The Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) is a self-conducted risk assessment process for UAS operators. It is used to evaluate and manage the operation of an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) within the "Specific" category.
 
The SORA process focuses on assessing two risk classes in UAS operations:
 
  • Ground Risk Class (GRC)
  • Air Risk Class (ARC)
     
These two risk classes form the basis for determining the Specific Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL), which reflects the complexity of the UAS operation and defines the operational requirements.
 
SORA allows operators to implement specific safety barriers and/or mitigation measures to reduce both the ground and air risk classes, thereby lowering the required SAIL level.
 
 

Important notice

In specific zones (e.g., areas around airports and airfields, flight restriction zones, etc.), flights may only be conducted with prior approval from Austro Control or other relevant authorities, even if a "Specific" category operational authorization has already been granted.
 
Please note that fees may apply in accordance with the Austrian Civil Aviation Charges Regulation (ACGV).
A detailed overview of these restricted areas and additional information can be found here and in the Austro Control Dronespace System.
 


A visual representation of the necessary SORA steps can be found here:
Flowchart of the SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) process with ten steps, from risk analysis and safety requirements to authority approval for drone operations.


Document structure:
 

1. Operations Manual (OM) 
According to AMC1 UAS.SPEC.030(3)(e) of Regulation (EU) 2019/947
The Operations Manual contains operational procedures for the respective operation, such as contingency procedures and emergency procedures.
 
For structuring an Operations Manual, a template is available, divided into four main sections (Part A to D). This template has been designed for a UAS standard operation within SAIL II.
The OM template can be found here.
 
2. Concept of Operations (ConOps)
The Concept of Operations (ConOps) may be included as Step #1 of the SORA process or addressed in the general section of the Operations Manual.
 
Mitigation measures from the SORA process may be reflected here but must be clearly detailed and justified in the SORA document or in the Compliance Evidence.
 
3. SORA Risk Assessment
The risk assessment must include at least:
 
Evaluation of ground and air risks
Mitigation measures
Determination of the SAIL level
Analysis of the operational environment
It must also cover Steps #2 to #9 of the SORA process, including reasoning and conclusions. Steps #1 and #10 may also be incorporated here.
 
For additional guidance, a SORA Guide is available for further explanations.
 
4. Compliance Evidence (Step #10 of AMC1 Article 11)
The Compliance Evidence is a list of all identified requirements and their verification. It may be embedded within the SORA risk assessment, but it is crucial that the Operational Safety Objectives (OSOs) (Point 5 of Step #10) are not part of the Operations Manual (OM) or the Concept of Operations (ConOps).
 
The structure for the Compliance Evidence can be found in Appendix A of our SORA Guide under "Compliance Evidence".
 

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