US Opens Door To Increased UAV Sales.

The Obama administration on 17 February unveiled a new policy that could facilitate unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) exports to countries beyond close allies like the UK that already use advanced US-manufactured systems such as the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper.

US Opens Door To Increased UAV Sales.

An "intensive interagency process" that included the White House, the Pentagon, the Commerce Department and others led to the crafting of the new policy, a State Department official told  on the condition of anonymity. "We want to make sure that transfers are done as responsibly as possible,".

The US will assess military UAV export requests "on a case-by-case basis", according to the State Department. Washington will require recipients of US-origin military UAVs to agree to the following principles guiding proper use before sales or transfers can be authorised, according to a fact sheet released by the department:

- Use of the equipment must be "in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable".

- Use of UAVs as weapons should occur "only when there is a lawful basis for use of force under international law, such as national self-defence".

- "Unlawful surveillance or use unlawful force against their domestic populations" with the equipment is prohibited.

- UAV operators should receive technical and doctrinal training on their use "to reduce the risk of unintended injury or damage".

Further, the new policy does not alter US commitments under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), according to the fact sheet. The MTCR subjects transfers of military and commercial systems that cross the threshold of MTCR Category I, which includes UAVs that are capable of a range of at least 300 km and are capable of carrying a payload of at least 500 kg, to a "strong presumption of denial".

UAV technology is in high demand worldwide, and US arms makers have long sought to enter that market more forcefully as competitors like China continue to make inroads. The new policy is likely to facilitate the efforts of US UAV makers like General Atomics, as well as munitions and surveillance equipment manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, to offer more advanced technology to more customers.

The new policy is part of a broader effort that builds on the US Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, according to the State Department official. As such, it is the latest in a series of moves to modernise and reform US export controls for the aerospace and defence industry. The Export Control Reform (ECR) programme, launched in 2009 by the Obama administration, involves interagency collaboration on redefining controlled and licensed goods and amending existing regulations. The ultimate goal of the ECR programme overall is a single export control list to be monitored by one agency responsible for export licensing in order to increase US market competitiveness.

The pre-existing multi-departmental export licensing process is being streamlined incrementally. Significant changes to a number of categories of controlled items under the International Trafficking in Arms (ITAR) regulations have already been made; most recently, changes relating to military ships and vehicles, as well as the launch of the Commerce Department's '600 series' list.