The complexity of the operational approval process increases dramatically as the intrinsic risk of the operation (low, medium or high) increases. The required level of robustness for any risk mitigation or operational safety objective is linked with such intrinsic risk.
Within the “Specific” category, the applicant of an operational approval request must collect and provide the relevant technical, operational and system information needed to assess the risks associated with the intended operation of the UAS. The SORA process provides the framework for the assessment of such risk by a logical process to analyze the proposed Concept of Operations, or CONOP, and establish an adequate level of confidence that the operation can be conducted with an acceptable level of risk. Within the SORA process, the Specific Assurance and Integrity Levels (SAIL) drive the robustness of the operational safety objectives (OSO).
For medium risk, compliance with EASA SC Light UAS.2510 and 2511 a can be performed through a relevant safety analysis such as “UAS level FHA” and a “Loss of Containment analysis” to identify failures and combination of failures which could lead to operations outside the operational volume.
