Drone Operations: A Jurislogue

G. S. Sachdeva, Ph.D.

Unmanned aerial systems, popularly known as drones, have been in the news for all sorts of reasons—good and bad. The media has focussed equally on them for their use in hunting down terrorists and quickly eliminating them, as also for the inadvertent killing of innocent civilians and collateral damage to private property. Infringement of sovereignty is another pertinent area of international concern. Though historically associated with military missions, drones are increasingly proving their utility for internal security and disaster management. Lately, civilian and commercial uses are also proliferating. Indeed, drones have truly become a versatile flying platform.

As an aerial machine, drones have started encroaching upon the common-user air space and are striving to integrate their operations with manned military aircraft and civil airliners. The problems of air traffic management and compliance of safety measures are formidable while civil and commercial uses infringe upon personal privacy and property rights. Third-party liability is another important issue for settlement. Comprehensive regulations to handle incumbent problems are not yet in place even as drones are racing ahead in technological development and operational mandates.

This book will find interested audience among managers of aviation and air space, as well as persons from the Air Forces worldwide. It will also be of relevance to practising lawyers on air litigation, scholars of air law, as well as the aware layman.

Contents

Preface
Introduction
1.Prologue
2.Preliminary Information
3.Uses of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
4.Regulatory Provisions for National Air Space under Domestic Statutes
5.Drone Operations in International Air Space in Peace Time
6.Drone Operations in Hostilities
7.Appraisal Under the United Nations Charter
8.Differing Perceptions on Legality
9.Drone Strikes in War
10.Ethicality and Accountability
11.Concluding Remarks
Index

G. S. Sachdeva, Ph.D. Dr. G. S. Sachdeva, Adjunct Professor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad is one of the pioneer scholars in the field of Air and Space Law for almost three decades. He is also Guest Faculty in Air Law at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He has written extensively in professional law journals in India and abroad and contributed to edited books. He is the author of two books each on Air Law and Space Law and a Monograph on Space Tourism.

Dr Sachdeva obtained his Masters in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, and is a Gold Medallist in LL. B. from Nagpur University, Nagpur. He pursued his research studies in International Law and was awarded the respective degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.

He has served in the IAF for 25 years and retired as Wing Commander. He graduated from the Defence Services Staff College in 1973.