By: Abigail Smith*
You may have heard of Remote Identification (Remote ID) for drones – but have you heard of the Trusted Multifaceted Remote ID (TM-RID)? A major improvement in drone identification technology, TM-RID addresses the privacy, security and regulatory needs for advanced unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations under both Part 107 and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed Part 108 framework for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. TM-RID’s features, including spoof-proof authentication, quantum-resistant encryption and single-session virtual IDs, offer solutions to many persistent pain points for operators, while also fulfilling or exceeding regulatory requirements.
What Are FAA Remote ID Requirements?
FAA’s original Remote ID rule under Part 89, requires drones to broadcast identification and location data, including (for Standard Remote ID) the position of both the aircraft and the ground control station. It allows for the use of tack-on Remote ID broadcast modules, but not for BVLOS missions. The FAA intended this regulation to create transparency and accountability for drone operations. However, industry feedback highlighted privacy and security shortcomings. Vulnerability to spoofing and operator tracking by malicious actors or competitors ranked high among the expressed concerns.
FAA Part 108 Levels Up Drone Regulations for BVLOS
The new FAA Part 108 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) marks a pivotal shift in how UAS will operate BVLOS by moving away from prescriptive mandates towards performance-based regulations designed to accommodate rapidly evolving technologies and complex, high-risk commercial use cases, from long-range logistics and powerline inspections to emergency response and large-area environmental surveys.
Remote ID Is Central to Part 108 BVLOS Compliance
Mandatory Remote ID compliance forms the cornerstone of the Part 108 proposal. It requires every BVLOS-capable drone to be reliably identified and tracked in real time for the transparency and accountability essential to shared airspace, especially as autonomous and semi-autonomous operations proliferate and interact more often with manned aviation. Authorities and airspace management systems will be able to access flight information without compromising operator privacy, so long as the identification hardware and protocols meet FAA standards.
Reusable Remote ID Modules and Certification Streamlining
Significantly, the NPRM proposes greater regulatory flexibility to encourage innovation and streamline compliance. For instance, operators will now be able to use reusable Remote ID modules, hardware components that can be moved from one aircraft to another. This should reduce waste, lower costs and support fleet upgrades without unnecessary certification hurdles.
Part 108 also seeks to simplify certifications by focusing on risk mitigation for different operational profiles, rather than rigid technical prescriptives. This approach should make it easier for both large commercial operators and small businesses to secure approvals for their missions, provided they demonstrate robust safety and compliance programs.
Openness to Industry-Developed Remote ID Standards
Finally, the proposed rule shows an openness to industry-developed standards for both Remote ID hardware and protocols. This allows forward-thinking solutions, like Trusted Multifaceted Remote ID (TM-RID), to be evaluated and adopted as recognized Means of Compliance (MOC). This allows the best available technology to set the benchmark instead of slow regulatory cycles. The final rule may adjust or clarify these allowances, as the FAA continues to solicit public comment and weigh input from industry experts and standards organizations.
How TM-RID Stands Apart
TM-RID is engineered to resolve operational gaps and fulfill the new regulatory requirements.
Why TM-RID Delivers Superior Security and Compliance
Unlike standard Remote ID, which exposes operators to location-tracking and spoofing, TM-RID employs:
- Authentication Key: Verifies the legitimacy of each drone’s broadcast ID to nullify spoofing attacks.
- Encryption Key: Shields drone and control station locations from everyone except FAA-authorized users to protect privacy and operational security.
- Single-Session ID: Operates like a disposable license plate, used for a single flight, known only to regulators and law enforcement and then discarded. This dramatically reduces risks for operators in both commercial and recreational sectors.
These capabilities don’t just meet Part 108’s requirements for secure identification, compliance and operator accountability, which become increasingly critical as the volume and risk of remote operations scale; they exceed them– particularly the system’s quantum-resistant encryption and authenticated broadcast.
Alignment With FAA Means of Compliance
Part 108’s performance-based approach enables industry-led solutions to be recognized as acceptable means of compliance (MOC). AX Enterprize, a technology and engineering company renowned for its advanced aviation solutions, operator of the NY UAS Test Site at Oneida County and developers of TM-RID, specifically designed it for ease of MOC designation with input from global standards bodies like:
- Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a global standards organization develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards, including secure identification protocols like Drone Remote ID Protocol (DRIP).
