Recently, the "Classification of Distributed Operation Levels for Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems" led by Antwork has been solicited for comments and officially released on the official website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. According to the official website, this standard will be officially implemented from September 1, 2022, and other participating units include the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Academy of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beihang, Yihang, Fengniao, and Langxing.

The officially released "Classification of Distributed Control and Operation Levels for Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems" retains most of the previous content, and divides the automation level into six levels, AL-0 to AL-5, based on factors such as flight task execution, detection and response of operational risk factors, flight task takeover, and operational range limitations, to reflect the autonomous driving ability of drone systems. According to the published standard evaluation, Antwork is currently able to achieve automatic operation at the AL-4 level, which can be automatically executed by the system to detect and respond to operational risk factors. The system prioritizes the takeover of flight tasks and executes them within a limited range. At the same time, the standard divides the operating levels. Starting from the degree of automation and safety assurance, the operating levels of OL-1 to OL-5 are defined as a reference for evaluating the applicability of various scenarios.

On the basis of the previous draft for soliciting opinions, this standard has absorbed a wide range of suggestions and adjusted the relevant definitions of the delivery operation system of drone systems. At the same time, the names of various entities and roles involved in operation have been fine tuned to better conform to daily operational habits.

The release of this standard will promote the standardized management and large-scale industrial application of distributed operations, while also promoting the improvement of the automation level of drone operation, and continuously optimizing the human-machine ratio of aircraft control in the industry. A large number of operators will shift from the traditional "one-on-one" control mode of one controller controlling one drone to a "one to many" monitoring mode with automatic flight systems as the control core and operators as assistants. The automation operation mode standardized by distributed operations can enable the industry to expand the overall commercial operation scale several times under the condition of limited operating personnel, and promote cost reduction to improve enterprise profits and ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.

After obtaining the urban delivery drone operation license issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2019, Antwork is committed to applying the distributed operating system to the commercial operation of urban scenarios. To date, it has established safe and stable automated operation networks in multiple cities. The "Classification of Distributed Operation and Operation Levels for Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems" led by Antwork was refined based on its own exploration of 350000 kilometers of actual operation. As a designated urban logistics unmanned aerial vehicle trial operation enterprise by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Antwork will live up to expectations, actively undertake the important task of industry development while exploring scenario applications, and continuously output relevant data and standards for practical reference. Antwork believes that through the continuous improvement of industry standards, the future of urban air traffic will also become clearer.