Many restrictions removed as Ho Chi Minh City tests drones

(Dan Tri) - With the drone testing policy in Ho Chi Minh City, businesses do not have to apply for a license each time they fly. The locality is researching to expand the testing parameters to higher levels.

Ho Chi Minh City has just officially approved regulations on criteria, fields, and contents to support controlled testing of new technology solutions within the scope of high-tech zones and concentrated information technology zones. This is one of the specific mechanisms and policies in the field of science and technology that Ho Chi Minh City applies in Resolution 98.

With the new policy, organizations participating in controlled testing are allowed to use suitable premises and infrastructure in designated areas. At the same time, testing is exempted from licenses under the authority of Ho Chi Minh City, and is registered for protection with patents, industrial designs, and trademarks.

Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park, where controlled testing of drones is conducted (Photo: Hai Long).

However, one of the issues that is still being debated is the policy of setting technical limits for vehicles. Some opinions say that strict technical regulations can make it difficult for businesses to upgrade technology in the future, and limiting testing before 5pm is also not convenient for unmanned aerial vehicles, which have the function of operating at night.

Clarifying this issue, Mr. Le Truong Hai Hieu, Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, said that currently, businesses that want to test drones at Quang Trung Software Park and the High-Tech Park must apply for a flight permit from the Ministry of National Defense . Every time they take off, they need to ask for permission.

Within the High-Tech Park, the current flight test limit is 100m or less. Businesses that want to test higher altitudes and wider wingspans must go through Can Gio. To specifically measure technical parameters during the flight, businesses even have to go abroad for testing.

"The city's new policy has provided support for businesses. Instead of having to ask for permission for each flight, the locality will base on the unit's operational needs and grant permission for the whole year. Businesses that need to test only need to register to be able to fly. The agencies have provided parameters to control the flight height and distance. Businesses that need to test higher altitude flights with wider wingspans will test in other areas," Mr. Le Truong Hai Hieu analyzed.

Mr. Le Truong Hai Hieu, Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council (Photo: Q.Huy).

The Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council added that during the review of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee's proposal, the unit also proposed that the city continue to research to establish a specialized testing area for businesses. The new area will be used to test vehicles with higher technical specifications.

Regarding this new policy, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai shared that the controlled pilot is the content of the locality recognizing the problem and asking for special mechanisms and policies. During this process, the locality discussed and asked for opinions from central agencies to pioneer the issue of controlled pilot.

"As it is a controlled pilot, we cannot fully understand it, we need to set limits for control," said Mr. Phan Van Mai.

According to the new policy, Ho Chi Minh City has set out the basic criteria and technical specifications for testing drones: wingspan, maximum body length of 1.57m, maximum height of 71.5cm, maximum take-off weight of 70kg. Maximum flight speed of 100km/h, maximum flight altitude of no more than 200m, testing from 7am to 5pm.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/nhieu-gioi-han-duoc-thao-go-khi-tphcm-thu-nghiem-may-bay-khong-nguoi-lai-20241116111054760.htm