- American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM International) a global standards organization develops and publishes technical standards for a wide variety of industries, including unmanned aircraft systems and Remote ID protocols that support compliance with FAA regulations.
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized United Nations agency that establishes global standards and frameworks for safe, secure, and interoperable civil aviation, including digital identity protocols that impact both drone and traditional aircraft operations.
All three standards bodies are already moving toward consensus adoption of TM-RID as a secure, future-proof protocol. The IETF DRIP group continues to finalize an international specification. ASTM International’s F38 committee is coordinating with the FAA and industry players like Zipline to ensure the integration of trajectory intent messaging and other advanced features. ICAO, meanwhile, is considering frameworks that extend TM-RID’s digital identity protocols across all airspace participants, not just drones. This would open the door to integrated airspace management and cross-border trust.
Industry Impact and Application
TM-RID can enhance the way remote pilots, commercial operators and public safety agencies manage drone identification, security and privacy in an increasingly complex operational landscape. By tackling longstanding concerns about operator traceability, flight security, and data protection, it empowers every sector of the drone ecosystem to operate with greater confidence.
Enhanced Privacy and Security for Commercial Drone Fleets
Commercial operators, for example, gain significant privacy advantages. TM-RID prevents competitors from tracking their flight patterns which effectively reduces the risk of intellectual property theft. Operators further fortify their operational security by safeguarding their fleets and missions against hijacking and impersonation attempts from increasingly sophisticated threats.
Steve Roberts, director of SUNY’s Air Upstate trauma drone program, underscored the system’s life-saving potential. “TM-RID can safeguard each medical drone delivery by protecting patient privacy and guaranteeing that our aircraft remain spoof-proof during critical missions,” he said,
Confidentiality for Law Enforcement and First Responders
Law enforcement and first responders benefit from the ability to perform sensitive operations with enhanced confidentiality. TM-RID’s session-specific anonymity keeps agency identities, mission details and flight intentions exclusive to authorized oversight, crucial for emergency, security, and tactical missions. This protection boosts both officer safety and overall mission integrity.
Privacy Breakthroughs for FPV and Recreational Pilots
TM-RID offers robust protection that even First Person View (FPV) and recreational pilots need for operational privacy and safety. By masking the ground station’s location and providing session-level anonymity, TM-RID reassures pilots who have been reluctant to adopt Remote ID protocols due to fears of being targeted by bad actors. This leap in privacy encourages broader compliance without sacrificing accountability.
Beyond Compliance: Unlocking the Drone Ecosystem
As Part 108 approaches final rulemaking, TM-RID may very well prove pivotal for widespread BVLOS certification, streamlined operator permitting and scalable UAS integration. TM-RID turns Remote ID hardware into a strategic asset rather than a compliance burden for drone manufacturers and service providers.
MC Chruschicki, co-founder and CEO of AX Enterprize, explained, “TM-RID is about more than regulatory compliance. It’s about building trust, safeguarding privacy and giving regulators the tools to unlock the next era of aviation.” She continued, “Implementing TM-RID means operators can finally trust the system, not just to follow the letter of the law, to secure their operations, protect their business interests and ensure the integrity of the airspace. We can’t afford to get this wrong: immediate, robust, and secure Remote ID is what the industry demands, and what the FAA must deliver.”
TM-RID is more than a technical upgrade. It is the linchpin for the next chapter in American drone aviation. With spoof-proof security, privacy-preserving compliance and standards alignment, TM-RID offers a viable, future-ready means of compliance for all operators under the FAA’s evolving regulatory landscape.
As regulators, pilots, manufacturers, and public safety agencies prepare for Part 108, TM-RID can deliver the operational trust, scalability and interoperability the industry has long awaited.
Pat Baskinger, CEO of AX Enterprize summed it up: “The time to act is now. Trusted Remote ID isn’t just about drones. It’s about building a secure foundation for everything the future of aviation will bring.”
*Abigail Smith is the AG Counter-UAS Ambassador. Her business Andersmith Solutions is a Vendor Partner.