CAAS mandates B-RID for unmanned aircraft over 250g

It will be effective on 1 December 2025.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has mandated all unmanned aircraft (UA) weighing above 250g will need to be equipped with Broadcast Remote Identification (B-RID), effective on 1 December 2025.

CAAS said the only UA exempted from this mandate are operators of UA granted a permit and are using the FlyItSafe mobile application when operating the UA or if the UA is operated indoors or in an enclosed environment.

Presently, the majority of new UAs on the market and more than half of UAs registered with the CAAS in 2024 are already equipped with built-in B-RID modules.

In December 2024, CAAS will publish on its website a list of UA models and B-RID modules that will meet the new B-RID requirement. Owners of existing UAs can check the CAAS website for whether their UAs are already B-RID compliant and can continue to be used after 1 December 2025.

Owners of existing UAs that are not equipped with B-RID will have one year to comply with the requirement by installing a B-RID module on their UA when it is flown.

To help these owners, CAAS will fully cover the cost of the B-RID module unit, inclusive of installation, as long as these owners apply to CAAS for the free B-RID module through the CAAS website between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025.

To qualify, the UA weighing above 250g must not have built-in B-RID capability; the UA must be registered with CAAS by 31 December 2024; and the application for the free B-RID module is made by the person or organisation who had registered the UA.

Those who do not apply between 1 January and 31 March 2025 will have to procure a compliant B-RID module and bear all applicable costs on their own.