All unmanned aircraft weighing more than 250g will have to be equipped with a "digital licence plate", also known as a Broadcast Remote Identification (B-RID), starting from Dec. 1, 2025.

The B-IRD leverages wifi and bluetooth technology to transmit information, such as the unmanned aircraft’s position and serial number, the location of the UA operator, and the identification reference number of the operator.

This allows unmanned aircraft in the skies to be identified for safety and security purposes, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a press release.

The only exceptions to the requirement are unmanned aircraft operators who have been granted an Operator Permit and are using the FlyItSafe mobile application during the permitted unmanned aircraft operation, or the operation of the unmanned aircraft either indoors or in an enclosed environment.

Owners will have one year to comply with requirement

CAAS added that the B-RID requirement will be published in the government gazette in December 2024.

This means owners of existing unmanned aircraft that are not equipped with a B-RID will have one year to comply with the requirement.

To facilitate the transition for affected unmanned aircraft users and support adoption of the B-RID, CAAS said it plans to fully cover the cost of the B-RID module unit, inclusive of installation.

Only users whose unmanned aircraft is not equipped with the B-RID will be eligible for this support.

To qualify, such users must apply for a B-RID module between Jan. 1 and Mar. 31, 2025.

Unmanned aircraft users who do not submit an application to CAAS within this time will have to procure a compliant B-RID module and bear all applicable costs on their own, CAAS said.

These modules are expected to cost between S$120 and S$250.

CAAS added that it would also provide educational and guidance materials to users on the purchase of an unmanned aircraft or B-RID module and the necessary checks to ensure B-RID functionality.

More than half of all unmanned aircraft registered with CAAS in 2024 have built-in B-IRD modules

CAAS noted that the number of unmanned aircraft registered in Singapore has increased from 8,205 in December 2020 to 24,567 in July 2024.

Currently, the majority of new unmanned aircraft in the market and more than half of such aircraft registered with CAAS in 2024 are already equipped with built-in B-RID modules.

CAAS said it has since launched a month-long public consultation exercise to seek public feedback on the proposed implementation plan.

This public consultation exercise will run from Sep. 2 to Oct. 1, 2024.

The feedback received will be considered in finalising the implementation plan.

Members of the public can provide their feedback via the Reach website.

Top photo by Jared Brashier via Unsplash