The Cost To Operate an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Was Reported To Be $20 per Hour.

A Report on Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Systems.

Made Public Date
12/29/2022
Identifier
2022-SC00522

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as drones, are aircraft that do not carry a human operator and are autonomous or remotely operated. UAS can provide aerial footage, collect data, and deliver payloads. UAS have proven to be cost effective when implemented within TIM deployments, especially when used for aerial images. According to a recent report:

The Washington State Patrol documented 125 UAS deployments during their pilot program in 2018 and found at an hourly rate, the operational cost for a UAS is $20 per hour.

System Cost

The operational cost of a UAS = $20 per hour