Canadian UAVs’ (CUAVs) Sparrowhawk ground-based Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) radar has achieved a Pre-Validated Declaration (PVD) under Transport Canada’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft System safety-assurance framework after ten years of development and 50,000 operational hours.
Sparrowhawk enables drone operators to reference Canadian UAVs’ accepted compliance evidence in their own applications rather than building DAA compliance from scratch, supporting beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations in congested and complex airspace.
The PVD confirms that Sparrowhawk meets the requirements of Canadian Air Regulations (CARs) Standard 922; specifically, 922.10 (Detect, Alert, and Avoid Systems) and 922.12 (Demonstrated Environmental Envelope). According to CUAVs, this makes it the only configurable DAA element on Transport Canada’s published eligibility list. Sparrowhawk is also listed as a configurable element under the standard Safety Assurance Declaration (SAD) equipment list.
“The distinction between a PVD and SAD matters,” the company explains. “Under a SAD alone, a manufacturer attests compliance and Transport Canada may audit retrospectively. Under a PVD, Transport Canada reviews and formally accepts the manufacturer’s Means of Compliance plan before any declaration is made.”
Suitable for defence and civil applications, Sparrowhawk is ground-based rather than airframe-mounted and is therefore not restricted to a single drone platform. Operators can pair the system with the aircraft their mission requires, and the DAA compliance follows.
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