintenance: Clear guidelines must be in place to check the repack cycle, battery health, and sensor calibration.

Examples of compliant systems include the MOC2511-tested parachutes from companies like Drone Rescue and Parazero, often deployed on DJI platforms and custom drones.

MoC 2512: Flight Termination Systems

MoC 2512 specifies the requirements for FTS used to contain the operation within the defined volume and reduce risk in case of loss of control. Key principles include:

• Fail-safe architecture: The system must have an independent triggering mechanism that can terminate the flight reliably even when the main flight controller fails.

• Secure communication: Commands to terminate flight must be encrypted and tested against interference.

• Termination zone planning: The operation must define areas where the FTS will land the drone in case of activation, and ensure that the impact zone aligns with acceptable ground risk.

FTS is particularly important for operations close to airspace boundaries or critical ground infrastructure, where flyaways can introduce serious risk.

Regulatory Implications in SORA

In the context of SORA:

• Parachutes are considered strategic mitigations under Step 3 (Final Ground Risk Class)

• FTS are considered containment mitigations, helping to fulfill OSOs like:
  
  

  • OSO #12 (Limitation of the effects of the UAS impact)

  • OSO #13 (Ability to terminate the flight)

  • OSO #15 (Design for containment)

Proper documentation, testing evidence, and integration with the operational concept are needed to satisfy the competent authority.

Support Through AirHub

At AirHub, we support drone operators in two ways:

1. Consultancy:

   • Advising on selection and integration of MoC-compliant parachute and FTS systems

   • Supporting the risk assessment and documentation for SORA-based authorizations

   • Assisting in operational testing and validation

2. Software:

   • Mapping operational volumes and termination zones

   • Logging maintenance cycles and system readiness

   • Embedding checklists and SOPs for launch, activation, and emergency use

Conclusion

As the drone ecosystem moves toward routine, scalable BVLOS and urban operations, safety-critical subsystems like parachutes and FTS will be indispensable. Understanding and applying the regulatory framework through MoC 2511 and 2512 not only increases safety but also unlocks operational approvals that would otherwise be out of reach.

By combining technical preparedness with smart tools and regulatory support, operators can ensure their missions are both innovative and compliant.