UAS in the NAS

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) has come a long way from when it was first developed in the early 1900. Early UAS received little attention from the Federal Aviation Administration due to their numbers and also their infrequency of operation, but recently numbers of UAS in our National Airspace System have increased dramatically with their uses also increased from when it was used strictly for war and surveillance to now where it is used for fire fighting, crop monitoring,ground mapping to name a few, highlighting the need for a structured approach for safe and efficient integration (Federal Aviation Administration, 2013).
In order to create a safe NAS for all types of aircraft, the FAA has created some rules before a UAS could be operated, some of the rules are all UAS should be able to comply with Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions, clearances and receiving air traffic services. Also all UAS must file and fly an IFR flight (Federal Aviation Administration, 2013).
With all this safety issue been addressed by the FAA, it has actually made the NAS safer for the manned aircraft that have crews and passengers on board. There is still a lot to be done to improve the operation of a UAS in the NAS, one of the improvement is the incorporation of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) into the UAS (Wilson, 2007). This is presently in work and should be installed in most UAS in the nearest future.
Reference:
Federal Aviation Administration. (2013, November 7). Integration of Civil Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Roadmap http://www.faa.gov/uas/media/uas_roadmap_2013.pdf
Wilson, J.R. (2007, January 1). Manned and unmanned aircraft to share controlled and commercialairspace http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/print/volume-18/issue-1/features/manned-and-unmanned-aircraft-to-share-controlled-and-commercial-airspace.html