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The 2026 Countdown: Europe Moves from National STS to EU STS-01 & STS-02
For a drone manufacturer, the European market represents an immense opportunity—but also a complex regulatory landscape. Understanding the rules of the game is not just a matter of compliance, but a key competitive advantage. This guide explains directly what you need to know to position your products for success.
1. The Law (The “What”): Your Design Objectives
For you, as a manufacturer, this means the law defines performance goals, not technical solutions. It doesn’t tell you which components to use, but rather what level of safety your drone must achieve. This gives you the freedom to innovate—but also requires you to demonstrate that you’ve met those goals.
2. The Route to Compliance: The Role of the Notified Body
A Notified Body is an independent, accredited organisation designated by the EU to assess conformity. For drone manufacturers, this means that your design, documentation, and testing must be reviewed and validated by a NoBo before your product can be placed on the European market. Relying only on internal evaluations is not enough. The NoBo ensures that your product truly meets the essential requirements and provides the legal basis for marketing it across the EU.
3. The Current Challenge: Standards Are Not Yet Official
Here lies the current strategic challenge: although the technical drafts are ready, some standards have not yet been officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This means that, as of today, there is no “automatic shortcut” to prove compliance.
4. The Deadline: January 1, 2026
This is the date you must mark in red on your product development calendar. Starting January 1, 2026, in order to operate under the European Standard Scenarios (STS)—which cover a large portion of advanced professional operations—it will be mandatory to use drones marked with Class C5 or C6.
This creates an unavoidable market demand. Operators will need drones with these certifications, and only manufacturers who can navigate the certification process successfully will be able to compete in this crucial segment.
5. Your Winning Strategy: Use Draft Standards as Your Technical Baseline
Inaction is not an option. Waiting for the official publication will leave you behind. The strategic imperative is clear: you must treat the existing draft standards—such as the prEN 4709 series—as your design benchmark today.
Why? Because the Notified Bodies will base its assessment on these drafts in practice, even before their formal publication. Ignoring them means running the risk of producing drones that cannot pass the conformity assessment.
- Risk of Inaction: Launching a product that will fail NoBo evaluation, requiring costly redesigns and delaying your entry into the market.
- Advantage of Action: Having products ready to pass the NoBo conformity process as soon as required, securing your place in the European market ahead of competitors.
Conclusion
Your roadmap is clear: design now with the draft requirements and prepare for the NoBo assessment as the decisive step. Those manufacturers who anticipate the conformity process—not just the technology—will be the ones leading the European drone market in 2026 and beyond.